Members of the Okanogan Valley chorus belt out “Fly Me To The Moon,” during the Okanogan Valley and Chorus’ annual family concert Saturday.
Brock Hires | The Chronicle
Although there were plenty of open seats, those who attended Okanogan Valley Orchestra and Chorus’ third concert of the season on Saturday were more than pleased with the musicianship of this group.
With a theme of “Soaring,” the vocalists and instrumentalists offered a variety of musical flavors for the family con-cert.
As customary, the chorus kicked off the show with the Frank Sinatra classic, “Fly Me To the Moon.”
The group, under the direction of Jonathan McBride and accompanied by pianist Mariliz Romano, featured strong harmonies and rich vocal dynamics.
The up-tempo tune got toes tapping from the start.
The group followed up with “E Nana Kakou I Na Manu,” and “Flying for the Joy of Flight.” Both brough the same qualities as the first number.
The group stepped things up with Die Nachtigall, No. 4 Sechs Lieder, Op. 59, and “Over the Rainbow.”
Both numbers were performed a cappella, which is no easy feat.
On “Over the Rainbow,” Becky Corson had a strong solo melody line which was then accented by the group’s harmonies over the chorus.
They closed their portion of the show with “Swinging on a Star,” a cute song with a driving tempo.
Prior to the chorus taking the stage, McBride noted an empty spot on the riser in memory of a long time vocalist Cliff Matthews.
“He was always smiling,” McBride said. “He is definitely missed.”
When the orchestra took the stage, conductor Matt Brown noted many of the musicians were dressed in costumes.
He said he told them the theme was “Soaring,” and “I told them to go with the theme ... and they went with it.”
The orchestra opened its set with “The Ride of the Valkyries,” followed by “Harry Potter Symphonic Suite.”
A few parts appeared to be a little weak in some places of the Harry Potter number, but that didn’t stop at least one person in the audience from standing up to cheer the group on.
Brown then invited youngsters to the stage to stand next to a musician playing his or her favorite instrument. About a dozen youngsters flooded the stage for the performance of “Music from Up.”
The number brought a solid performance from the percussion section.
The group wrapped the afternoon up with a performance of “Music from Apollo 13.”
The groups’ next performance, “Broadway and More,” will be March 28 in the Omak Performing Arts Center, 14 S. Cedar St.
And be sure to mark your calendars for the annual spring musical, “Mamma Mia.”
The production will run May 1-3 and May 8-10 in the Omak Performing Arts Center.
Tickets and more information can be found online at ovocmusic.org.
Enough for this week!
Brock Hires is managing editor for The Chronicle. He can be reached at bhires@omakchronicle.com.
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