March 16, 2010
Lake Norman Orchestra Shines with Local Talent
The members of Lake Norman Orchestra fill the stage in Mac Gray Auditorium on March 13, 2010. These local musicians of all ages volunteer their time and talents and meet once a week to practice at Peninsula Baptist Church in Mooresville. This night, an eager audience waits to hear them perform as Eduardo Cedeño, musical director and conductor, enters the stage to conduct.
Cedeño brings many musical credits to the orchestra. In addition to holding both a bachelor and master’s degree in music, he studied conducting under Jackson Wiley of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Indianapolis and violin under Hidetaro Suzuki, former Concertmaster of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra in addition to other prestigious teachers in various areas of musical studies.
Cedeño’s fluency in conducting becomes evident as he picks up his baton. He conducts with his whole body, almost dancing to the music as he brings in the various instruments with precise arm and body movements, continually keeping the beat with fluid gestures.
The first half of the program dances with energy from selections with strong rhythms and interesting combinations of sonorities. The audience particularly enjoys “The Great Steamboat Race” by R. Smith as the orchestra imitates steamboat sounds, including whistles, and accelerates the tempo as the “steamboat” picked up speed.
After intermission, the guest violin soloists, Kelly Richards, substitutes for Anne Neely, who was absent due to a family crisis. Ms. Richards plays the solo in Beethoven’s “Romance in F Major for Violin,” with poise and accurateness, having had only two hours notice for preparation.
Next, most of the orchestra takes a break while 6 B flat clarinets and one bass clarinet form an ensemble. They perform Mozart’s “Ave Verum Corpus” and delight the audience with Scott Joplin’s “The Entertainer.”
One of the highlights of the show follows this group, a composition composed by a local composer, who sits in the audience to listen. The rich texture and colorful moods in “HOMELAND” display the technical orchestral skills of Marc Hoffman, the composer, who has studied extensively at home and abroad and has established himself as a composer of film, theatre, pop, and gospel music.
Finally, Cedeño brings the concert to an end by performing a medley of pieces from “The Sound of Music,” closing with “Climb Every Mountain.”
When the listener observes the stage full of local musicians, he or she may think about all of the music lessons, marching bands or other orchestras that form the background of this talented group, and the listener will know how proud all of the music teachers, band leaders, and families of the performers must be. They have come far on their musical journey and will continue to travel, impressing audiences as they go.
