THE BEAT GOES ON
FORTBRAGG » Usually at this time of the year, the Symphony of the Redwoods’s fall season is well underway, with concerts at Cotton Auditorium, chamber music recitals and even children’s concerts — but, like so many other things this year, the Coronavirus has struck a sour note.
“Just like so many other community groups, we will have to wait until the restrictions for large-scale gatherings have been lifted and for our concert venues to be available to us again. When it is safe to do so, we will most likely start with small-scale chamber music concerts and then go from there,” wrote Symphony board president, Eva von Bahr, in her newsletter to supporters recently.
The symphony’s mission is to provide live music for the coast, von Bahr said. But that’s literally prohibited by county and state orders until further notice.
So the nearly 60 musicians — and the symphony’s board — are making do in the meantime with a lot of practice, and even more waiting and hoping.
The north coast is extremely lucky to have such a symphony of such quality, von Bahr said, a fact that is usually borne out by the number of attendees they have at their shows.
“For a small town, (the symphony) is really very big,” she said. “I’ve lived in bigger places that had a much smaller scene.”
The symphony is dependent on financial donations, but von Bahr was very clear that the group has no plans to quietly fade away, like a gentle morendo. With a very low overhead and mostly volunteer-run organization, “We’re getting by,” she said. “We can get by for awhile.”
Those music lovers hard up for a quick fix of Beethoven, Mozart
or Schubert can visit symphonyoftheredwoods. org and check out the group’s latest podcast episodes, the symphony’s newsletter, new links and even a music quiz.
Musicians travel from all over the county, and from neighboring counties too, to come and play with the prestigious Symphony of the Redwoods. One such artist is Beth Aiken, who has been playing oboe with the symphony in Fort Bragg for more than three decades, alongside her husband, who plays on the harpsichord.
“It’s been really hard,” Aiken said. “We love playing with each other and it’s just been a challenge.”
All the musicians have been practicing at home, ready for the symphony to get the OK to open back up, von Bahr said. “But that never fulfills the need to meet in person,” she said. “So people are mildly frustrated. You get by, but a part of your soul is not whole.”
Aiken had just been practicing a piece on her oboe at home in Kelseyville, she said. These days, instead of driving back and forth to rehearsals and shows on the coast, Aiken’s been practicing various pieces of music that she doesn’t usually get to play.
“We don’t usually have time to practice stuff that is not orchestral,” she said. “At first it was very depressing, very deflating … I decided this is a good chance to learn some oboe literature.”
But still, the tap- taptap of the conductor’s baton plays in her head every time she picks up her instrument.
“Allan (Pollack) is in my head when I practice!” Aiken said.