Two Rivers Chamber Orchestra
The Two Rivers Chamber Orchestra (2RCO) was founded in 2008. After years of careful discussion and planning the Friends of Music Board of Directors decided unanimously to take on the project. Thirty-Seven founders contributed $1,000 each to fund the first season. The orchestra is composed of fine musicians from the Baltimore-Washington area, many of them talented members of the Shepherd University music department faculty. The orchestra’s exciting programming provides “something for everyone” on each concert, regardless of personal listening preference or prior exposure to classical music. Concerts feature selections from well-known classical orchestra repertoire, often an outstanding soloist, and at least one, usually lesser-known, newer composition of wide appeal.
On Saturday, March 15, 2008, the Two Rivers Chamber Orchestra made its debut before a standing-room only audience in the Frank Arts Center of Shepherd University. A total of 36 musicians—strings, woodwinds, brass and tympani—performed Rossini’s Barber of Seville Overture, Mozart’s Concerto for Piano in A No. 23 (featuring Dr. Scott Beard), John Rutter’s beautiful Five Meditations for Orchestra and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1. (Dr. Beard performed on the university’s fabulous Fazioli piano, purchased with funds raised by The Friends of Music.) The audience response was overwhelming, the financial support from a very appreciative community continued and a second season was planned.
On Saturday, September 27th, 2008, West Virginia’s newest professional orchestra once again performed a sold-out concert in Shepherdstown. This time the concert opened with Beethoven's Egmont Overture, Op. 84, then featured internationally known guitarist William Feasley on Rodrigo's beautiful Concierto de Aranjuez before closing the first half of the concert with the regional premiere of Danzón No. 2 by Anton Márquez. The second half of the program featured Mozart's Symphony No. 40 in G Minor and closed with a rousing performance of Brahms’ Hungarian Dances Nos. 5, 6 and 7. Again, a thunderous standing ovation and significant financial support flowed from the appreciative audience.
March 2009 saw two performances of the 2RCO, one in Shepherdstown and one in Martinsburg, WV. The concert included Strauss's Die Fledermaus Overture, Mozart's Concerto for Flute & Harp in C Major, K. 299 featuring Anne Munro and Caroline Hudson, Mark O'Connor's Appalachia Waltz, and Mendelssohn's Symphony #3 in A Minor, Op. 56, "Scottish". Once again the audience was moved by the performance, particularly of the Appalachia Waltz which concluded the first half. Following the success of these performances, the Board of Directors embarked upon a third season of this much-loved ensemble.
Season three included two concerts, one in October and another in March. On October 17th, the 2RCO presented a tribute to American composers including our own Guy Frank, founder of the music program at Shepherd. The program featured Bernstein’s Overture to “Candide,”Guy Frank’s Symphonic Triptych, the east coast premiere of Joseph Curiale’s Awakening and concluded with Copland’s Four Dances from “Rodeo”. The March 13, 2010 concert opened with Shostakovich’s Festive Overture, Op. 96, and the Mozart Concerto for Clarinet in A, featuring David Drosinos. Another exciting work from Anton Márquez, the Conga del Fuego, closed the first half and Beethoven’s towering Symphony No.7 in A, Op. 92 closed the concert.
Season four opens on September 18th with the exciting Russlan and Ludmilla overture of Glinka and features our principal oboe, Greg Shook, on the beautiful and rarely heard Albinoni concerto for Oboe and Strings. Haydn's fascinating Farewell Symphony will close the first half and a set of Slavonic Dances from Opus 46 of Dvorak will conclude the concert.
March 12, 2011 sees another exciting program of music old and new with a decided "south of the border" flair. The exciting Mexican Composer Javier Alvarez provides the exciting opener Metro Chabacano and Astor Piazzola, the "Father of the New Tango" closes the concert with his own "Four Seasons", not from Vivaldi's Italy but from Piazzola's Argentina. The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires is certain to be work to remember. In the middle, we present our concert master, Ms. Heather Austin Stone in the much loved Mendelssohn Violin Concerto. A great concert to be sure!
Why is the 2RCO important to the community?
- National studies are documenting how important the arts are to creating the very foundation that can convert a bedroom community into a robust destination point
- Study after study across America points to the important role that the cultural arts play in creating healthy economic and social communities
- Without its own orchestra, live orchestral music is only heard by residents willing to travel to larger cities
- According to a national survey, for every $1 spent by audiences attending arts events, $2.31 is spent on hotels, restaurants, transportation, and other goods and services
- Nationally, an average arts patron spends $22.87 in area restaurants, hotels, grocery stores, retail shops, gas stations, etc. for each event
- In Mongalia County, WV, the average arts patron spends $39.81 in area restaurants, hotels, grocery stores, retail shops, gas stations, etc. for each event
- The arts generate nearly $30 billion in revenue for local, state, and federal governments every year. The three levels of government collectively spend less than $4 billion annually to support them. This is a spectacular 7-to-1 return on investment that would thrill Wall Street
How can you help the 2RCO?
- SPREAD THE WORD
- The more people that know about the 2RCO, the more opportunities we will have to share the world’s greatest music and add cultural value and enrichment to our communities
- ATTEND THE CONCERTS
- BECOME A “CHAIR SPONSOR”
- $1,000 donors are listed in all programs as a sponsor of a principal chair
- HELP US IDENTIFY GRANT SOURCES
- Grants are a great resource for orchestra funding. To date, the 2RCO has operated with donated funds.
- BECOME A BUSINESS SPONSOR
- Each concert has an area business sponsor publically featured in the community. Encourage local business leaders to support the 2RCO by becoming a sponsor.
The Two Rivers Chamber Orchestra would not be possible without the generous support of people like you. To contribute to the orchestra or to sponsor and name a principal chair, click here. To purchase tickets, click here.