The Greenwich Village Orchestra (GVO, from now on) is twenty years old in the 2006-7 season, that's twenty years of an alternative, all-volunteer, full-scale orchestra operating in lower Manhattan. No tuxes necessary!
Commitment can be define as doing something you don't have to do, and it goes with out saying that there are may diversions in the big city, so keeping an all-volunteer orchestra together in Manhattan for twenty years is an impressive achievement for players, conductor(s) and management. The GVO is evolving into the downtown answer to the Philharmonic because of a consistently exciting program of substantial works (i.e. greatest hits — but all the same, great for good reasons), and a solid, well trained ensemble. The GVO has also kept ticket prices down, a seat will cost you $15.00.
The members of the orchestra come from all walks of life, as they say on their website: We are accountants, actors, artists, attorneys, carpenters, editors, physicians, professors, programmers, retirees, scientists, secretaries, students, teachers, writers....
And this being New York, there are a good number of professional musicians moonlighting from their Broadway and jazz gigs. Rehearsals are in the evening, so the tired workers of the city arrive with their instruments and within minutes they could be negotiating Beethoven or Shostakovich, there's commitment.
The GVO has a six concert season, running from September to June, featuring important symphonic works, spanning the repertoire from Baroque to GVO commissioned contemporary composers such as Bruce Wolosoff and Joan Tower. The orchestra has also has a succession of great soloists, not a few of whom have been moonlighting New York Philharmonic principles.
The GVO's current music director Barbara Yahr, conducts the January 28th concert in works by Chávez, Tartini and Dvořák. With Warren Wernick, trumpet soloist in the Tartini.
Greenwich Village Orchestra
Washington Irving Auditorium
January 28th, at 3:00 pm
Barbara Yahr, Conductor • Warren Wernick, Trumpet
Chávez: Sinfonia India
Tartini: Concerto in D Major for Trumpet and Orchestra
Dvořák: Symphony No. 7
Washington Irving Auditorium
Washington Irving High School
40 Irving Place, Manhattan
Tickets are $15.00 Regular admission. Student and Senior discounts available.
