The Okanogan Valley Orchestra and Chorus present their fall concert, New Beginnings, on Saturday, Oct. 15, at 3 p.m. in the Omak Performing Arts Center.
Both ensembles are highlighting different aspects of newness — music by composers new to local audiences, music from different cultures, and music acclaimed for its novelty when it was first composed.
The chorus will perform the Irish traditional song “Danny Boy,” which is about the hope of return and fellowship. The group will sing two numbers that highlight Australian and aboriginal culture, the gospel-inspired “Deep, Deeper, Deep” by Paul Jarman and Bonnie Nilsson; and “Warri and Yatungka” by Paul Jarman, which tells the story of the last aboriginal Australians to live a traditional nomadic lifestyle. The choir also sings a Latin-influenced version of the jazz standard “Fly Me to the Moon.”
The orchestra will perform a medley of music from the film “Forrest Gump.” The group will also play the opening movement to the New World Symphony by Antonín Dvořák, in which the Czech composer incorporated musical influences he encountered in the United States in the early 20th century, including spirituals and other traditional music of African-Americans.
The orchestra also performs two numbers by Soon Hee Newbold, a contemporary American composer who writes music based on cultures from around the world. Her “Warrior Legacy” conjures up myth and legend, and “American Landscape” paints an aural image of mountains, plains, lakes and oceans.
Admission is $10; free for youths under 18. Visit ovocmusic.org for more information.
