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The Spotswood Community Orchestra will have a concert on Tuesday, Nov. 24, to benefit Micah Ecumenical Ministries Date published: 11/19/2009
BY BRYNN BOYER Music has the power to be uplifting, thought-provoking and emotional. And because of the Spotswood Community Orchestra, music can also help those in need. The orchestra, composed of local professional musicians, will have the first concert of its second season on Tuesday at Spotswood Baptist Church. Donations from the free concert will go to Micah Ecumenical Ministries, a nonprofit governed by 10 local churches that helps the homeless. "Our only mission is to give back to the community," said Brian Donnelly, executive director of the orchestra. The concert will feature an hour and a half of classical pieces, according to music director Robert Farmer. The program includes pieces by Dvorak, Bach and Bee-thoven. There will be two solos from accomplished local musicians. Soprano Toni Crowder will sing "Vissi d'arte, Vissi d'amore," an aria from Puccini's opera "Tosca." "It's a gut-wrenching piece," she said. "The title translates to 'live for art, live for love.'" Crowder, who lives in Fredericksburg, performs throughout the Washington, D.C., area. This will be her first performance with the Spotswood Community Orchestra. "The opportunity to perform with a local orchestra and the fact that it is a benefit concert is very appealing," she said. Stanislav Plotnikov will perform "Clarinet Concerto No. 1" by Karl Maria van Weber. "It is one of the most magnificent works for clarinet," he said. "People who hear it from the first time, I envy them. They'll get to feel the depth and emotion in it." Farmer said the musicians started rehearsals for the concert in October. Most also are involved with other groups. "We have musicians driving down from Northern Virginia for the concert," he said. "I think the idea rings a bell with a lot of people." Musicians want to give back to the community, Farmer said, which is the reason he established the orchestra just over a year ago. Farmer, who is also associate minister of music at Spotswood Baptist, got the idea to link classical music and community outreach when one of his musicians told him about a benefit concert another church was holding. "We wanted to form a group that would perform to benefit community groups," he said. The orchestra's first concert last November raised about $7,000 for the Thurman Brisben Center. In April, the concert raised about $5,000 for Bragg Hill Family Life Center. "We want to partner with a different agency every time," Donnelly said. Spotswood Baptist underwrites the concerts so that 100 percent of the proceeds can go toward the agencies, Donnelly said. "My dream is that, at some point in the near future, music lovers and those who want to give neighbors a hand every November and April will have the Spotswood Community Orchestra concert on their calendar," he said. Brynn Boyer: 540/374-5000, ext. 5779
Date published: 11/19/2009
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