CARLI BERRY
The Nanaimo Chamber Orchestra will be finishing off their summer music series with a Summer Themes and Dreams concert at Deep Bay’s Music by the Bay in Bowser.
On Aug. 22 the orchestra will play a variety of short pieces like Themes from Harry Potter, Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachmusik, as well as a tango song according to a release issued by the Deep Bay Marine Field Station.
Karl Rainer, music director for the orchestra, described the group as a “mixed bag” as the orchestra is made up of amateurs. He said they meet once a week to rehearse for two and a half hours in Nanaimo and have people from Ladysmith to the Courtenay/Comox area come to play. They generally play three classical concerts throughout the year, so Rainer said it’s a treat to play music like the best of pop and themes from movies and TV shows.
“We’re a lot of fun to listen to,” he said. The orchestra consists of all stringed instruments and contains approximately 20 to 25 members that range from new musicians to retired music teachers.
The “people who are playing just love to do it,” Rainer said.
The orchestra has a different sound than the Nanaimo symphony with their 75 members and brass instruments, Rainer said.
“It’s a bit like comparing a rock band to a jazz band.”
He said the “symphony has a lot more muscle… we’re the middle of the road, it’s easier to be cleaner with 25 players than 75 players.”
They also operate without a conductor, which can be challenging for a new member, Rainer said. “The goal is to develop everyone musically.”
He continued that it forces musicians to listen to each other, than to follow someone waving a stick. “We have a lot of fun, not only because we play but how we play.” New members often take two to three concerts to adjust as it is a learning process, he said.
Each year student musicians compete to have a spot in the orchestra’s final seasonal concert. This year’s winner was 10-year-old flautist Uei-Young Jung who performed with the orchestra in Qualicum Beach in June.
The Deep Bay concert station is also a great place for performers, he said.
The concert area has great acoustics because of the high ceiling and a cement floor and the audience can come up and get close to the band, Rainer said.
The orchestra has been around for 11 years, and Rainer has been director for 10 of them.
“It’s a community labour of love to put together,” he said.
The concert is at 7 p.m. and tickets can be purchased by calling 250-740-6611. Tickets are $20 for the concert.
