How to Have Fun on a Summer Night

This is the final piece of our Summer Strings concert, which was earlier this evening--before it got dark. Michael took the picture. I made the arrangement. Everybody had fun.

Here's a recording of the Fiocco Allegro from the same concert, and an arrangement of a Latvian folk song.

Summer Strings is a program that a couple of friends and I run every summer. Because of the kind sponsorship from some East Central Illinois entities, we can offer the program for free. This year about a third of the members of the group were playing in an orchestra for the first time, and this concert comes as the result of about seven 90-minute rehearsals. We play without a conductor, and we rely on the leadership of members of the group who choose to take leadership positions. There are no auditions, people can sit where they want, and mistakes are expected.

I find it wonderful to be able to write arrangements for this group, and I feel proud to play the arrangements made by other people in the group. We have a wealth of resources out here in Downstate Illinois.