Twenty years ago a small group of people sat at Wanda Beardshear’s kitchen table in Gainesville and laid the groundwork for a community orchestra.
Now on June 5, at 2:30 p.m., in the Vada Sheid Auditorium, Mtn. Home, Ark., the group will perform a spring concert with something for everyone.
Conductor Barbara Deegan, of Ava, said “It has been a busy 20th season! So many exciting things are happening for the group!”
This year the symphony shared the stage with Phillip Mann and the Arkansas symphony as the season opener. Now the group is performing some well-known favorites for the local crowd.
The program will consist of John Williams’ well known themes from the movie, “Harry Potter”, a lively orchestral version of the fiddle favorite “Arkansas Traveler”, and many other works that the public will recognize such as Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever” and Glier’s “Russian Sailor’s Dance” from The Red Poppy.
Folk songs “Poor Wayfaring Stranger”, and “All the Pretty Little Horses” as well as a newer piece by composer Kurt Mosier called “Wicked Waltz” will add dimension to the program.
The Mountain Home Symphony will also take the opportunity to recognize graduates Michael Xiques and Jessica Jonasson. The symphony offers scholarships to participating students graduating from high school. Jessica has been with the group for two years, and Michael has played with the Mountain Home Symphony since he was in seventh grade.
The Mountain Home Symphony, originally named the Mozark (Missouri/Arkansas) Regional Orchestra, is a 45-member volunteer orchestra that draws its performing musicians from southern Missouri and northern Arkansas.
The group offers concert programs that feature major works from classical and romantic era composers, and also frequently programs contemporary works by living composers.
The orchestra was formed in 1991 to provide performance opportunities for the many accomplished musicians who reside in northern Arkansas and southern Missouri and to provide educational experiences for young players and audiences.
Deegan has been the conductor for the past 11 years. The organization welcomes new members as performing musicians or as volunteers willing to participate in fund-raising and promotional activities through the symphony guild. For information or to become a member of the organization as a volunteer or performer, contact Barbara Deegan, conductor, 417-543-5696, or Ruth Peebles, board member, at 870-424-9856.
