Venice, Florida, March 18, 2015 – The Venice Community Orchestra is pleased to invite family and friends to their Spring Recital. The performance will begin at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 21st, in the Selby Room of the Sarah H. Pappas Professional Development Center (Bldg. 800, SE corner of campus) on the campus of the State College of Florida, 8000 S. Tamiami Trail, Venice, FL 34293.

Laurie Vodnoy-Wright, VCO Artistic Director, will be conducting the group as they play the following selections;

Manchester Suite (Nelson)
Fantasie (Mozart)
Ode to Joy (Beethoven)
Rondeau (Mouret)
Air in D (Handel)
Hornpipe (Handel)
La Rejouissance (Handel)
Trumpet Tune (Clark)
O Mio Babbino (Puccini)
Capriol Suite for Orchestra (Warlock)
Menuet from the 11th Symphony (Hayden)
Concerto in D Major Harp and String Orchestra (Vivaldi)

Family and friends are invited to join the VCO members after the performance for a modest pot-luck lunch celebration.

Venice, Florida, February 19, 2015 – Under the direction of Ron Silver, Producer of New Music at New College of Florida in Sarasota, several VCO members will be participating in a recital of Terry Riley’s composition, In C. The performance will take place at 8pm, 3/14 at the Pepsico Arcade on New College of Florida campus.

In C is a musical piece composed by Mr. Riley in 1964 and consists of 53 melodic patterns played in sequence. It is often cited as the first minimalist composition of the time period. The patterns are played consecutively with each performer having the freedom to determine how many times he or she repeats each pattern before moving on to the next. Each pattern can be played in unison or canonically in any alignment with itself or with its neighboring patterns.

“One of the joys of In C is the interaction of the players in polyrhythmic combinations that spontaneously arise between patterns. Some quite fantastic sounds will arise and disintegrate as the group moves through the piece when it is properly played.” Mr. Riley has said.

The VCO members participating in the performance are excited about playing a little outside their “comfort zones”!

Venice, Florida, February 14, 2015 – What better way to celebrate a Valentine’s Day VCO practice than with “treats”! At Since Saturday’s regularly scheduled VCO practice fell on Valentine’s Day, Laurie Vodnoy-Wright, our conductor/coach, suggested that we celebrate. So, several members brought in “treats” for everyone to enjoy. Rest assured, we had a strenuous practice “workout” to play off the calories!

Venice, Florida, February 9, 2015 – After our successful debut at Interfaith Outreach’s holiday dinner in December, we were invited back to St. Mark’s Episcopal Church for their dinner the Monday before Valentine’s Day. So, with the helping hand of Martin Himmelfarb (violist & IO Head Chef!) and under the direction of Franz Schneider (cellist & conductor), we were able to put together some Italian themed pieces which were real “crowd pleasers”.

One of the most gratifying aspects of the evening was joining several of the diners at their tables for dinner. The gratitude they expressed and that of the volunteer servers was, once again, overwhelming.

Venice, Florida, December 8, 2014 – With our well tested and perfected Holiday Selections play list in hand, VCO members performed at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church for Interfaith Outreach’s very special holiday dinner.

With over 100 diners and 30+ volunteers in attendance, the VCO members played many recognizable holiday favorites. In fact, the tunes were so well known that an impromptu “sing-along” broke out!

What a Joyous way for us to enjoy the holidays and give back to our Venice community!

Sarasota, Florida, December 6, 2014 – With the Holiday Season in full swing, what better way to get in the spirit than to play our Holiday Selections for folks on the go? So, that’s just what we did! On Saturday mid-day at the Sarasota-Bradenton Airport (SRQ), VCO members played for busy travelers coming & going AND family members awaiting the arrival of loved ones.

During the holidays, SRQ has several school orchestras and bands that play for travelers during the week. But, none on the weekends, the busiest travel days of the season. VCO was the first ensemble group to offer AND the only group of adults to every offer.

Pam Allen, SRQ’s Director of Volunteer Programs, said: “I was thrilled when VCO offered to play and very the expressions on the faces of our busy travelers and families said it all. Thank you very much for sharing the gift of music with us all.”

In recognition of VCO gesture, Pam, on behalf of SRQ, presented VCO members with a Certificate of Appreciation (and free Starbucks!).

Venice, Florida, November 27, 2014 – Every year, The Salvation Army (Venice) provides hundreds of Thanksgiving Day meals for less fortunate families and individuals in our community. This year, VCO members help make The Salvation Army’s luncheon just a little more festive.

Laurie Vodnoy-Wright, our beloved conductor & coach, helped us put together a play list of almost 25 traditional holiday selections including; “Jolly Old St. Nicholas”, the “Dreidl Song”, “We Wish You A Merry Christmas” and “Jingle Bells”, to name just a few.

With diners enjoying turkey dinner and all the trimmings, VCO members got everyone in the holiday spirit!

Lt. Andrea Hoover of The Salvation Army (Venice), sent us a note of thanks for “taking time away from our families on Thanksgiving to share our gift of music with those in need and making this year’s lunch a very special one.”

What a wonderful way to start the holidays!

Venice, Florida, September 20, 2014 – A few of us stretching during a well deserved break!

Venice, Florida, June 15, 2014 — The Venice Community Orchestra, under the musical direction of Professor Todd Craven, concluded its 2013-2014 season with a master class conducted by internationally renowned violinist Andrea Segar.

In residence at the State College of Florida Venice Campus, the VCO enjoyed a three-semester season of performance instruction, coaching and ensemble training by Professor Craven, formerly principal trumpet of the Sarasota Orchestra. The class benefitted greatly from his depth of orchestral and chamber music experience, as both a musician and conductor. “He is a gifted teacher who gave us the freedom and knowledge to understand what we needed to do in a most enjoyable way,” said VCO cellist and founder John Mabardi, who also expressed his thanks to SCF for making such a “rich experience available to amateur players in the Venice area.”

Professor Craven will be departing this summer to pursue advanced study in conducting at the University of Michigan.

Laurie Vodnoy-Wright, accomplished and renowned professional violinist and teacher, will lead and coach the orchestra for the 2014-2015 season at the Venice Campus of SCF. Maestra Vodnoy-Wright, a member of the SCF Music Faculty, has performed with the Florida Orchestra, Sarasota Opera, and Venice Symphony, among many other ensembles. She is actively engaged in music education and enjoys coaching players of all ages and playing levels who enjoy making music together. Her two-hour performance classes will take place on Saturdays from 9 am to 11 am beginning on Sept 13, 2014. They are open without audition to string players of all levels who can read music. Registration is required through the SCF Corporate and Community Development Dept. Tuition is $75 for the fall 13-week semester.

To register or to get more information, visit www.VeniceCommunityOrchestra.com or call Roresu Chandler, Director of Continuing & Community Education, at 941-752-5290, or visit scf.augusoft.net/CCD.

Press contact: John Mabardi at VCOinformation@comcast.net.

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