THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 25, 1995 TAG: 9506220229
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: John Harper
LENGTH: Medium: 85 lines
NORTH CAROLINA'S biggest band is coming to the beach.
The Dare County Arts Council brings the North Carolina Symphony to The Waterside Theatre on July 1. The concert is the highlight of the Arts Council's yearlong 20th anniversary celebration.
With its 220 members, the not-for-profit Arts Council devotes its resources to visual, performing and writing arts programs.
The North Carolina Symphony was formed in 1932 under the direction of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Lamar Stringfield. In 1943, with the passage of the ``Horn Tootin' Bill,'' it became the first orchestra in the United States to receive a state grant for support on an continuous basis.
Later that year, under the leadership of Dr. Benjamin Swalin, the symphony began its grassroots emphasis of taking the orchestra to the people of the state.
That spirit lives on.
Each year the symphony gives about 170 performances in places like Murfreesboro, Wilkesboro and Manteo.
Between 60 and 65 free concerts are given yearly to schoolchildren throughout the state. The symphony gave an instructional concert for Dare County third-, fourth- and fifth-graders in May. The orchestra's commitment to educational programs is one of the strongest in the country.
Gerhardt Zimmermann leads the orchestra. He also guest conducts for such orchestras as the Atlanta, Phoenix and Hawaii symphonies and is music director for the Breckenridge Music Institute in Colorado.
From its home base in Raleigh, the orchestra performs 60 concerts a year in the Triangle area of the state. The concerts include three classical series, one pops series, one ballet and orchestra series, an outdoor summer pops series and an open rehearsal series.
The symphony also performs an opera, gives a New Year's Eve concert and performs the Nutcracker Ballet during the Christmas season.
For its appearance at the Waterside Theatre, the symphony will be under conductor Terry Mizesko. In addition to his conducting duties, Mizesko has played bass trombone in the orchestra since 1971. He will lead the full 65-member orchestra through a program of selections from composers as diverse as Aaron Copland and Marvin Hamlisch.
The program, with an intermission, will highlight tunes from such Broadway shows as ``Hello Dolly,'' ``Les Miserables'' and ``Gypsy.''
Marvin Hamlisch has written 23 motion picture scores and created the music for two major Broadway hits: ``A Chorus Line'' and ``They're Playing Our Song.'' Among his instantly recognizable tunes are ``The Way We Were,'' ``Nobody Does it Better'' and his Oscar-winning theme from ``The Sting.''
In addition to the movie and Broadway music, the orchestra will play the sweeping ``On the Trail'' from ``Grand Canyon Suite,'' as well as pieces of Americana such as ``Yankee Doodle'' and Barnum and Bailey's ``Favorite March.''
This is the Symphony's first appearance at the Waterside Theatre since 1984. And incoming Dare County Arts Council president Jill Bennett says this is a really big show.
``We only have one corporate sponsor, and that's Outer Banks Chrysler Plymouth. This is the biggest event we've ever put on. We'd like to fill the 2,000-seat theater.''
That's capacity for the home of ``The Lost Colony'' outdoor drama. But as Sir Walter Raleigh, Old Tom and Queen Elizabeth take the night off from the country's first symphonic drama, its composer Paul Green must be smiling somewhere. He loved a full house, and he loved a full orchestra. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by JOHN HENDERSON
A July 1 performance by the North Carolina Symphony is the highlight
of The Dare County Arts Council's yearlong 20th anniversary
celebration.
Graphic
THE N.C. SYMPHONY
When: Saturday, July 1, 8 p.m.
Where: Waterside Theatre, Roanoke Island.
Tickets: In advance: $8 for adults, $5 for students, $2 for
children under 12. $10 for adults at the door.
Ticket outlets: Manteo Booksellers, Birthday Suits in Nags Head,
Robin's Fine Jewelry in Southern Shores and Corolla, Charlotte's
Webb in Kill Devil Hills and First Union Bank in Southern Shores.
For more information: 261-5103, 441-3789.
by CNB