A bright spot in this season of ice and snow comes courtesy of the Susquehanna Symphony Orchestra's March 14 concert called "The Colorful Orchestra, A Sibelius Anniversary Concert."
"The symphony orchestra is popular often due to the many tonal colors that it can produce," Sheldon Bair, SSO founder and music director, said.
The Saturday night program offers a wide variety of tonal colors from composers Rimsky-Korsakov, Hector Berlioz and Jean Sibelius. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 14, at Bel Air High School at 100 Heighe St. Tickets are $20, $15 and $10. Call 1-800-838-3006, visit http://www.brownpapertickets.com or get tickets at the door.
"The first work of this concert is by the great orchestrator Rimsky-Korsakov," Bair said. "His Wedding March from his 'The Golden Cockerel' is quite popular and makes for a great opening for the concert.
"Our own SSO violinist Katie Bohdel will sing three selections from 'Les Nuits d'Ete' ('Summer Nights')," he continued. "These are beautiful songs lovingly orchestrated to great effect."
Bohdel, who studied violin under Bair during her middle and high school years, has played in the SSO for almost four years. She graduated from his alma mater, Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania, with a degree in music performance and English literature. Having earned a master of arts in teaching, she is an orchestra teacher at Aberdeen Middle School. She also studied voice with Madeleine Gray out of her studio in Towson, and is certified by the Archdiocese of Baltimore as a cantor. She sings professionally at St. Ignatius Catholic Church in Hickory as well as at other local Catholic churches. She teaches privately out of her home in Bel Air.
The second part of the concert will feature Finnish composer Jean Sibelius' First Symphony in E Minor.
"This symphony is full of great tunes that are beautifully orchestrated, especially for a relatively early work. In fact, this work is often linked to the symphonies of Tchaikovsky," Bair said. "This year marks the 150th anniversary of Sibelius' birth."