eNotes :: Getting Ready! 😁

October 2021 eNotes

Dear Friend,

At long last, our first Auburn Symphony performance since March 2020 is on this month’s horizon. By the time you are reading this e-newsletter, our wonderful orchestra will have gathered, lovingly unpacked their instruments, limbered up, and begun rehearsing. The musicians are excited to work with each other under the baton of guest conductor Sergey Bogza—the first of three finalists named in 2020 who are vying for the permanent position as Music Director and Conductor.

Sergey arrived at the beginning of the month with Samson and Delilah (his two Belgian Malinois!) for a month’s stay to conduct rehearsals and our October 24th concert, as well as meeting members of the Auburn Symphony family. While he is seriously devoted to music, he’ll take some personal time while he’s here to enter an endurance run in the Bay Area and get in some California surfing!

You can learn more about the music that Sergey has programmed for our pleasure on that special day by coming early for the pre-concert talk at 2:15. We are adding these talks this season to give us a way to greet our guest conductors and gain some insights into their music selections. (It is especially meaningful this month as the program includes Sergey’s own symphonic composition!) And please plan to stay after the concert for our Q & A when the audience will have a chance to “get up close and personal” by listening to and asking questions of our guest conductor.

If you don’t have your concert tickets yet, there is still time--season and individual tickets are on sale. Please note that you MUST buy tickets ahead of time this year, either online or by contacting our office at 530-823-6683. There will be NO TICKETS SOLD AT THE DOOR this season. Also remember that the entire orchestra, staff, and volunteers are fully vaccinated, and all concert-goers will be required to show proof of full vaccination before going into the concert hall. You may show your CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card or Smart Health Card (online verification setup available at www.myvaccinerecord.cdph.ca.gov). Plan to arrive earlier than usual to allow check-in and a comfortable time to find your seat, and please remember to bring your masks.

Thinking ahead for our Sunday matinee “with extras” (pre-concert talk and post-concert Q&A) will also serve you well if you want to enjoy a meal at one of our 11 restaurant partners offering a 15% discount on concert day when you show your ticket. Some require reservations but all welcome Auburn Symphony concert-goers and we support them, too. Click here to see our participating partners!

It takes a village to bring our concerts to life and we are still in need of volunteer ushers. If you or someone you know is fully vaccinated and interested in helping out at the concert, please call the office, email us at AuburnSymphonyOffice@gmail.com, or sign up here.

Speaking of all the people it takes to ensure a smooth and delightful concert experience, we absolutely knew that this month’s “behind-the-scenes” spotlight should shine on our hard-working and creative Stage Manager, Carol Vickers. Carol has only been on staff as our Stage Manager for the past few years but her smiling face and cheery attitude have graced our concert hall as a volunteer since the days of Maestro Goodwin! Carol and husband Jan Hueser have called Auburn home for about 28 years, and that home has also been known to graciously host Symphony events and a guest artist or two. Creativity is part of Carol’s DNA, having retired from selling quilt fabric and notions to independent fabric stores—and we still benefit from her superb seamstress skills. (Patrons might recall our railroad-themed Gala a few years ago when Maestro Jaffe appeared in a complete Conductor’s costume and hat…created and tailored by Carol!)

Fun stuff aside, her job as Stage Manager is absolutely critical to our community orchestra where most musicians bring their own instruments…but not all! We are fortunate to be able to use the percussion instruments and grand piano that belong to Placer High School, and Carol’s job includes retrieving and placing the instruments. She is responsible for ensuring chairs are set up appropriately to accommodate everyone on stage. She works all rehearsals to meet the needs of the musicians, often going the extra mile to provide snacks and dinner—MUCH appreciated by our volunteer musicians, many of who show up straight from their “day jobs”! On the day of the concert, Carol’s job expands to include the ever-important choreography and communications of readiness between the Maestro, the orchestra, the guest artists, the stage technicians, and “front of house” managers. Carol is the one who makes certain sound and lighting staff are ready, microphones are where they need to be, and everyone on-and-off stage is primed to perform. With all the tension of a live show, she still says it’s fun and she especially appreciates the camaraderie of the orchestra, but admits, “Silly, me—when I said yes, I just didn’t know how hard it was going to be!” We thank you, Carol, for doing a stellar job and still making it look like fun. (Here she is having fun surrounded by her grandson and many great nieces and nephews.)

Wrapping up this busy and monumental month, we give ourselves a virtual pat on the back for our newest educational video, “Auburn Symphony Presents: What Do You Hear?” This project is now complete and marvelous! It is available free to teachers and schools at pre-school and K-3 levels, and includes a resource/curriculum guide that adheres to standards set by the California Department of Education. For older students in grades 4-8, we have a Resource Guide that accompanies our Young Artists Recital videos. If you know a teacher or a school seeking interactive, ready-to-go music education for their classroom, please contact our office at 530-823-6683 or email Anne Brown at AuburnSymphonyED@gmail.com.

As always, thanks for all you do for us. Now we can’t wait to return the favor when we see you in person at the concert!