PEORIA -- Who could have imagined that the newly organized Heartland Festival Orchestra would play to a sold-out crowd for its first concert!
But that's what occurred at the Aug. 38 event, held at the new Five Points Washington Caterpillar Performing Arts Center.
And what an interesting concert. The musicians were superb, as expected. Soloist Antonio Pompa-Baldi was wonderful, as usual.
And there were some new and interesting twists on this concert, a harbinger of good things to come. The musicians wore not tuxedos but solid colored shirts with black pants -- a rainbow effect which looked good on the large video screen that projected the concert to the audience from angles they could not see otherwise.
So -- the audience could view artistic director/conductor David Commanday's face as he conducted, and Pompa-Baldi's hands as he played -- in close ups. How interesting!
Afterwards, the audience was treated to a reception with cookies and punch, and a chance to chat with the musicians.
The new and comfortable performing arts center is a good venue for the intimacy of a chamber orchestra, and it has free parking, close to the door.
Does all this put a nail in the Peoria Symphony's coffin? Probably not, but it is competition for the classical music fan's money and time.
To recap: The Peoria Symphony Board would not renew Commanday contract after his 10 years of superb service to the orchestra. They ignored petitions signed by 1,000 people asking them to keep Commanday.
So an ambitious core of friends and fans organized the Heartland Orchestra and persuaded Commanday to stick around to run it. All in a time span of less than six months, amazing really.
(Correction: "It was actually in under two months. The distinction, you’ll surely appreciate, is important, because none of this planning began until after David’s tenure had ended with the PSO," writes Laura Evancho, administrative director of the Heartland Orchestra on 8/30/09.)
Meanwhile the Peoria Symphony finally got a schedule out with a list of people applying for Commanday's job, as conductors for the year. We'll see how the fans react to these concerts, in the expensive Peoria Civic Center Theater.
Here's the rest of the Heartland Festival Orchestra's schedule for the season:
Concert II: Soldier's Tale
The Gateway Building Grand Ballroom at the Peoria Riverfront
November 13, 2009, at 7:30 P.M.
November 15, 2009, at 3:00 P.M.
Dmitri Shostakovich Chamber Symphony Opus 110a (from String Quartet No. 8)
Igor Stravinsky A Soldier's Tale: a dramatic production
George Brown, Director and Narrator
Stephen R. Stone, Soldier
Charlie Brown, Devil
Rebekah von Rathonyi, Princess
Charity Partner: Tee It Up For The Troops
Concert III: New Year's Greeting
Five Points Washington Caterpillar Performing Arts Center
January 2, 2010, at 7 P.M.
Music of Old Vienna, by:
Johann Strauss Jr., the "Waltz King",
Josef Lanner, and other masters
Charity Partner: TBA
Concert IV: Music Alive!
Five Points Washington Caterpillar Performing Arts Center
March 20, 2010, at 7:30 P.M.
Respighi: The Birds
Ginastera: Variaciones Concertantes
Haydn Symphony No. 82 in C Major; "The Bear"
Charity Partner: The Peoria Zoo
Concert V: The Eight Seasons
Five Points Washington Caterpillar Performing Arts Center
June 12, 2010, at 7:30 P.M.
Featuring Lara St. John, violin soloist
Vivaldi The Four Seasons
Piazzola The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires
Charity Partner: The Penguin Project
Important Note: Concert program listings above are not complete: each concert will have un-published surprise elements in addition!
For Ticket Purchase: Tickets may be purchased for all concerts (even the November Gateway Building performance!) in person or online at Five Points Washington (309-444-8222, www.fivepointswashington.org) or in person at Kidder Music, 7728 N Crestline Drive, Peoria, (309-692-4040). Tickets for all concerts will be on sale Friday, August 28, at Five Points Washington, and on Monday, August 31, at Kidder Music. Tickets for each concert are $27 for adults and $7 for students/children.
For Questions: www.heartlandfestivalorchestra.org /309-339-3943 or info@heartlandfestivalorchestra.org
-- Elaine Hopkins
(Full disclosure: I contributed to the Heartland Orchestra's fund raising drive, and am listed as a founder.)
UPDATE, 8/30/09: Here's Journal Star critic Gary Panetta's excellent review of the first Heartland concert.
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