vandemo_orchestra_spring_hill
By David Walsh

The Spring Hill Orchestra practices for its upcoming concert. / Photo by Matt Blois

By MATT BLOIS

The Spring Hill Orchestra will kick off its season at the end of the month at a gala in the United Auto Workers Union Hall. The event includes a concert, formal dinner and an auction.

Doors open at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 27.

On Monday night after taking a break at rehearsal, the musicians that comprise the orchestra tuned their instruments and prepared to play. The group practices every Monday in the lobby of the Church at Station Hill, sitting on folding chairs outside of the worship center.

Some of the musicians had gray hair, while other had parents waiting patiently in the lobby. It’s a combination of students perfecting their skills and adults shaking the dust off their old instruments.

Conductor Rebecca Vandemo started the orchestra about four years ago after moving back to Tennessee from New York City. She went to school in the state and has family in Franklin. She said the orchestra has grown quite a bit since then.

“Our goal at the beginning was just to learn and perform, just do some concerts. But as it’s been growing there’s more need for structure, more need for organization,” she said. “We’re really trying to figure out how to get support, financial support, volunteer help, people who can actually dedicate time to take on more.”

After the musicians finished tuning, she stepped onto a small platform in front of the group and started waving her baton. The orchestra jumped into a song from Georges Bizet’s opera “Carmen.”

The group filled up most of the lobby. The string section had violins, violas, cellos and a bass. Two young men stood behind an a collection of drums, mallets and cymbals. There were clarinets, oboes, trumpets and trombones.

As they played through the songs, Vandemo stopped them occasionally to make corrections. She asked the soloists to play a bit louder, and told the string section to make sure they were in sync with the horns.

Vandemo is hoping all that practice will pay off in the upcoming season. Many ensembles start their season in the fall and play through the winter, but the Spring Hill Orchestra starts in the spring. Vandemo said it was easier for musicians to make it to rehearsals during that time because they didn’t have commitments to other musical groups.

The gala on April 27 in the Union Hall will be their first performance this year. The money raised at that fundraiser will help fund the group’s activities. Tickets cost $75 and are available on the orchestra’s website.