A Message from the President
The 2010-2011 season will be a very exciting one that features well-known classical compositions. Marking the year 2010 is the 200th anniversary of the birth of one of the greatest Romantic-era composers, Robert Schumann, and that will be celebrated in two of our concerts.
On November 7th, the orchestra will present Schumann’s ebullient and masterful 1st Symphony (“Spring”), as well as Mozart’s incomparable “Jupiter” Symphony. This program is scheduled for 3:30 PM at the Reading Memorial High School Performing Arts Center, 62 Oakland Road. On December 7, 2010 at 8 PM, you are invited to come and sing along with the RSO as the orchestra continues its long-time tradition of presenting the Messiah Sing. The venue for this program is the Unitarian Universalist Church, located at the corner of Woburn Street and Summer Avenue in Reading.
In January, you are invited to enjoy our highly acclaimed Children's Concert at the Parker Middle School in Reading on January 16, 2011 at 2:00 PM. Our spring concert, will be held on March 20, 2011 at 3:30 PM, and will feature the Schumann Cello Concerto, a most touching and intimate work. This will be performed by cellist Sasha Scolnik-Brower, one of the area’s brightest musical stars. This concert will also include Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto #3 and Beethoven’s ever-popular 7th Symphony. Concluding the season, the Pops concert will present a selection of well-known, lighter classical music and show tunes. The Pops performance is scheduled for May 22, 2011, 3:30 PM. Both the spring and Pops concerts will be held at the Performing Arts Center at the Reading Memorial High School.
Our conductor, Dr. Roland Vazquez, will begin his 13th season with the RSO. His passion for music and his extensive background as a conductor, string player, pianist, musicologist, and teacher have inspired the RSO musicians to expand their musical skills and to broaden their orchestral repertoire. While developing community outreach, Roland constantly strives to make the RSO accessible to high school musicians and collaborates with other community groups, such as the New England Treble Chorus and Reading Community Singers, as well as choruses in neighboring communities. Under his direction, the RSO has performed at the Rogers Center, Merrimack College in North Andover and the Philips Academy in Andover. Roland has arranged for RSO performances at the Reading Friends & Family Day in June for the past two years and for a string quartet at the recent Reading Fall Faire in September.
The diversity of the RSO outreach program also includes a generational component with a focus on children as the future of the orchestra. With a grant from the Reading Cultural Council eight years ago, the RSO initiated an annual children’s concert under the leadership of Al Mosier. Much of the revenues from these concerts have been donated to the Parent Teacher organizations of the elementary schools and their cultural enrichment programs. Two years ago, the RSO founded a scholarship program in conjunction with the Reading Scholarship Foundation in support of talented students desiring to continue their musical education. The RSO appreciates its close alliance with the Reading school system in terms of rehearsing and concert venues, as well as a source of young musicians from faculty recommendations.
On behalf of the RSO and the Board of Directors, I want to thank our loyal patrons for their generous support. We look forward to seeing you during this concert season!
Dr. Jeffrey Everson