If you were anywhere other than the Old Rochester Regional High School auditorium the afternoon of February 2, then you missed a superb performance by the Tri-County Symphonic Band presenting its lively “Con Spirito” program, delighting the audience with a brilliant selection of songs performed by a very talented group of musicians.
“You are in for a special treat,” Announcer and Trumpeter Roger Haber told everyone at the start of the show. “I understand that there’s some football game on this afternoon,” he said facetiously. “Well, no Patriots, so no hurry. But we’ll be out of here in time.”
The band’s first selection, “Festive Overture” by Dmitri Shostakovich was exactly as the program described, “… grandiose, lyrical and playful … under waves of high spirits …”
Under the direction of Philip Sanborn, the band performed Antonin Dvorak’s “Symphony No. 9 in E minor, From the New World,” a song easily recognizable to any inexperienced symphony-goer.
Trumpeter Edith Pliskin received applause in recognition of her 94th birthday next week. During intermission, when asked her secret for longevity, she simply replied, “Keep doing what you’re doing. What you love doing.”
The symphonic band also played selections by Mozart, Reed, Copland, and Holst, joined by Robert Marlatt on French horn. Marlatt is a prominent horn player in the Boston area, having performed with the Boston Ballet Orchestra, the Opera Company of Boston, and a significant number of philharmonics and symphonies throughout New England.
The Tri-County Symphonic Band is in its 52nd concert season and is an organization of talented musicians from Plymouth, Bristol, and Barnstable counties performing classical, semi-classical, and contemporary music.
The Tri-County Music Association, Inc. supports the symphonic band and also encourages young instrumentalists though music study grants and scholarships. In total, the Association has awarded $12,000 in funding to young musicians in 2013. You can find more information at www.TriCountySymphonicBand.org.
The Tri-County Symphonic Band’s next performance titled “New York, New York” will be held at Tabor Academy on Sunday, March 16 at 3:00 pm. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students, and children 12 and under are free.
By Jean Perry
