The Marine Chamber Orchestra will begin its Summer Orchestra Series at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, June 18 at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center at Northern Virginia Community College in Alexandria. Conducted by Director Lieutenant Col. Jason K. Fettig, the concert will feature a recorder solo and highlight music by Italian and American composers.
The concert will begin with Antonio Vivaldi’s Recorder Concerto in C minor, Opus 44, No. 19, RV 441, featuring Marine Band clarinetist Staff Sgt. Rachel Siegel. Siegel began playing recorder at age eight in an effort to convince her mother to allow her to quit taking piano lessons. “When I took up clarinet in middle school, it never occurred to me to stop practicing recorder. Although my degrees are in clarinet performance and I consider the clarinet my primary instrument, I have so much fun learning and playing music for recorder.”

Siegel said that she is looking forward to performing the piece because, “as a doubler, I don’t often get the chance to focus so intently on recorder performance.” But she admits that the, “biggest challenge for a recorder today is being heard over modern instruments. The recorder hasn’t changed much since the early 18th century so it’s important for the soloist and the orchestra to work together to find a balance.”

“Musicians of ‘The President’s Own’ bring their own talents to the organization,” said Fettig. “Their talents expand the Marine Band and Marine Chamber Orchestra’s capabilities. Since the recorder is an unusual period instrument and not something regularly featured in the band, this was a great opportunity to showcase that instrument and Rachel’s unique skill on a concert.”
To build upon the Vivaldi opening, Fettig continued the Italian theme by programming Giuseppe Verdi’s Symphony for Strings in E minor [String Quartet in E minor]. He then chose to round out the program with newer American works to balance the older staples. For the second half of the concert, the orchestra will perform the talented and contemporary American composer Stacy Garrop’s Inner Demons, arranged in 2007, followed by George Whitefield Chadwick’s substantial Serenade in F for String Orchestra, which the composer concluded in 1890 when American music was coming into its own.

The concert is free, tickets are not required, and free parking is available in the garage adjacent to the hall.

Program and notes

Directions