What is a community orchestra in New Zealand is being asked, and I hope discussed, on the blog pages of the Association website (...) There are certainly a few of them there now in the orchestras register, and all a bit different.
But have you noticed Rusty Player Orchestra (RPO)?
There’s a sense in which RPO seems to me to be an epitome of community orchestra-ing. Comments on its web page speak volumes.
One of its players asserts...
"I love, love, love, coming along to Rusty days. The informality and casual nature is perfect and a good selection of music, something for all levels usually. Just a great general vibe"- Rusty player
But here is something more of its story. I hope you enjoy getting to know them.
Q How did the Rusty Player Orchestra happen - was it formed as a result of pressure from rusty players?
A. The Rusty Player Orchestra was an idea even before Orchestras Central started but did not become a reality until the management team of the then newly formed Orchestras Central decided to give it a go and see what happened. In the first session, around 45 people turned up with one flautist not having picked up their instrument for 35 years!
Q. When did it start, and has it been growing steadily since (COVID excepted)? Ie is there a steady (even growing) demand from "rusty players"?
A. The first session was in 2017 when those 45 people turned up, and the orchestra now has a database of around 360 players. We regularly receive enquiries from people along the lines of “I am a VERY rusty player and …”, so the orchestra continues to grow.
Q. Is the Rusty Player Orchestra used as a recruitment strategy for OC?
A. The Rusty Player Orchestra is an orchestra in its own right as it seems to meet a need for a relaxed environment for novice and returning adult musicians to meet and play great music together. We see musical enjoyment and social well-being as our strategic outcomes for this orchestra.
Q. Are there players from the other OC orchestras in RP's ranks to bolster and tutor?
A. We regularly have players from our other community orchestras (Trust Waikato Symphony Orchestra and Youth Orchestra Waikato) joining Rusty Player Orchestra sessions off their own bat.
We also have some TWSO members who are very accomplished on one instrument but come to the Rusty Player Orchestra to play their second instrument. We also have a handful of TWSO players acting as section tutors for each session.
Q. Do "Rusty Players" advance to other orchestras or are they happy doing what you do?
A. Some Rusty Player Orchestra members have gone on to play in the Trust Waikato Symphony Orchestra (Grade 6 level and above).
In some cases they are quite accomplished musicians who have not played for a very long time and it is a good way for them to regain their confidence in an orchestral environment.
Other players are learning an instrument and as they advance they move on to TWSO.
Many of the players though just want to play in the Rusty Player Orchestra because it is such a relaxed and friendly environment, focused on participation rather than performance.
Q. Do you get many local players turning out eg in Raglan, Cambridge, Matamata?
A. We get together six times a year with one of those sessions being somewhere in the greater Waikato other than Hamilton. Many of our Hamilton players enjoy the road-trip and we encourage people to carpool to get to know each other better.
Local players from those other centres, or within probably an hour’s drive of that centre, will join us too and in some cases love it so much that they then travel to Hamilton for our other sessions.
We regularly have players travelling from as far as Auckland or the Bay of Plenty for all our sessions.
Q Is it easy enough for you finding appropriate level music for RPO to play?
A. We get quite a diverse range of instruments in the Rusty Player Orchestra, many of them not traditional orchestral instruments. We get saxophones, recorders, euphoniums – you name it, they appear!
Our librarian is brilliant at transposing parts for all those instruments so any intermediate level orchestral sets become usable for the orchestra. We also find “Flexiband” music useful as it caters for such a wide range of instruments.
The Raglan Chronicle was impressed ....
“About 35 players turned up on the day, a few locals, Hamiltonians and others from as far away as Morrinsville and Paeroa. They came together in the morning to practice the music in their orchestral sections of strings and wind. Some players mentioned they felt “rusty” at first, but supported by the old hands, the development (and the musicians’ enjoyment) over the two practice sessions was obvious even to an untutored ear. This looked like very good fun indeed – I wished I had a dusty instrument in my cupboard.”
Catherine Polglase is the conductor. She is also Artistic Manager, Orchestras Central Trust; and Associate Conductor and String Tutor, Youth Orchestra Waikato; a freelance violinist, and Suzuki violin teacher.
For more information, visit www.orchestras.org.nz
Did you enjoy discovering or reading about the Rusty Player Orchestra?
Why not flick an encouraging comment to Catherine: artistic@orchestras.org.nz
PS There are a few other orchestras like this one, and probably more that I know nothing about. The Wellington Late Starters Orchestra (WELLSO) under https://ratastudios.co.nz/wellso-wellington-late-starters-orchestra/ is one. If you know of others or would like to tell us your story, please let us know
Komentarze