Mariposa Symphony Orchestra Celebrates American Film
June 12, 2018 - A journey through eight decades of great American Film Music will highlight the Mariposa Symphony Orchestra's 2018 "Independence Day Spectacular!" Concert. The concert will be presented on Saturday, June 30 at 7:00 P.M. in the Mariposa County Park Amphitheatre, located at 4998 County Park Road in Mariposa. The MSO is a program of the Mariposa County Arts Council. The MSO's Founder and Music Director Les Marsden has invited conductor Leslie Stewart of Fort Collins, CO to share conducting duties for this concert.
Marsden has programmed a series of great film scores from Erich Korngold's thrilling music for 1940's Errol Flynn-starring "The Sea Hawk" through John Williams' "Jurassic Park" - the latest installment of which will shortly be released. Korngold was one of the creators of the "Hollywood sound" and his lush orchestral scores were to profoundly influence generations of film composers, including Williams. In addition to those two films, Marsden will conduct Williams' music from Steven Spielberg's "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," Marsden's own orchestral suite of music by American ragtime composer Scott Joplin (whose music was featured in 1974's "The Sting") and the suite from Leonard Bernstein's "West Side Story" in commemoration of that composer's centennial year.
Visiting Guest Conductor Leslie Stewart will conduct Aaron Copland's "An Outdoor Overture" and Morton Gould's "American Salute." Ms. Stewart will participate as part of a podium exchange: Marsden was asked to conduct Stewart's Health and Wellness Orchestra in Fort Collins on June 10th in a concert featuring his "Wilderness - Our Necessary Refuge" from his "Our Nation's Nature cycle." Marsden notes, "I'm honored to perform artistic outreach in the Rockies with my music from Mariposa, as inspired by Yosemite and the great Sierra." "Our Nation's Nature" was presented as a commemoration of the 2016 centennial of the National Park Service by the Mariposa Symphony Orchestra in a five-county tour which culminated in an historic concert at Glacier Point on August 21, 2016.
The annual MSO "Independence Day Spectacular!" Concert is billed as "Mariposa's own version of the Hollywood Bowl," with patrons invited to dine at one of the town's many fine restaurants or to bring a picnic dinner to enjoy on the lawn. The music is performed as the evening cools and the stars come out, in an old-fashioned celebration of America's birthday. The concert is never held on July 4th out of respect for the many other fine area events held on that date - and in order that the volunteer musicians of the orchestra can enjoy the actual holiday with their friends and family.
General admission tickets for the MSO's June 30th Independence Day Spectacular! Concert are $10 for adults and $6 for students, with special discounted rates for Mariposa County Arts Council members of $8 for adults and $5 for students. Concert tickets may be safely, securely purchased at the Arts Council's online shop: https://tinyurl.com/Indy2018MSO.