(Beaver Dam) The Beaver Dam Area Orchestra is putting on their annual holiday concert at the Beaver Dam High School auditorium on December 16th. This will be a free event, and there will be two separate concerts. The family performance will take place at 5pm, while the full concert is at 7pm. Director Erin Ebersole distinguished the difference between the two.
“None of the pieces are very long or too serious for that [5 PM] concert. We’ve got some lighter music like ‘Sleigh Ride’ and something the kids will definitely enjoy with ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’,” Ebersole, who once played in the area orchestra herself, said. “[In] our full concert, we will expand with a longer Canadian Brass Christmas, which I think people will enjoy.”
Ebersole went on to say that she’s excited for the brass section of the full orchestra to be able to exhibit their skillset in front of the live audience. This orchestra is a group of motivated musicians with various experience levels and backgrounds.
There are players who have been fine-tuning their craft for decades. Judy Heffron, a sponsor (Tom Heffron is the other sponsor) of the event and violinist who will be one of many on-stage performers, falls under that category. Heffron’s passion for music runs so deep that she is helping cover the venue finances that go into putting together an event, but that’s not all. Heffron has a multitude of gifts for children who attend the show. She emphasized the importance of introducing these in-person experiences to the next generation of potential full orchestra players.
“As musicians ourselves, we think about how important it is for young children to actually see people playing the instruments,” Heffron said. “They’re not just listening to it or seeing it on TV. These are real people making the music.”
Speaking of the next generation, there are also musicians in high school who have joined this orchestra. Two of these high school members are Zoe Loe (Violin 1) and Ryan Tietz (Violin 2), both of whom have taken private lessons with Heffron. They will be featured in a song titled “Masters In This Hall”.
Area orchestra board member Darby Hintz stated that this holiday concert has been ongoing since its inception in 1999 and operates with the goal of involving the community as much as possible. The full orchestra itself will be celebrating 70 years of melodic excellence this upcoming spring. The December 16th event is free of charge, and all are welcome to attend either or both of the evening’s performances. Click HERE for more information on the upcoming concert.
