Tehachapi Symphony Orchestra returns to performing
Always unique, always inventive, Sunday’s Tehachapi Symphony Orchestra Concert labeled the Corona Concert took into account the need for face masks and social distancing by holding an outdoor concert Sunday on the lawn at Country Oaks Baptist Church in Tehachapi.
The brass and wind instruments, which release currents of air and moisture, performed unmasked in the form of quintet ensembles and were totally separate from the strings performance. They performed works by Mozart, Dukas, Sousa, Handel, Bach, Beethoven and G. Douglas/D. Weiss.
After the quintet ensembles, the strings took center stage and had their musical presentations, all with masks on.
The afternoon’s strings portion of the concert featured works by Bloch, his Concerto Grosso No.1 with Pianist Gayla Giddings on piano; Mozart music featured Divertimento in D Major, 1st movement; and Tchaikovsky with his Serenade for Strings, 3rd and 4th movements. Completing the concert was Vaughan Williams composition of Five Variants on Divas and Lazarus. Seating was abundant and most attendees were masked and sat in family groupings as they honored the request for social distancing.
Concertmaster and Orchestra Board Member Gayel Pitchford said, “The board is doing everything to make this a safe and beautiful concert. We are so grateful for Country Oaks Baptist Church being kind enough to lend us the use of their facility. It (the concert) creates beauty under the circumstances, and it presents a bit of normalcy as well.”
Additional inventive style concerts are still being planed for this year’s season. Tentative dates are Nov. 1 and Dec. 11. Further information will be published as it becomes available.
All Tehachapi Symphony Orchestra performances are free to the public. The Orchestra is solely funded as a non-profit by financial contributions. Donations are always welcomed. Additional information on the Tehachapi Symphony Orchestra can be obtained by calling Gayel Pitchford at 821-7511.