Oak Ridge Today

Oak Ridge Community Orchestra plays at Dogwood Arts Festival on Saturday

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Oak Ridge Community Orchestra

The Oak Ridge Community Orchestra Performing at the 2014 Dogwoods Arts Festival. (Photo courtesy of John Fairstein)

 

Daniel Webb

Daniel Webb

As part of the Dogwood Arts Festival, the Oak Ridge Community Orchestra will be performing famous and memorable music in Knoxville’s Market Square from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 18.

The free concert will feature the lively “Figaro Aria” sung by Daniel Webb, the emphatic fourth movement from the “New World Symphony” by Dvořák, the raucous “Polovtsian Dances” by Borodin, and the hand-clapping “Radetzky March” by Johann Strauss (Sr.).  This is a great way to enjoy a Saturday afternoon while browsing the shops at the Dogwoods Arts Festival.

The “Barber of Seville” is a familiar opera by Gioachino Antonio Rossini, premiering in 1816. The most famous aria from that opera is probably “Largo al Factotum,” in which the central figure, Figaro, vigorously touts his prowess as a barber and local facilitator of “everything.” The articulation and style in this aria are so impressive that Warner Brothers, Walter Lantz, and Hanna Barbera studios couldn’t resist featuring it in cartoon parodies. [Read more…]

Sponsored: Insurance agent honored by National Society of CIC

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Cyndi Jeffers

Cyndi Jeffers

Cynthia C. Jeffers, CIC, of S&R Insurance Services, was recently recognized for professional leadership and advanced knowledge by the Society of Certified Insurance Counselors (CIC), a leading national insurance professional organization.

Jeffers was awarded a certificate marking more than 25 years of participation as a designated CIC, which requires annual completion of advanced education and training.

“Cyndi’s ongoing allegiance and support of the CIC Program is a testament to the value she places on ‘real world’ education and customer satisfaction,” said William T. Hold, CIC, CPCU, CLU, president of the Society of CIC.

The CIC Program is nationally recognized as the premier continuing education program for insurance professionals, with programs offered in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, the Society of CIC is a not-for-profit organization and the founding program of The National Alliance for Insurance Education and Research.

Learn more about S&R Insurance Services here.

Music of ‘Emperor,’ ‘ Cinderella,’ ‘Christmas Festival’ to be featured at Dec. 6 concert

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Oak Ridge Community Orchestra September 2014 Concert

The Oak Ridge Community Orchestra is pictured above in a September 2014 Concert. (Photo by Ellen Greenwood)

 

By Dale Gedcke

A free concert by the Oak Ridge Community Orchestra at 2 p.m. Saturday, December 6, will feature the “Emperor (Kaiser) Waltzes” by Johann Strauss Jr., the “Cinderella Suite No. 1” by Prokofiev, the “Radetzky March” by Johann Strauss Sr., and “A Christmas Festival” by Leroy Anderson. This is an exciting program that you will not want to miss.

In 1950, Leroy Anderson wrote “A Christmas Festival” to be performed by the Boston Pops Orchestra. Ever since, it has been a popular favorite of audiences and orchestras. Somehow, Anderson was able to weave all the famous Christmas carols into a progressive collage of color. The startling opening begins with “Deck the Halls,” and continues with the quieter carols in the middle of the suite. In the finalé, Anderson shows his compositional ingenuity with a raucous variation on “Jingle Bells” that is briefly interrupted by the climax of “O, Come All Ye Faithful,” before rushing to an exciting conclusion with a confluence of “Joy to the World” and the “Jingle Bells” variation. [Read more…]

Concert debut: Lefkowitz conducts ORCO in Tchaikovsky, Khachaturian, Sibelius

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Gabriel Lefkowitz

Gabriel Lefkowitz

New Music Director Gabriel Lefkowitz will conduct the Oak Ridge Community Orchestra in September performances of compositions by Tchaikovsky, Khachaturian, and Sibelius.

During the September 13 concert, the orchestra will play the “Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture” by Tchaikovsky, “Adagio from Spartacus” by Khachaturian, and “The Karelia Suite” by Sibelius, a press release said.

“This is some of the finest orchestra music one can listen to,” the release said.

The free ORCO concert will be performed in the sanctuary of the First Baptist Church of Oak Ridge at 2 p.m. Saturday, September 13. It will be Lefkowitz’s debut with the ORCO as music director and conductor. [Read more…]

Community Orchestra performs at Secret City Festival on Saturday

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Oak Ridge Community Orchestra at the Secret City Festival

The Oak Ridge Community Orchestra performs at the 2013 Secret City Festival. (Submitted photo)

 

Submitted

While you attend the Secret City Festival in Oak Ridge on Saturday morning, stop by the pavilion and listen to the Oak Ridge Community Orchestra from 11:15 to 11:45 am. It’s free entertainment.

You will enjoy the program of popular renditions: music from the movies with highlights from “Jurassic Park” and “The Lord of the Rings (The Fellowship of the Rings),” jazz from the big band era in A Salute to the Big Bands, and favorite Broadway hits in Curtain Up!

A Salute to the Big Bands includes memorable melodies such as “April in Paris,” “I’m Getting Sentimental Over You,” “Pennsylvania Six-Five-Thousand,” “Serenade in Blue,” and “Sing, Sing, Sing.”

Curtain Up features the famous Broadway tunes “Don’t Rain On My Parade,” “Everything’s Coming Up Roses,” “If He Walked Into My Life,” “One,” “The Phantom Of The Opera,” and that rousing chorus, “There’s No Business Like Show Business.” [Read more…]

Experience the majestic Saint-Saëns Organ Symphony in Saturday concert

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Oak Ridge Community Orchestra Strings

String players in the Oak Ridge Community Orchestra are pictured above. (Photo courtesy of Travis Witherington) 

 

By Dale Gedcke

Don’t miss the majestic “Symphony No. 3 with Organ” by Saint-Saëns, performed by the Oak Ridge Community Orchestra at 2 p.m. Saturday May 17, in the sanctuary of the First Baptist Church. This is probably the most impressive symphony that one can find. It is unique because of the dominant role played by the organ, especially in the finale, where it builds the foundation for a glorious finish.

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835 – 1921) composed his third symphony at the pinnacle of his career when he was in his early 50s. The story of his life is as remarkable as the content of this symphony. Trained on the piano from a very early age, his first public performance came at the age of five, when he accompanied a Beethoven violin sonata. At 10, he played his first public recital, featuring works by Handel, Kalkbrenner, Hummel, and Bach. As an encore, Saint-Saëns offered to play any of Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas from memory. [Read more…]

Enjoy music with a Spanish flare in Community Orchestra concert Saturday

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Oak Ridge Community Orchestra

The Oak Ridge Community Orchestra is pictured above during a Sept. 28, 2013, concert. (Photo courtesy Travis Witherington)

In a free Saturday afternoon concert, the Oak Ridge Community Orchestra will play Spanish music written by some very famous composers.

The provocative Spanish flavor can be savored in “España” by Chabrier, “Capriccio Espagnole” by Rimsky-Korsakov, “Malagueña” by Lecuona/Grofé, “Boléro” by Ravel, and “Andalucia” by Lecuona/Gould, a press release said.

“Just a few opening bars in each of these compositions will be enough to awake your heart to the welcome return of an old favorite,” the press release said.

The concert starts at 2 p.m. Saturday in the sanctuary of First Baptist Church of Oak Ridge on the corner of the Oak Ridge Turnpike and LaFayette Drive. Admission is free. But, modest donations at the door to support the orchestra’s routine operating expenses will be appreciated. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Community Orchestra plays seasonal music on Saturday

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Oak Ridge Community Orchestra Bass and Viola Sections

The bass and viola sections of the Oak Ridge Community Orchestra are pictured above. (Photos courtesy of Travis Witherington)

In its free concert at 2 p.m. Saturday, the Oak Ridge Community Orchestra will play well-known music associated with traditional celebrations in December.

“Everyone will immediately recognize the dashing ‘Sleigh Ride’ by Leroy Anderson, and the Christmas carols captured by William Burkhart in his special arrangement, ‘While in the Fields,'” a press release said. “You can savor the traditional Russian flavor with ‘Polonaise’ from the ‘Christmas Eve Suite’ by Rimsky-Korsakov, and ‘Russian Christmas Music’ by Alfred Reed. Moreover, you will enjoy the lilting style of traditional Jewish music in ‘Festive Sounds of Hanukah’ by Bill Holcombe.”

This eclectic mix of celebratory seasonal music will be performed at 2 pm. Saturday in the sanctuary of the First Baptist Church of Oak Ridge, on the corner of the Oak Ridge Turnpike and LaFayette Drive. Admission is free. But, modest donations at the door to support the orchestra’s routine operating expenses will be appreciated. [Read more…]

Sponsored: S&R Insurance Services celebrates 20 years

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S&R Insurance Services Inc.

S&R Insurance Services has been in business since 1993, and its agents take pride in helping customers get the best insurance coverage for the best prices.

S&R Insurance Services has been in business since 1993, and its agents take pride in helping customers get the best insurance coverage for the best prices.

The company, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, is an advocate for the insured, President Cyndi Jeffers said.

“That’s our job,” she said. “All we do is insurance.”

Located on Talmeda Road in Oak Ridge, S&R Insurance is a full-service independent agency representing several top-rated insurance companies and offering all types of coverages, including auto, home, business, personal, bonds, life, health, accident, disability, IRAs, and long-term care. [Read more…]