By Fleur Williams
Whether you are a lifelong enthusiast or a newcomer to classical music, the Santa Cruz Symphony Recital Series, Spotlight On The Symphony, provides wonderful opportunities to deepen your understanding of music and connect with professional musicians in a more informal environment.
In Woodwinds of Winter — the second and most recent recital of our local symphony’s 2019/2020 concert season — the Santa Cruz Symphony (SCS) combined the time-honored tradition of the recital experience and the intimate setting of the Cabrillo College Samper Hall, in their feature of principal flute Laurie Seibold, principal oboe Bennie Cottone, principal clarinet Karen Sremac, and principal bassoon Erin Irvine.
As virtuoso soloists, and as an ensemble, these four dynamic musicians performed a woodwind-inspired repertoire at an exceptional level for this spotlight concert.
The Recital Series is designed to make musical compositions more accessible by spotlighting the musicians and the significant roles they each play within the full orchestra.
In Seibold, Cottone, Sremac, and Irvine’s feature, their impressive artistry and skills complemented their engaging personalities. Showing a refined ability to naturally merge from light and playful tones to more intense ones, the soloists supported and cued each other so smoothly that any technical challenges were imperceptible.
Between each movement, a delightful perk was hearing them share their knowledge about woodwind instruments and the musical process; ranging from the complexities of making reeds, tuning their instruments, and monitoring condensation, to finding appropriate pieces to play together.
The “Woodwinds of Winter” Recital Concert
Performing a variety of intricate work ranging from Baroque to modern composers, the four woodwind musicians conjured up the character of each melody and depicted colorful moods and intonations with ease and harmony.
Throughout the Spotlight On The Symphony concert, their interaction with each other and the audience was lively, warm, and full of humor. Seibold, Cottone, Sremac, and Irvine’s recital demonstrated how valuable each instrument is in creating emotional depth and dimension within a musical composition.
Given their impressive backgrounds as active musicians and educators, their strong sense of camaraderie on stage and dedication to their craft comes as no surprise.
In addition to numerous solo appearances, these four have performed with a long list of orchestras under the batons of renowned conductors, including many years in collaboration with SCS.
Sremac has been with SCS for 30 years while Seibold is celebrating her 20th season. Cottone has been with SCS for 13 years and Irvine for five, although she has played alongside her fellow musicians in other contexts for over a decade.
These soloists illustrated the distinctive approach of SCS by channeling and fulfilling the vision of diverse classical composers through a relaxed, relatable, and contemporary performance.
Their individual contributions fortify the orchestra as a collective and enrich the musical experience for everyone.
In early February, keep an ear out for these four fantastic musicians when they return to the stage along with the rest of the orchestra and Maestro Daniel Stewart for Catharsis, an SCS presentation of Mahler’s dramatic Symphony No. 5.
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Top Photo (From left) Karen Sremac, Erin Irvine Laurie Seibold and Bennie Cottone.