A one-word difference makes for a more focused event.
By Judy House
You may have heard me say this before recently, but there’s a new kid on the dulcimer block – the dulcimer orchestra!
The mountain dulcimer is a relatively new instrument, unlike its cousin, the hammered dulcimer, who has been around for thousands of years. We are still experimenting with the mountain dulcimer to see just what it can do! There are many forms of it already, and very few standards even yet.
This, to me, makes it even more exciting. Pushing the envelope to see just what the mountain dulcimer is capable of. Yes, sometimes, it needs more frets, or a pickup, contrary to its early ancestors, but hey, even humans today are different from our ancestors in many ways, yet still human.
The First National Dulcimer Orchestra (FNDO) is an excellent example of some of the growth that the mountain dulcimer is experiencing. Writing arrangements for orchestra groups has rocked my world! The wonderful people I have met, online and in person, would have probably never happened without the FNDO.
Along with others who desire to do more for dulcimer music, we have created a small, yet powerful, community of like-minded people who are able to share their earworms with hundreds of people on a weekly basis. The expansion of musical knowledge and detail that we have been able to provide dulcimer players around the world is breathtaking.
An orchestra is not playing in a jam! There is a whole different skill set that needs to be taught and learned – tricky over Zoom. There is more music theory. It is not about how fast or loud you play – it is about listening to each other, staying together, and keeping a balance between all the parts.
So, what about this “symposium”?
It is a brainchild born from requests from FNDO members who wanted more than the once-a-week study of fantastic musical arrangements online.
What makes a symposium different from a festival?
First, let me explain just what a symposium is. The definition of symposium is “a smaller and more focused event that centers on a specific topic, at which several speakers talk on or discuss that topic before an audience.” Our topic, as you may have guessed, is playing multiple parts in an orchestra setting.
The very first orchestra symposium was held in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina the last week of May, 2023. It was perfect! We had three extremely knowledgeable, talented speakers, Ken Bloom, Joe Collins, and Butch Ross. They worked with us, and especially with each other, so that by the time of the symposium, they were one well-oiled machine.
From the time everyone arrived on Monday until they left on Friday, they were totally immersed in orchestra. We ran from 9:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. daily. There was 1 classroom instruction every morning that everyone attended. The rest of the day was spent working on the three pieces that the instructors brought for this event. On the last evening, there was a free concert of the 3 pieces. It was open to the public, and it was standing room only.
On the last day, everyone was begging for another day and the same instructors! And all three instructors were hinting that they would love to return for the next one! Kirk and I immediately got to work on the symposium for 2024. We did indeed get to add another day and all three instructors were available to return! We also have a few other things up our sleeves for 2024.
Our only concern? Finding a bed for everyone.
Check us out on orchestrasymposium.com. We’d love to have you join us for this year’s Orchestra Symposium, June 3 – 8.
