Music for the masses

Two Rivers Chamber Orchestra performs in two locations this weekend

March 05, 2009|By CRYSTAL SCHELLE

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. - Two Rivers Chamber Orchestra might be based at Shepherd University, but conductor D. Mark McCoy wants residents of the Eastern Panhandle to know that its music reaches beyond the university's grounds.

That's why, in addition to Two Rivers' Saturday night performance at Shepherd University's Frank Center, orchestra members will pack up music stands and instruments and shuffle off to Martinsburg, W.Va., for a Sunday afternoon concert at Martinsburg High School.

McCoy said having the orchestra perform in various locations has been a goal since Two Rivers' inception two years ago.

"If successful, we want to have Two Rivers perform in Shepherdstown and then somewhere else for another concert in West Virginia," he said.

Featured in this weekend's concerts are flutist Anne Munro, adjunct music professor at Shepherd, and Washington, D.C.-based harpist Caroline Hudson.

Musical selections for the evening are Johann Strauss' Overture to "Die Fledermaus," Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Concerto for Flute & Harp, Mark O'Connor's "Appalachia Waltz" and Felix Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 3, "The Scottish."

McCoy said he not only selected pieces that included the masters such as Strauss and Mozart, but also introducing something slightly different such as O'Connor's piece. He said "Appalachia Waltz" is an ode to the Eastern Panhandle.

"It sounds like West Virginia's own story," he said.

Munro, who has been with Two Rivers since its founding, said the Mozart piece in which she and Hudson are featured, is one of her favorites. She described the middle movement as having a "glorious melody" and being "very beautiful."

According to Munro, what makes the Mozart concerto so special is the instruments it features.

"At that time, there was very little written for the harp and flute combined," she said. "The middle movement is one of the prettiest pieces for flute or harp."

The two instruments, Munro said, are a good combination.

"They blend well together and sound very pleasing," she said. "... It's something that people don't often get to hear."

If you go ...

WHAT: Two Rivers Chamber Orchestra concert

WHEN: 8 p.m. Saturday, March 7, at Shepherd University's Frank Center Theater, Shepherdstown, W.Va.

WHERE: 3 p.m. Sunday, March 8, at Martinsburg High School auditorium, Martinsburg, W.Va.

COST: $20; free to West Virginia students at guidance counselor office. To purchase tickets, go to www.sufom.org or call the Friends of Music at 304-876-5765.

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