Please check out the January issue of Boulder Women's Magazine. They interviewed several people about our new orchestra and wrote a very nice article.
Here is the link
http://www.boulderwomensmag.com/articles/2005/01/06/news/the_scene/scene.txt
Incase the link does not work I copied and pasted the article in the Blog
Please check out the Boulder Women's Magazine website though to give them hits for us!!
Chamber Music Society of Boulder: New Non-profit Orchestra
By BRITTA KALLEVANG
Why are there so many more women musicians than men?" I asked Bahman Saless, musical director of the Chamber Music Society of Boulder. "I have no idea," he replied.
Out of about 20 Chamber Music Society (CMS) musicians, 16 are women. They're wonderful in every way. But the story behind the special gifts that the new group offers the community is not about female/male ratio. CMS is about beautiful, quality music played by a group of musicians who play for fun, not 401K plans. The story is a celebration of the women involved in supporting CMS in every aspect, a story to catch your attention and draw your support, regardless of gender.
Chamber music is a rarity in the Boulder area. Comprised of 20-25 string and wind musicians, chamber music is performed in an intimate setting, as the name implies. CMS performs in the First Baptist Church of Boulder, which, aside from its limited audience capacity, produces the desired acoustical effect.
Saless hypothesizes that the challenge of "find[ing] an appropriate venue," might be the reason behind the lack of chamber music in Boulder. He explains that chamber performer's musicality is "more exposed."
It seems ironic that Boulder's music culture has only begun to embrace chamber music. The combination of intimacy, communal support and enjoyment allows the musicians' individualities to successfully shine. These are exactly the qualities community musical groups offer.
"It's a shame," Saless says about the over-due revitalization of the special music genre. "There's so much good music. We don't get to hear it."
But, now we do. The repertoire for the CMS January 21st concert will feature music by Albinoni, Bach and Vivaldi. Although, "Boulder has been missing a chamber orchestra for a long time," Saless says that, "we've had tremendous interest."
For their first concert, on October 29th, there was standing room only; the First Baptist Church with filled with more than 300 people. Saless points out how the event, "shows how hungry people are for a venue like this."
Community orchestras are composed of local musicians, and supported by volunteers. The musicians are real people, living busy lives, who maintain real passion for music performance and community. Boulder's CMS is made up of computer scientists, physicists, book editors, teachers, and software programmers, all donating their time and hearts.
In addition to locality, the musicians are all involved in different orchestras. They are CMS musicians because they want to be. Saless is on the same page. "I'm not in it for the money." There is no money.
CMS, while being a community orchestra, does have a size limitation because of its distinction as a chamber musical group. Saless describes the challenge CMS meets in striking a balance between its goals. CMS works to, "accommodate everyone," and "always get better." Because it's small, not just anyone can join. Saless maintains, however, that CMS, "gives a priority to community players." The selection process is based on the tight network Saless has developed in his long involvement in professional music.
CMS owes much of its support to the network established by women like Emily Morton. Morton has become a woman of immeasurable value to the group. She puts all her experience as a Pre-K teacher seeking extra funding for class materials, her passion as a musician, and interest in people to work as a volunteer. Morton finds fulfillment in assisting with admin. work, supplying food at rehearsals, and networking for funding.
"I know how to ask for things," she says. Setting up contacts for potential donors brings joy to her work as she, "meet[s] interesting people and see[s] the way things connect."
A violin and guitar musician herself, Morton finds inspiration in the aptitude of the CMS performers. She appreciates that her volunteering allows the musicians, "to focus on their music." The magic Morton gets from volunteering returns to CMS and the Boulder community full-circle.
Morton speaks on behalf of other women involved. She sees, "the various ways [their skills] complement each other." Morton says that these women make CMS a "stand-out non-profit."
Another ballast to CMS is Chesley McColl, Saless's wife. Morton cheers, "[McColl] was super-woman" for the first concert! McColl designed a PowerPoint presentation to enhance the performance, giving the audience a taste for the architecture and artistry of the period. She also organized the food and threw an inaugural party for CMS donors.
CMS is currently funded solely on community support. Saless wants to see, "more volunteers; we love to have them around." Those interested are encouraged to contact Emily Morton at emorton@boulderchamberorchestra.org, or call 888-397-6952.
Please check out the CMS website: www.boulderchamberorchestra.org for director Bahman Saless's bio, a complete list of the musicians and their bios, performance schedule, and additional information on how to support the CMS.
