From February 9, 2006 Lexington Minuteman
by Sarah Gurley, Correspondent
On January 30th we experienced a great musical night out--in Lexington! When we moved from London 4 years ago we chose Lexington partly because of its vibrant artistic community. We were overjoyed to find that our new town's local orchestra is not a frightening group of amateurs scratching away for their own pleasure! We were delighted to find that the Lexington Sinfonietta is a musical gem.
We attended an open rehearsal of the Sinfonietta with the young and gifted Stefan Jackiw as soloist and Jonathan McPhee, of the Boston Ballet, conducting. "It was really fun to see a famous violinist play," Andra, my 7-year-old daughter, said. She brought her program signed by Conductor McPhee and Mr. Jackiw to her first grade show-and -tell the next day. She commented on how the sound of the violin made her feel happy, then sad, then happy again.
My 13-year-old son Spencer was thrilled to be so close to a Stradivarius. "It was impressive. It had an amazingly loud and pure sound." We ventured that it was worth at least $1 million, but were astonished to be told that it was valued at more than $4 million. It was worth every penny!
My other son Adam 11 years old, said: "It was a very, very valuable experience to see how the orchestra prepares for a concert and to speak to such a great performer and to ask him questions and stuff. I think that anyone would have enjoyed it, especially if they were not a musician because they would be exposed for the first time to a symphony in such an exciting way."
We saw quite a few friends at Cary Hall. One fellow concert attendee was Adam's friend Alexander Yared. "I liked the part where the conductor gave the orchestra pointers and then the orchestra played it perfectly when they followed his direction."
We are excited to hear that there will be more opportunities in Lexington to get up close and personal with great musicians. Many folks around town I spoke to had meant to come and forgot, or just did not make it. Next time, take our advice, make a date to see the Lexington Sinfonietta and keep it. We'll definitely be there.
