Oak Ridge Today

Music Association appoints executive director

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Oak Ridge Civic Music Association appoints Joy Bonamarte as executive director (Submitted photo)

The Oak Ridge Civic Music Association has appointed Joy Bonamarte as executive director. The appointment was announced by ORCMA President Larry Vance.

ORCMA is home to the Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra, Oak Ridge Chorus, Chamber Music Series, and Coffee Concerts, and the organization is gearing up to celebrate its 80th anniversary in the upcoming 2024-2025 season.

“Bonamarte brings a dynamic blend of artistic passion and strategic leadership to her new role,” a press release said. “With over a decade of experience in arts management, marketing, and a deep commitment to community engagement, Joy is poised to lead ORCMA into its next phase of growth and impact.”

[Read more…]

O’Kegley, Santa to conduct Oak Ridge Chorus on Saturday

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Oak Ridge Chorus Concert
The Oak Ridge Chorus is pictured in a concert above. (Submitted photo)

The Oak Ridge Civic Music Association will continue the celebration of its 75th anniversary season by presenting the Oak Ridge Chorus in “GLORIA!” on Saturday, December 7.

The concert is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, which is at 212 North Tulane Avenue in Oak Ridge. Tickets are available at ORCMA.org, by phone at (865) 483-5569, at The Ferrell Shop, or at the door. Prices are $15 for adults, $5 for young adults ages 19-29, and free for youth 18 and younger through the Penny4Arts initiative. An extended Cyber Monday sale waives fees for online purchases, a press release said.

The performance of John Rutter’s Gloria is scored for chorus with organ, timpani, and an octet of brass players.

“Thanks to our affiliation with the Oak Ridge Symphony, musicians from the ranks of the orchestra will fulfil those roles, with St. Stephen’s Music Director Simon Ballintoy as our organist,” said Choral Director Seth O’Kegley.

[Read more…]

ORCMA ends concert season with Berlioz’s ‘Symphonie Fantastique’ on Saturday

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Oak Ridge Symphony with Dan Allcott

The Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra is pictured above in an earlier concert with conductor Dan Allcott. (File photo by ORCMA)

 

The Oak Ridge Civic Music Association will ends its concert season with Hector Berlioz’s extraordinary “Symphonie Fantastique” on Saturday.

The Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra will be led by Music Director Dan Allcott.

“Symphonie Fantastique” is a musical tale of unrequited love as allegedly experienced by the composer himself in a dream sequence, a press release said.

The concert will be held at Oak Ridge High School Performing Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and it will also include “River Rouge Transfiguration” by living American composer Missy Mazzoli, and two pieces from Berlioz’s “Tristia,” “Death of Ophelia” and “Religious Meditation,” featuring the Oak Ridge Chorus, which will be led by Jaclyn Johnson. [Read more…]

Rock to Bach Music Festival on Saturday will benefit Oak Ridge Civic Music Association

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Kelle Jolly on ukelele (Submitted photo)

Kelle Jolly on ukelele (Submitted photo)

 

Note: This story was updated at 12:55 p.m.

The sixth Oak Ridge Rock to Bach Music Festival, presented by the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association, will showcase talented local musicians on Saturday, February 10, at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

A feast for music lovers, Rock to Bach will feature 19 live performances from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., a press release said. The performers include bands with singers, such as the Ridge City Ramblers and Mt. LeConte Jug Band, as well as string quartets, a flute choir, a jazz band, and two klezmer bands.

Solo artists are Allen McBride on the hammer dulcimer and vocalist Kelle Jolley, one of East Tennessee’s most celebrated jazz musicians. She is the host of Knoxville’s radio show on WUOT 91.9FM, “Jazz Jam with Kelle Jolly,” an hour-long show on Friday at 8 p.m. that celebrates great local, national, and international singers of jazz, the press release said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Chorus will perform Broadway classics, American music

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Oak Ridge Chorus Director Jaclyn Johnson is pictured above with the Oak Ridge Chorus. (Submitted photo)

Oak Ridge Chorus Director Jaclyn Johnson is pictured above with the Oak Ridge Chorus. (Submitted photo)

 

The Oak Ridge Chorus will perform Broadway classics and American music in a concert on Saturday, April 29.

The concert is presented by the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association. The chorus is led by Chorus Director Jaclyn Johnson, who was recently appointed.

It will be a “delightful evening of American music,” a press release said.

The concert will start at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 29, at the First Baptist Church of Oak Ridge.

It will feature inspirational music of America and its people through folk songs, spirituals, and many well-known classics of the Broadway stage, including music from “Les Miserables,” “Hairspray,” and “Wicked,” the press release said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Civic Music Association has new choral director

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Jaclyn Johnson

Jaclyn Johnson

 

The Oak Ridge Civic Music Association has a new choral director, Jaclyn Johnson.

A press release said Johnson has made it her life goal to share her passion for music with ensembles and audiences around the world. Before completing her doctoral degree in choral conducting at the University of Michigan, Johnson had a thriving career as a high school choral educator and church musician, the press release said.

Ensembles under her direction have received numerous honors and awards, including performances at the American Choral Directors Association National Conference (2011), Western Division Conference (2010), and Central Division Conference (2014), the press release said. In 2014, Johnson represented the United States as an international exchange conductor to China. She is currently the associate director of choral activities at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

“I am honored to be the new choral director for ORCMA and to work with such brilliant individuals,” Johnson said in the press release. “Oak Ridge has a rich and unique musical history, and I aspire to further this excellence with inspiring and exciting programs. We welcome any new members who have a passion for singing!” [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra performs All-Mozart Concert on Saturday

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Gabe Lefkowitz

Gabe Lefkowitz (Submitted photo)

 

The Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra and Oak Ridge Chorus will perform an All-Mozart Concert on Saturday.

The concert is presented by the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association, and it will be led by Maestro Dan Allcott.

It’s scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, November 5, at the First United Methodist Church of Oak Ridge.

The concert will feature the Oak Ridge Chorus performing Mozart’s “Coronation” Mass with the Oak Ridge Symphony, and Mozart’s “Divertimento in F major.”  The concert will also feature guest artist, Gabriel Lefkowitz, currently in his final season as concertmaster of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, in a performance of Mozart’s “Violin Concerto No. 5.” [Read more…]

ORCMA 2015-2016 season starts Sept. 26 with Haydn, Handel

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Oak Ridge Symphony with Dan Allcott

The Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra is pictured above with conductor Dan Allcott. (Photo by ORCMA)

 

The Oak Ridge Civic Music Association’s season starts September 26 with a concert that features music by Handel and Haydn.

“If variety really is the spice of life, music lovers will especially enjoy the 71st season of the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association for 2015-2016 because music director Dan Allcott has planned a season of Baroque to Modern, American Salute to English Invasion, and more,” a press release said.

The opening concert will include Haydn’s Symphony No. 104 “London,” performed by the Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra. Then, Oak Ridge Chorus will join the symphony in singing Handel’s Coronation Anthem, “Zadok the Priest,” which will be directed by Seth Maples, the chorus conductor. The soloist for the evening, Wesley Baldwin, cello professor at the University of Tennessee, will perform Elgar’s beloved “Cello Concerto in A minor.” [Read more…]

Celebrate love, ‘Romeo and Juliet’ with Valentine’s Day at the Symphony

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Violins and Oak Ridge Symphony

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William Shakespeare once wrote, “If music be the food of love, play on.”

It is in that spirit that the Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra and Chorus will present “Valentine’s Day at the Symphony” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, February 14, at the Oak Ridge High School Performing Arts Center.

The professional Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Maestro Dan Allcott, will present music by Cole Porter, Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Juliet,” and Tchaikovsky’s “Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture.”

They will also be joined by the Oak Ridge Chorus, led by chorus conductor Seth Maples, for Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “Serenade to Music.” [Read more…]

ORCMA Chorus kicks off 2014-15 season

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Oak Ridge Chorus 2014

 

Seth Maples

Seth Maples

The ORCMA Chorus began the 2014-15 season with its first rehearsal on Monday, August 11, in the Oak Ridge High School Choir Room. The group practiced the Schubert “Mass No. 5,” a press release said.

Under the direction of Seth Maples, the chorus, along with orchestral accompaniment, will perform on November 1 in the Pellissippi State Auditorium.

Membership is open to all singers who are at least high school age and love the thrill of being a part of a community choral group. All skill levels, from beginning amateur to seasoned professional, are welcomed. Rehearsals are generally every Monday evening.

Annual dues are $25, which offsets the cost of renting music and covers operating expenses such as flowers and mailings. Members may also purchase music for personal use. Performance attire will be discussed during rehearsal periods. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Chorus has final concert of season on Saturday

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Oak Ridge Chorus

Oak Ridge Chorus

The Oak Ridge Chorus will present its final concert of the season at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at First Baptist Church in Oak Ridge. The concert is sponsored by the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association.

Conducted by Seth Maples, the group will join voices in traditional English and American choral music including Aaron Copeland’s “Zion’s Walls,” Alice Parker’s arrangement of “My Gentle Harp,” and selections from Gilbert and Sullivan.

Tickets are $15 adults and $5 for ages 19 and younger, and they will be available at the door.

For more information, call (865) 483-5569 or visit www.OakRidgeSymphony.org.

The First Baptist Church is at 1101 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Oak Ridge Symphony, Chorus perform Verdi, Shostakovich on Saturday

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Dan Allcott

Dan Allcott

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The Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra will turn Saturday night into a magnificent musical evening when the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association presents a program of Verdi, Gorecki, and Shostakovich at the Oak Ridge High School Performing Arts Center.

Joining the orchestra for the concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday will be the Oak Ridge Chorus along with the South Doyle High School Chorus for Giuseppe Verdi’s “Stabat Mater” and “Te Deum.”

Symphony conductor Dan Allcott wanted to do a Verdi choral work and chose these works in celebration of Verdi’s 200th birthday year. “The ‘Stabat Mater’ is one of my favorite works by the composer,” Allcott said. “Verdi was a small town boy who had a great work ethic, having composed 30 operas in his lifetime. These particular works were done in his later years.” [Read more…]