DANZAS and ARIAS, Oakland Public Conservatory of Music’s Symphony Orchestra’s first concert of the season, received a standing ovation from the audience on Jan. 29.
The classical sounds of the concert permeated the Plymouth United Church of Christ, known as the Jazz and Justice Church in Oakland. The concert was a free event and the donations poured in.
“Lush, exhilarating, and well worth the time. A very nice time out,” said Katherine Clark, an Oakland entrepreneur.
The multicultural orchestral experience reflected more closely the rich cultural mix of Bay Area communities.
The evening featured the music compositions of British African composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, born in 1875 in London, and Arturo Márquez, renowned Mexican composer born in 1950.
Widely recognized in Europe and the U.S., Coleridge-Taylor achieved such success that he was once called the “African Mahler.”
Marquez, a prominent Mexican composer of orchestral music, is known for using the musical forms and styles of his native Mexico.
“In searching for music of underrepresented composers that I wanted to bring to the community for their edification and for free and have it be something they would enjoy hearing, I narrowed in on compositions with a dance form,” says Sandra I. Noriega, artistic director and conductor.
While the journey to great conducting can follow many routes, there usually are a few crucial elements – mentoring, creativity, talent, skills, charisma and a supportive musical community.
Noriega became CSU East Bay’s first to earn a Masters of Arts in Percussion Performance before completing a Post-Master’s Program in Instrumental Conducting at CSU Sacramento.
“As a conductor, I love Dr. Noriega. She makes us work hard,” said Shelly Crouse-Monarez, concertmaster.
Recently Crouse-Monarez performed under Maestro Noriega with the Ukrainian State Academic Concert Orchestra in Kiev.
As the networks crumble and change, today’s communities have turned their attention back to the community and are redefining the ethnicity of American orchestras.
“I always like to include something from repertoire that already exists like the De Falla dances.
“I also wanted to give local vocalists a chance to perform with an orchestra. So I asked them to choose arias. Fortunately one of them was also in a dance form, Habanera.
“One of them was by an African composer. So I wove it all into a concert theme-Danzas and Arias – Dances and Songs,” said Noriega.
The skill and artistry with which the players carried Noriega’s ideas through were admirable.
“Danzas and Arias” highlighted local vocal soloist and CSUEB alumna, Mezzo-Soprano Brenda Usher-Carpino in a performance of the aria “Divinites du Styx” from W. Gluck’s opera “Alceste.”
Usher-Carpino received her Master Degree in French from CSUEB back when it was CSU Hayward in 1972, before earning her doctorate from Stanford University in 1978.
Jean-Paul Jones performed Cherubino’s aria, “Voi Che Sapete,” from Mozart’s opera, “The Marriage of Figaro.”
Jones holds positions in prestigious ensembles including the Santa Clarita Master Chorale, the Los Angeles Opera, the Grace Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys and the Philharmonic Baroque Orchestra Chorus.
“Onaway! Awake, Beloved!” from the Cantata and Hiawatha’s “Wedding Feast, Op. 30” was performed by Gustavo Hernandez, tenor, who has performed Mozart’s opera “The Magic Flute” in Viterbo, Italy.
Victoria Theodore, renowned local pianist, keyboardist and background singer for the legendary musical genius and icon Stevie Wonder, joined the orchestra for the performance.
Local legend Michelle Jacques, mezzo-soprano, known to perform African folk, jazz and pop music, preformed “Habanera” from Bizet’s opera “Carmen.”
The program closed with a jazz rendition performed by OPC’s youth ensemble.
OPC provides economical study in a variety of musical arts and value innovation and scholarship in their quest to preserve the musical traditions of Oakland.