POULSBO — The Poulsbo Community Orchestra will perform a program of well-known classical works by Brahms, Borodin and Bizet, on Sunday, March 18.
The concert begins at 3 p.m. and will be performed at North Kitsap Community Auditorium, across from North Kitsap High School. Forty-nine musicians will be directed by Maestro Mario Alejandro Torres, the Orchestra’s conductor and a rising star in the West Sound cultural scene. Seattle guest musicians Nicole Chang and Malinda Griffin, on harp and percussion, respectively, will also perform on Sunday.
The concert will begin with In the Steppes of Central Asia, by Alexander Borodin, which he composed in 1880. (The term “steppes” refers to a Russian grasslands region, including the Ukraine and stretching to Manchuria.) Borodin was an especially interesting character: member of the medical community, professor of chemistry, and founder of a medical school for women. Borodin described his music with visions of camel caravans escorted by Russian soldiers safely through an immense desert.
New for the Poulsbo Orchestra is a mid-19th-century piece, L’Arlesienne Suite No. 2, by Bizet. Performed with four movements, the third movement, “Menuet,” accents beautiful solos by flute, harp and saxophone.
Familiar to everyone is Bizet’s Carmen Suite No. 1. It was first performed in Paris in 1875 and then considered a failure. Bizet died three months later, some saying his death was hastened by Carmen’s failure. Five movements will be played, with the last movement being “Les Toreadors.”
Brahms’ Hungarian Dances No. 5 and 6 will conclude the concert. Brahms compiled a set of 21 dances reflecting folk tunes of the day between 1869 and 1880. Nos. 5 and 6 are the best known.
The concert sponsor for the March performance is Kitsap Bank. Also providing special sponsorship is Poulsbo Rotary Club, which has supported the orchestra since 2014.
The Poulsbo Community Orchestra first performed in June 2014 with about three dozen musicians. Professional, semi-professional, and student players travel from as far as Sequim, Port Townsend, Kingston and Port Orchard to rehearse weekly and perform three major concerts annually.
While concerts will remain free at least for the next year for the West Sound community, the orchestra depends on donations at the door, advertisers and sponsorships to meet expenses.
