For a small group of people, Saturday afternoon was spent in the glory of listening to some "Familiar Favourites," as performed by the Northern Orchestra.
I walked into the St. Michaels and All Angels church for the orchestra's first concert of the season, not knowing what to expect - I'm not very knowledgeable in the area of classical music.
But as the Northern Orchestra, composed of both professionals, students and enthusiasts, I realized I knew a lot more than I thought. After all, the concert centered around favourites, so maybe I lucked out.
For a community orchestra, the quality of the performance was outstanding.
The concert featured guest international French Horn soloist Jennifer Grant, playing Mozart's Concerto No. 3 in E flat K447. It was my favourite piece of the concert, as you got lost in the music.
Closing your eyes, you could almost imagine the first time the piece was played, undoubtedly with much grandiose splendor and enjoyment.
The unique aspect of the Northern Orchestra is that it's community based. Though several members are subsidized and play with the Prince George Symphony Orchestra, others are students or people who just play for the enjoyment of it.
"Many of our members have day jobs, and work in offices. It's absolutely spectacular to watch them come out simply for the joy of playing," said Gordon Lucas, the conductor of the Northern Orchestra.
One amazing performance from one such member was Vivaldi's Concerto for Flute in F Major, featuring Lori Borth as solo flute.
The concert was Borth's first appearance as a soloist in front of an audience, and she held herself with remarkable poise and grace. Though her nerves peaked through a couple times, she recovered beautifully.
"I thought the concert went very well for the first time through," said George Lucas, a volunteer for the orchestra. "They're working out some nerves, obviously, so I expect Sunday's concert in Vanderhoof to be a bit smoother."
The Northern Orchestra's regular season begins in September. They hold four concerts a season, with a showing in Prince George and Vanderhoof for each.
They're second show, A Holiday Celebration, will feature highlight's from Handel's "Messiah" and Vanderhoof's outstanding a capella vocal group, The Apple Cores.
The show will play December 4th in Prince George, and December 5th in Vanderhoof.
For more information about concerts and season tickets, visit www.northernorchestra.ca.
