The Mariposa Symphony Orchestra kicks off its historic seven-concert tour commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the National Park Service this Saturday and Sunday with a world-premiere piece specially composed for the occasion.  Saturday, April 23rd's performance at 7 PM will be in the Fiester Auditorium of Mariposa County High School and Sunday, April 24th's special 2 PM matinee will be right in the heart of the National Park Service's crown jewel: Yosemite National Park.  That matinee concert of the 60-member MSO will be performed in the Great Lounge of the Majestic Yosemite Hotel.
Yosemite Superintendent Don Neubacher will introduce the Yosemite performance of the concert-length musical work: MSO Founder/Conductor Les Marsden’s “Our Nation’s Nature,” an orchestral cycle of four large-scale symphonic works marking four outdoors-related anniversaries 2014-2016.  The project was awarded a California Arts Council Creative California Communities Grant to help fund the orchestra’s tour of the Yosemite Gateway counties of Madera, Merced, Tuolumne and Mono in addition to performances in Mariposa County including this Sunday's concert in Yosemite.

Performances are: 

• Saturday, April 23 at 7 PM: The Fiester Auditorium, Mariposa County High School
• Sunday, April 24 at 2 PM: The Majestic Yosemite (Ahwahnee) Hotel, Yosemite National Park
• Saturday, April 30 at 7 PM: Sierra Vista Church, Oakhurst
• Saturday, May 7 at 7 PM: Merced College Theatre
• Saturday, May 14 at 7 PM: Sonora High School Auditorium
• Saturday, August 20 at 7 PM: Mammoth Lakes Middle School
• Sunday, August 21 at dusk: a special final performance, location TBA

Marsden, who was named a National Park Service Centennial Ambassador in 2015, conceived the idea of a large-scale musical project uniting the Yosemite Gateway Counties in 2012.  The project commemorates history while making history.  It’s the first known instance in which a symphony orchestra of the Yosemite region has actually toured the region, performing in large towns and remote locations.  The orchestra was founded by Marsden is 2002 and is comprised of musicians from Mariposa, Merced, Fresno, Madera, Kings, San Joaquin and Stanislaus Counties.  For this special concert tour, the MSO has added a musician from the Sierra's East Side (Inyo County) in a unique manner.  The retired back country ranger is rehearsing via Skype but will perform in person in the violin section.  The MSO’s regular members include present and past rangers and other NPS personnel, Yosemite Hospitality LLC employees, and retired and active music professionals from throughout the region.  Mariposa is cited as the smallest town in America with a symphony orchestra.

The Mariposa Symphony Orchestra is a program of the Mariposa County Arts Council, Inc.  Full concert details and tickets are available at the MSO’s website: http://tinyurl.com/MariposaSO.