I used to play in an orchestra – two in fact – while I was at university. The first was the University of NSW, the highlight of my week, though not just because of the music. The second was the Monash university orchestra a few years later. We played Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony; a Wieniawski violin symphony, Beethoven, Holst. A few years ago when planning my year, I discussed with Stacey how I would love to join an orchestra but it was probably not possible because there tend to only be two or three flute players and there would be many better players than me. But after contemplating it for a few years, I searched up ‘community orchestra’ and up popped one in my town, where everyone is welcome and that rehearses near where we live on Saturday afternoons. My enquiries were received warmly so I tried it out six months ago and am still there.
I am finding playing in this orchestra to be one of the joys of my life. While initially not relishing the prospect of adding flute practise to my already regular piano playing routine, I actually enjoy the practising, and have noticed my playing steadily improving. I am getting more and more sound out of my instrument and I feel satisfaction when difficult passages get better and faster the more I work on them. I mostly practise during the day while the girls are at school as I know they don’t love listening to it. This also helps give my day structure now that I’m not working for now.
For the first concert I took part in in early December last year, we performed music from movies like Star Wars; How to Train Your Dragon; and a Beethoven symphony from Forest Gump. The conductor was kind, funny, and knowledgeable about the pieces and the other players were friendly. She moved to Brisbane after that and the First Violin took over as conductor at the start of the year. Like her, he has been with the orchestra for many years – just the third conductor they’ve had in their twenty years, after the founder John Gould died after a short illness a few years ago. A book written by our new conductor about the orchestra and its founder is being launched tomorrow, telling the story of how he came to think that bringing anyone who wanted to join together through a community orchestra was the most meaningful part of his life, more than being the principal viola in the London Symphony for many years.
At rehearsal today: ‘Let’s go from G everyone. G for Gorgeous.’
‘OK, can the strings play it as if you are a dog in Hausmann’s Paris in a Pixar movie, running around the streets.’
‘This part should be lush. Violins, can we have some vibrato? Imagine we’re in a rainforest with trees all around us.’
It is meditative to follow the conductor closely while I play, count rests, be a small part of a bigger whole. It is immersive to be surrounded by music, not just as an audience member but being a part of it. It is connecting to chat to different people during the break, from different ages, backgrounds and jobs. Though I haven’t found anyone I feel I am friends with yet, there is value in hearing peoples’ stories and experiences with music and how they have come to the instrument they play. I met Lil today and she told me she played in John Gould’s orchestra while he was in Orange and when she moved here ten years ago, she picked up the cello, which she had played when she was younger, before children and grandchildren. Now she is learning the horn to be able to help kids learning it as part of a program her church is running for disadvantaged children. Like me she has played piano for a long time, it’s a good basis and means she can read music.
I don’t feel that we talk enough to people outside our usual routines and this community enables that to happen. I am circulating myself through the 60 members, meeting them and knowing enough to be able to have a chat next time.
We are rehearsing for a concert in May. We will be performing Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony (not much of it is hard); Moldau by Smetana about a river in his native Hungary (I need to practise, it is also stunning); a clarinet concerto by Weber (the soloist is from the orchestra and gets a lot of sound from her instrument); and Offenbach’s satirical Orpheus in the Underworld, which is great fun to play.
Though I still love playing the piano for its huge repertoire and the satisfaction of mastering the beautiful pieces I play, thank goodness I learnt one instrument that can be played in a group. I can recharge my batteries and hopefully help create beautiful music for others at the same time. As my neighbouring second flute told me, somehow it all comes together in time for the concert. As our conductor said last week, ‘Week 4 and we’re already doing dynamics!’ (i.e. loud and soft).
I am aiming high. I will learn the notes, their timing, the rests, and the dynamics. My flute is enjoying the outings after being carted around from house to house tucked away in its case for 30 years.
