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Thread: Mandolin Orchestra News

  1. #1
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    Default Mandolin Orchestra News

    I'd like to start this thread for the various orchestras, ensembles, societies etc to post news about their organization.

    Thank you Scott for acting on my request to rename this forum section to include Orchestral. Hopefully there will enough posts to make this an interesting thread.

    Here in Eastern Pennsylvania I am playing with The Philadelphia Mandolin Ensemble & The Reading Mandolin Orchestra. I had also played with The Munier Mandolin & Guitar Orchestra for 24 years. Although I am not playing with Munier now, I am still trying to recruit new players for the orchestra.

    Currently all of these groups have suspended rehearsals and have cancelled concerts. I am sure that most groups across the country and around the world have done the same.

    We have successfully done several remote recording sessions using Audacity and other software. We're still working on this project so hopefully I will soon have recordings to share with the Mandolin Cafe community. We've learned a lot about this process so if anyone would like tips or can offer tips please tell us.

    We all look forward to the day when we can again rehearse and offer concerts to our local communities. I pray that day will be soon.

    Please share any news or stories about your organization.

    Stay safe and healthy,

    Joe Todaro

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  3. #2
    Registered User Dean Gray's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mandolin Orchestra News

    Hi Joe, I think this is a great idea for a thread. I am playing with the Sydney Mandolin Orchestra here in Australia. We are still rehearsing weekly via zoom. Everyone's microphone needs to be muted except for the conductor (who plays the guitar part) and the leader of 1st mandolins. So we can't hear anyone else but still get to play through repertoire and work on sections....
    Not ideal, but better than nothing. Any other mandolin orchestras doing online rehearsals?

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    Default Re: Mandolin Orchestra News

    Sure wish I had a mandolin orchestra in Ottawa!

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    Default Re: Mandolin Orchestra News

    Thanks for the update Dean. How do you rehearse on Zoom? I thought there was a significant delay

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    Default Re: Mandolin Orchestra News

    I think this addition to the "Classical etc." thread is a very good idea, Joe (and MandoCafe). Just a shame it started at a time when orchestras cannot really meet. I am enjoying the suggestions for playing sort-of-together online, trying to overcome the latency issue. But the good news (I think) is how this thread will take off when we actually start playing together again. I also wonder if all the practice-at-home time will lead to a surprising improvement in everyone's playing. On the other hand, I feel for the conductors trying to get everybody to pay attention to them after months alone with a metronome and a screen!

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    Default Re: Mandolin Orchestra News

    Hi Joe, the P(rovidence)MO is also rehearsing on Zoom using the same protocol as Sydney. We are all muted except for Mark (mandolin) and Beverly Davis (classical guitar). Mark and Beverly play their parts to whatever piece (last week it was Bart Verstraeten's "Persephone" which we did actually perform in February, US premiere) and the rest of us follow along and play our parts. We can hear them, they can't hear us, so not a rehearsal in the normal sense, but it does give people a chance to play their parts, so tolerable (and useful) under the circumstances. We hope to continue this until we rehearse in person. Dean, FYI: this coming week we are working on Werner's piece, "Darkness and Light".

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    Registered User Dean Gray's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mandolin Orchestra News

    Hi Mandolute, there is a lag, so most of us are muted. Not ideal, but we are practicing our parts at least, just as Margora said.
    Hi Margora! Nice to meet you, I will tell Werner that you're playing his piece! I love the connectedness of the mandolin orchestra community. When I decided to start my regional community orchestra I had great suppport from people all over Australia through the Federation of Australia Mandolin Ensembles and internationally via the Cafe.
    So I am actually in two orchestras, the SMO, and my fledgling community orchestra 6 hours south of Sydney. Until the lockdown there was a lot of driving!

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    Default Re: Mandolin Orchestra News

    "Nice to meet you, I will tell Werner that you're playing his piece!"

    Hi Dean, Werner already knows, we (Mark and Beverly, me) are in touch with him (and Fiona) frequently. We are all good friends.
    Robert A. Margo

  10. #9
    Registered User Dean Gray's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mandolin Orchestra News

    Quote Originally Posted by margora View Post
    "Nice to meet you, I will tell Werner that you're playing his piece!"

    Hi Dean, Werner already knows, we (Mark and Beverly, me) are in touch with him (and Fiona) frequently. We are all good friends.
    Ah, yes, I had an online lesson with Fiona today and she told me that you are all good friends. This reinforces my feeling that the classical mandolin community is very friendly.
    I feel very lucky to be studying with Fiona and to be under the baton of Werner.

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    Default Re: Mandolin Orchestra News

    The Mandolin Orchestra of Devon are getting off the ground & launching virtually to tide us over though the summer season.
    It's a good opportunity for some of our more scattered members to get together socially too. Nick describes the initiative here;

    https://www.facebook.com/WrenMus/videos/161113251969178/


    During this month we did a tester recording of Fisher's Hornpipe as arranged & pulled together by Nick Wyke who has taken over as leader of the group from Matt Norman & is doing sterling work.

    https://soundcloud.com/eoin-donnello...estra-of-devon

    Choosing a chirpy 'stomp-along' tune works very well for lining up all the tracks.
    Eoin



    "Forget that anyone is listening to you and always listen to yourself" - Fryderyk Chopin

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