There also is a medley sing-a-along, aided by words projected on a Jumbotron, of holiday standards like “Frosty the Snowman.” Included among the holiday favorites played is “The Night Before Christmas” and always features a guest narrator. “But we also make sure we keep the holiday staples that everyone wants to hear.”Īccording to Cindy Warringer, the OYO director, this year’s Symphony Under the Lights will begin with four songs from The Nutcracker. We have to plan carefully so that we aren’t playing too many ‘Jingle Bells’ and keep the repertoire interesting,” says Wardell. “It’s a 90-minute concert, which usually includes 25 pieces of music. Following the traditional orchestra tuning by the concertmaster, the crowd is more than ready when Matthew Wardell, the OSO music director and conductor for the past 10 years, takes the stage. The anticipation builds as 100 musicians, which includes the OSO and OYO, take their seats at 7:20pm.
#BUNT BACKLINE FREE#
The crowd begins gathering under the oaks in front of the outdoor stage in the late afternoon and enjoys the piped-in holiday music and free hot chocolate provided by Meadowbrook Church. The Friday rehearsal is for both Symphony Under the Lights and Pops! Goes the Holidays! Then there is another rehearsal for Pops! Goes the Holidays! on Saturday, December 7th, at 11am.”Īnd yet, it all comes together with nary a missed note. For the Thursday rehearsals, the OSO is joined by the Ocala Youth Orchestra (OYO), which performs with OSO at the start of Symphony Under the Lights.
There are two rehearsals for Symphony Under the Lights, one on Thursday, December 5th, from 7-9:45pm and one on Friday, December 6th, from 2-4:45 pm. “That means juggling production and rehearsals for three concerts.
We have Symphony Under the Lightson Friday evening on the outdoor stage, followed by Pops! Goes the Holidays! on Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon in the auditorium,” Calero-Wardell reveals.
“That weekend is our most complicated show schedule of the year. If this weren’t enough to contend with, the RAC staff and Ocala Symphony Orchestra (OSO) are not only preparing for the Symphony Under the Lights, they’re also simultaneously working on Pops! Goes the Holidays! Everything has to be arranged to a concert-specific configuration each chair is labeled so the Bunt Backline crew knows where each instrument is to set the mics. Chairs, music stands, conductor’s podium and instruments have to be carried to the outdoor stage after the final rehearsal on Friday afternoon. Among Fritz’s duties is coordinating with Bunt Backline Event Services, a Gainesville company that provides the lights, LED wall and microphones for the musicians. Since Symphony Under the Lights is on a bare outside stage, this presents a unique situation- no lighting, no music stands, no chairs for the musicians. We couldn’t have a performance without them.” Her production team includes Kirstin Kennedy, Kathleen Stryker and Gary Sonneberger. Casey is responsible for putting together and coordinating the actual production of the event. And then one month before the event, she really gets to work.
“Casey Fritz, our director of theatre operations, gets things rolling with event permit application one year out. “We actually only have a nine-person full-time staff, with four of those being in production,” explains Pamela Calero-Wardell, Executive Director, Development and Organizational Advancement, for the Reilly Arts Center (RAC). Very orchestrated work by a dedicated group of people operating behind the scenes. The Ocala Symphony Orchestra’s 15th Annual Symphony Under the Lights at 7:30pm on Friday, December 6th, at Tuscawilla Park, is a great-and free-way to kick off the holiday season.ī efore the conductor’s baton is raised, before the first note is played for Symphony Under the Lights, comes the work.
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