Scheherazade, Rimsky-Korsakov performed by the Council Rock South Orchestra, Holland, PA on May 23, 2024.
This was the last orchestral piece I conducted to finish up my 36 year career in Council Rock School District, including 22 as the CRSO director. This arrangement simply reduced the 50 minute piece down to 12 minutes. No parts were changed; the cuts were placed so that keys were maintained (mainly E minor, E Major, B minor), most violin solos are intact (except the 3rd movement), and most Sultan melodies were kept. This enabled the piece to be learned more easily by 80 CRSO Alumni from 2004 to 2023! We could only have one rehearsal an hour before the concert started and this is the result of the reunion. Six violinists played the solos they performed when they were students in 2008, 2015, 2019, or 2024. The last violin soloist was performed by my daughter Maggy and she made it an even more emotional ending. Woodwind solos were similarly performed by a combination of alumni and current members.
1. The Sea and Sinbad’s Ship
2. The Story of the Kalendar Prince
4. Festival at Bagdad. The Sea. The Ship Breaks against a Cliff Surmounted by a Bronze Horseman
Soloists
Krista Donahue, violin (2015)
Carly Lewis, violin (2008)
Abby Stratton, violin (2015)
Ariana Alvarez, violin (2024)
Emily Asadoorian, violin (2019)
Maggie Earle, violin (2024)
Maggy Simon, violin
Hayden Kang, cello (2024)
Alexis Marques, flute (2024)
Megan McDonnell, flute (2015)
Kate VanBilliard, flute (2019)
Eshaan Doeger, flute (2026)
Allison Bobst, clarinet (2024)
David Somerville, clarinet (2005)
Michal Brown Hunte, clarinet (2024)
David Somerville, clarinet
Travis Korn, oboe (2024)
Sophia Grach, keyboard harp (2024)
Diana Newbauer, French horn (2024)