October 13, 2024 – The Mariposa Yosemite Symphony Orchestra - responsible for putting Mariposa on the map as the smallest American town with its own symphony orchestra: will celebrate the start of its 20th Anniversary Season with concerts in Mariposa and Yosemite National Park on Saturday, October 26th and Sunday, October 27th.
But before anything else, a message from MYSO Founder/Conductor Les Marsden:
"For those who don't think they know anything about or even like "classical" music, you may be in for a major surprise when you hear and see it performed live, right here in your Yosemite region. There's no finer, more fun, tune-filled, dramatic - and flat-out exciting way to spend a couple hours. So if you've never been to one of our concerts, or haven't been to one in years, rediscover YOUR Mariposa Yosemite Symphony Orchestra as we begin our third decade of performances. Prepare to be amazed at what you have right in your own backyard - and don't worry: audience attire is always casual and comfortable."
This first overview in a series of retrospective features examining the MYSO's first 23 years coincides with the orchestra's 20th Season Opening Weekend on Saturday, October 26th at 7:00 P.M. in Mariposa and on Sunday, October 27th with a free next day 2:00 P.M. matinee in Yosemite. Full details will be found on the orchestra's website: http://MYSO.alive.
"Back in 2002, I couldn't have imagined where this orchestra would be 23 years later. And I'm not sure I grasp it even now!" reflected Les Marsden, whose modest idea for a simple salon orchestra of 10 or so musicians quickly swelled to a full symphony orchestra within a couple months of its December 21, 2002, premiere concert. That story is well-known, but the history and adventures of the MYSO in the intervening years may not be common knowledge. A look at the program pages featuring the personnel at that first concert and another from only six months later shows the amazing growth in size. And activity over the years:
A five-county tour. A three-year COVID hiatus. Guest soloists including Juilliard School masters like Violinist Lewis Wong to the great Rochester School treasure Cellist Ira Lehn, from Trombonist Dr. Thomas Ashworth of the University of Minnesota to the amazing Alto Saxophonist Dr. Lawrence Gwodz from the University of Southern Mississippi. And for what it's worth, we had arranged to bring in the New York Philharmonic's Assistant Concertmaster Michelle Kim for our 2020-21 Season Opener until that concert had to be cancelled during our COVID hiatus. But plans are to re-schedule her in the near future. But more facts about the orchestra's first 20 seasons include:
International recognition from music professionals including famed London-based Arts writer Norman Lebrecht. Concerts performed at altitudes from Merced's 170 feet above sea level to as high as 7,800 feet at Mammoth Lakes. An estimated 30,000 attendees have enjoyed the orchestra's (approximately) 120 live concerts, and the number of people viewing the orchestra's August 21, 2016, concert via an international live feed from high atop Yosemite's Glacier Point range from 100,000 - 400,000. Virtually every piece performed by the orchestra over the past 23 years has been a live premiere for this region, including a great many pieces written expressly for the MYSO and its musicians. As for those musicians?
A literal wave of players have come and gone over more than two decades, but the orchestra somewhat surprisingly still has a few who were there at the start, and still are. Cellist Gail Dodd. Euphonium-player Howard Shainberg. Clarinettist Chris Thorpe. Violinist Rebecca Lund. In addition to Founding Music Director and Conductor Marsden. And then there are all those who've sadly passed on, including Founding Concertmaster Isabel West. Founding Principal Violist Ken Keuning. The orchestra's second Concertmaster Martha Eads. Principal Oboist Don Davis, Violinists Robin Pittman, Lorraine Murphy, Walter Breugger, etc. Cellist Meg Clark. Certainly far from least, the great Dr. Phillip Smith - founding MYSO Tuba player and local legend due to his shepherding of the Mariposa Grizzly Band to a Grammy Award. And others who have moved far from this region, from Hawai'i to the Carolinas, but who still remain in touch with "their" orchestra. An orchestra which has - from day one - been a family, in addition to being a musical ensemble. And vice-versa. The MYSO has always been an orchestra ready to welcome those of most proficiency levels and ages. The very first concert on December 21, 2002, was a great example: seasoned veteran violinist Walt Bruegger, then in his 80s, was the stand partner of Jon Carlson, aged 10. Carlson was no newcomer to the violin as his entire family (including brother Mike and younger sister, both members of the orchestra) were raised with string lessons from the earliest age thanks to parents (then-MUSCD High School Principal) Rock and Julie. It was inspiring to observe what violinists Walt Bruegger and Jon Carlson learned from one another throughout our rehearsals and concerts; Jon observed decades of experience of violin technique from Walt and the older gentleman was clearly exposed to the energy, desire to learn - and general joie de vivre exhibited by 10-year-old Jon, which brought smiles and obvious joy to Walt. And that's been one of the hallmarks of this orchestra ever since. Strings in this region have become more and more scarce with those moving on both geographically and age, and Marsden is always eager to hear from any violinist, violist, cellist or concert bass player interested in trying out the orchestra; he can be reached at MYSO,Alive (at) gmail.com
As for the oceans of music performed over these many years? My key to programming rep is to put before our audience plenty of symphonic standards they know and love, but also a great many rarely-heard works from famous and little-known composers which SHOULD be heard and known. Musical works have included Tchaikovsky's 1st and 2nd Symphonies, 1812 Overture, Violin Concerto, Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture in both its rare original 1869 version AND the well-known 1880 version, the Nutcracker Suite, etc; Beethoven's 3rd, 5th, 6th and 7th Symphonies, 1st Piano Concerto (featuring Guest Soloist Patricia Stribling Nelson,) "Wellington's Victory," and various of his Overtures, etc. The music of MYSO audience favorite Antonin Dvořák has been well-represented, too: the 3rd, 6th (on this 20th Season-Opening Concert Weekend itself,) 8th and 9th "From the New World" symphonies, the great Cello Concerto (with the legendary Ira Lehn as soloist,) all sixteen of the Opus 46 and 72 Slavonic Dances, the tone-poems The Noonday Witch and The Water Goblin; Bizet's Suites from "Carmen" and "L'Arlesienne,") Franck's Symphony in d-minor and Le Chasseur Maudit (also on our upcoming October Season 20 Opening Weekend,") Grieg's Suites from "Peer Gynt," and more Suites from Massenet and Eric Coates; the Rimsky-Korsakov Trombone Concerto (with the late Bob Granskog,) extended Suite from his opera "Christmas Eve," and Scheherazade (with magnificent former-Concertmaster Sally Martinez,) Brahms' Academic Festival and Tragic Overtures plus the remarkable Double Concerto (with - Ann Nelson and again, Ira Lehn;) Berlioz' stunning Symphonie Fantastique and Roman Carnival Overture; Copland's Rodeo, Appalachian Spring, Fanfare for the Common Man, Lincoln Portrait (with famed Yosemite Ranger Shelton Johnson narrating) and An Outdoor Overture; Elgar's Enigma Variations, all the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, the March of the Mogul Emperors from the Crown of India - Rossini Overtures galore including those from William Tell, the Barber of Seville, La Gazza Ladra, etc.
Plus more overtures, concerti, suites etc from Mozart, Haydn, Offenbach, Mascagni, Hérold, Humperdinck, Rachmaninoff, Sibelius, Bach, Liszt, Saint-Saëns, Ravel, Borodin, Mendelssohn, Balakirev, Massenet, (Victor) Herbert, (Eric) Coates, Schubert, Handel, Schumann, (Howard) Hanson, Prokofiev, Gounod, (Samuel) Barber, Verdi, Gilbert & Sullivan, Waldteufel, Gershwin, (Erich Wolfgang) Korngold, Vaughan-Williams, Johann Strauss, Pachelbel, Mussorgsky, (Carl) Nielsen, Offenbach, (Leonard) Bernstein, Holst, John Philip Sousa, Bloch, Kalinnikov, Wagner, a great amount of John Williams' film music, and well - this is only the tip of the iceberg.
Think of it, yes: the fact that virtually every piece, every composer above: represented the birth of something never before seen or heard live in Mariposa or surrounding counties - and certainly never in Yosemite National Park prior to the last 23 years.
In our next episode, a few inside stories of some of the musicians and some of our guest artists from 2002 to the present. But in the meanwhile, please visit http://MYSO.live for full information, secure ticket purchasing and copious program notes about every piece on the MYSO's upcoming October 26th and 27th Grand 20th Season Opening Weekend. There's no finer, more fun, tune-filled, dramatic - and flat-out exciting way to spend a couple hours - and even if you don't think you know about or even like "classical" music, you may be in for a major surprise when you hear and see it performed live, right here in your Yosemite region.
1) Violinists Walter Bruegger and Jon Carlson, December 2002 (Anonymous photo credit.)
2) Excerpt from the orchestra's very first program - December 21, 2002, featuring the original personnel and repertoire.
3) Excerpt from the orchestra's first season "Independence Day Spectacular!" Concert, showing the growth of the orchestra's size.
4) MYSO's 20th Season logo, original photograph by Miguel Maldonado
