From Staff Reports
Staff Writer
CLAREMORE —
The Claremore Symphony League will host a wine and cheese reception to launch the membership drive for 2010 - 2011. The reception, to be held at the Will Rogers Memorial on September the 23rd from 5:30 to 7:30, will feature wine tasting and the presentation of the Honorary Chairman of this season’s Symphony League Ball.
The Symphony League is a four-year old association of people dedicated to the musical arts in Claremore. In the past they have sponsored concerts by the Tulsa Symphony and the Tulsa Honors Symphony in the Claremore Performing Arts Center. The League is especially concerned with music education in the region, sponsoring performances and instruction for regional schools.
This season the League plans to bring back the Tulsa Youth Symphony for a repeat performance for regional schools, as well as sponsor “The Elixir of Love,” a production of the Tulsa Opera Company specifically designed for students in Junior High and High School.
“But our most exciting project this year,” says Mary Miller long-time board member and treasurer for the group, “is our partnership with the Tulsa Symphony in bringing a Class for Strings to Claremore.” The Class for Strings will be for beginning students and focus on the violin. “String instruction rarely occurs in the public schools, yet it is perhaps the most important instrument in classical music,” says Ms. Miller. “The cost to students for string instruction will be $200 a semester, but the League intends to offer scholarships to promising students.”
The long-term goal of the League is to promote the creation of a symphony orchestra in Claremore. “We intend to do this by developing talent in the region, and by assisting Rogers State University and the local schools in strengthening their music programs,” says Lonnie Liggitt, music advisor to the group. “It is a long-term goal, but one that is both doable and worthy.”
The membership drive is intended to provide the funds and volunteers needed for these initiatives. In addition, the League holds the annual Symphony League Ball at the RSU Centennial Center every year around Valentine’s Day (February 12th, 2011) to raise funds. For membership forms and further information the League’s website can be found at www.claremoresymphonyleague.com.
