Summer concert series gives bite-sized symphony experience
Inside the Butler County Symphony Orchestra office on Main Street in Butler on Saturday, June 28, there were just seven singers and an accompanist on piano. But the skill on display didn’t fall short of that of the full orchestra — and it even brought some listeners to tears.
The Symphony Singers provided the musical entertainment for the fourth week of the orchestra’s summer concert series, a tradition that’s been entertaining people in Butler’s Diamond Park while offering a “taste of the symphony” and its talents all in one.
The “A Taste of the Symphony: Summer Concert Series” events will take place every Saturday during the summer through the end of August at the symphony office.
Patricia Stagno, president of the Butler County Symphony Orchestra Association board of directors, called the weekly series a great opportunity for people to hear pieces of the orchestra.
“We’ve got everything — jazz, classical, a cappella,” Stagno said as singers lined up in front of microphones in the office. “It’s a great opportunity for us to get involved in the community.”
The seven singers took the metaphorical stage at noon Saturday and began with a group rendition of “Welcome to the Rock,” a song from the 2017 musical “Come from Away.” A group watched the show live inside the office, but the sound also was projected from speakers in Diamond Park and the concert was livestreamed on the orchestra’s Facebook page.
Following the opening number, each singer took a solo — usually accompanied by pianist Brian Helsel — where they briefly talked about the song they chose and why.
Helsel’s wife, Heather Helsel, a symphony singer and secretary of the association’s board of directors, said the summer concert series sessions are fun for the performers because they get to choose their own music. The series may have just a handful of performers at each concert, but they are not bound by one theme, as are full orchestra concerts.
“We get freedom of programming, which offers flexibility to us and what we do,” Heather Helsel said of the series. “We can do pop songs and musical numbers.”
On Monday, audience members were treated to show tunes, a Beatles song performed a cappella, a Billy Joel mashup and a medley of songs featuring the word “moon” — honoring the orchestra’s new conductor, Moon Doh.
Upcoming summer concerts will feature “majestic brass;” the orchestra’s principal flutist, Cassandra Eisenriech; Hobnob Theatre performing Shakespeare in Song; and more.
Heather Helsel said a benefit of the summer concert series is the audience can interact directly with performers, who are a few feet from the first row of chairs and a few yards away from the ones farthest back in the office. And if people hear the music from outside the symphony, they can come in at any time during the concert and see it in person.
Heather Helsel said people who perform at the Saturday shows volunteer their time. That means people get to hear the concerts for free.
“They feature local artists providing music for free,” she said. “The mission is to get more people engaged with the symphony and hear what we do.”
With the series going on all summer — the final free Saturday performance takes place at noon Aug. 30 — people have plenty of chances to check out the orchestra. Each show may have their new favorite song on the set list.
The series used to take place on Fridays, but the orchestra association moved them to Saturdays last year to great reception. Claudette Sanzotti, a former symphony board member who said she was one of the series creators more than 35 years ago, explained that the original idea was to provide entertainment to people during their lunch break downtown. The symphony even once sold bagged lunches to further encourage people to take a listen.
“It’s been even more successful on Saturdays,” Sanzotti said Saturday. “We started as a way to give live entertainment to people who worked here and were getting lunch on the Diamond.”
Throughout the concert, Heather Helsel emphasized the versatility of the symphony orchestra and opportunities for people to get involved. She likened the summer concert series to jam nights, where anyone can take the mic to sing or hear their favorite song performed, if they just ask.
“It’s so fun. It’s like a parlor night,” she said.
A full list of the summer concert series lineup is available on the symphony’s website, butlersymphony.org, and on its Facebook page.
