Purcell Mountain Orchestra
submitted
Since February of this year both the Purcell Mountain Orchestra and the Golden Secondary School Choir have been rehearsing a wide range of musical repertoire to be performed on June 1 in Golden and June 2 in Invermere. The members of the orchestra are excited to showcase their program for the first time outside of Golden by taking the PMO (Purcell Mountain Orchestra) “on the road.”
The collective, consisting of the orchestra and the choir, have been working hard to get the selection of songs solidified and performance ready. Jackie Ohnander, Musical Director states: “Both groups began rehearsing on their own and have now come together. Many changes were necessary as the scores we have were not originally for both choir and orchestra. It has been a bit of a challenge to arrange the pieces but quite a good learning opportunity for everyone involved.”
As Ohnander and Barbara Ulrich of the Purcell Mountain Orchestra had a vision to include young singers in the spring concert, this undertaking also took a tremendous commitment from the GSS choir director Gloria Lowe.
Ohnader mentions: “It has been a great opportunity to play with the GSS choir. Featuring voices with the orchestra forces the PMO to listen and determine our role in the ensemble, as we do not have the melody the entire time. As a musician, anything that challenges you to listen more can only be a good thing.”
Generally the orchestra plays a classical repertoire for the Christmas concert and a more contemporary selection at their spring concerts. The theme for this years June performance is “Changing the world one song at time” featuring a selection of uplifting songs focusing on a positive outlook during the somewhat economically challenging times. This collaboration showcases how different community groups can work together and build strong relations between generations with culturally different interests.
“As we are considering the future of any of our local musical groups and keeping a long-term goal in sight, it made good sense to include the young singers of the GSS Choir. The members of the orchestra provide mentorship and a supportive environment for these talented students,” Ulrich commented.
The PMO and GSS Choir look forward to performing at the newly renovated Civic Center in Golden on June 1 at 7 p.m. and on June 2 at 5 p.m. in Invermere at the Christ Church Trinity. This has been made possible with the financial support of a Grant-In-Aid from the Town of Golden as well as the generous sponsorship of the Golden Dental Center.
Concert admission is by donation.
For more information on the Purcell Mountain Orchestra please visit: www.purcellmountainorchestra.com find us on Facebook email us at: music@purcellmountainorchestra.com
