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Composer Henry Mollicone, music director of the Winchester Orchestra of San Jose, in remembering how the orchestra got its name, jokes that maybe the orchestra should have been called the "Winchester Mystery Orchestra." However, in a way, perhaps that's not so far-fetched: like the Winchester Mystery House, the Winchester Orchestra started as a unique idea and has grown into something special in the community.
Local audiences will get a chance to enjoy that something special when the Winchester Orchestra opens its new season with a program of Italian opera selections on Nov. 7 at Crossroads Church in San Jose.
The orchestra was actually named not for the famous house, but for Winchester Boulevard, because that was the location of the church where the group first performed. "We were in Bethel Church on Winchester Boulevard, and I thought Winchester was a nice name," says Mollicone. (House and orchestra do share a namesake in Sarah Winchester, builder of the mystery house, which is located on the boulevard now named for her as well.)
A name with such local ties is fitting, given that the group is a community orchestra, made up entirely of volunteer musicians from the South Bay. The Winchester Orchestra grew out of a group of community members who performed with the Santa Clara University Orchestra, which was led by Mollicone at the time. "The university orchestra wanted to go in a different direction," he says. So the community members branched off into a separate group about four years ago and began performing during the 19992000 season, offering a series of four concerts.
Favorite opera arias and duets will be featured at the Nov. 7 concert, titled "Gems of Italian Opera." The program includes selections from La Traviata and Rigoletto, both by Verdi, Puccini's Gianni Schicchi and Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 5, The Reformation, with guest artists soprano Karen McConachie and baritone Michael Morris.
This season opener offers a hint of the diverse repertoire that the orchestra presents over the course of a season, which can range from major symphonic works to pops concerts, with performances often featuring special guest soloists. The orchestra's programming, chosen by Mollicone with input from orchestra members, spans a wide variety of styles. "We try to include things from different periods," says Mollicone. "We try to include standard repertoire as well as nonstandard things that are not played all the time, and we also think about the soloists we have."
Mollicone is an accomplished composer, conductor and musician. He has composed many operas, including one about the colorful San Francisco character Emperor Norton, which was performed by the San Francisco Symphony; Hotel Eden, a reimagining of several biblical stories, which was premiered by Opera San Jose; and Coyote Tales, a collection of Native American stories, presented by Kansas City Lyric Opera. He is currently making revisions to his most recent opera, Gabriel's Daughter, for an upcoming production at the University of Kentucky. The opera, based on the true story of Clara Brown, a former slave who became a champion of civil rights and a successful entrepreneur in gold rushera Colorado, was commissioned by Colorado's Central City Opera. Mollicone is also currently working on a piece for the San Jose Chamber Orchestra.
The Winchester Orchestra doesn't hold traditional auditions, instead inviting interested musicians to play along with an individual or a group of orchestra members, depending on the instrument. The aim, says Mollicone, is to make the process less intimidating to prospective members. It seems to have worked, because volunteers continue to join the orchestra. Other members have played with the group since the time it had ties with Santa Clara University. Since the orchestra is all-volunteer, musicians must practice independently and attend weekly rehearsals in addition to their full-time jobs. Mollicone speaks with admiration of the orchestra members' dedication to music.
"I've had a long relationship with this group," says Mollicone. "It's kind of like a musical family. The special thing about the orchestra is that these nonprofessionals are doing it because they love doing it. They're doing this simply for the love of music."
The Winchester Orchestra performs "Gems of Italian Opera" on Fri., Nov. 7, 8 p.m. at the Crossroads Church Auditorium, 1670 Moorpark Ave., San Jose. Tickets are $5$15. For more information, call 408.269.1905 or see www.geocities.com/winchesterorchestra.
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