Different notes for different folks

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David Rahbee’s ambition for the Kennett Symphony is to increase its surface area in the community.

Rahbee
David Rahbee

“I don’t want to be seen as in someone in a penguin suit,” said Rahbee in a recent interview. He added that a symphony orchestra should be out in the community beyond just asking people to attend performances.

While “Sharing music is essential to my life,” according to Rahbee, taking music to young and old doesn’t mean everyone needs to be a musicologist, though.

When Rahbee went to Hungary, he heard people speaking a language he didn’t understand. He enjoyed hearing the sound and rhythm of the language. Similarly one can experience art with different levels of comprehension. No one should be required to have an in depth study of music that is being performed.

Rahbee said every symphony has a story. He likes to share the story with the musicians and with the audience. He played a work by West Chester composer Samuel Barber. When it was written, the United States had just entered the world war. Barber didn’t know if he was going to be drafted. Musicians playing the work said that knowing the story helped them understand the “thorns” expressed in the music.

Many years ago, Rahbee went to Gothenburg Sweden. It was a rare sunny day in the fall. He had some free time and went to a park. Once there, he felt overcome with melancholy. Years later he heard the work of Kurt Atterberg. He immediately identified the mood created by the music as that which pervaded the town. Atterberg was born in Gothenburg.

For reaching children, Rahbee recommends a hands on approach. He likes to have students sit right in the orchestra, between musicians, so they can experience the music intensely and feel the instruments vibrate. Another approach is to let the students try to conduct.

When asked how Kennett Symphony can avoid the financial problems and bankruptcy of many larger orchestras, Rahbee noted that in the United States, funding is largely private unlike state funded arts in Europe. So the conductor should have a broad interface with the community to involve donors. One idea for corporate donations would be to auction the chance to conduct the Star Spangled Banner during the summer concert at Longwood Gardens.

“Music isn’t meant to be put in a package and sold,” he said.

He added that to raise funds you have to try a lot of things. No one idea will fund the whole season.

When asked how the Kennett Symphony should celebrate its 75th anniversary next year, Rahbee said the celebration should not be throwing confetti for its own sake. Perhaps the symphony could replicate its first performance. The celebration should show how the Kennett Symphony became what it is. Local celebrities could be invited to participate in performances. Perhaps Kennett Symphony could commission a work by a local composer.

Rahbee is the third conductor to come to Kennett Square as part of the conductor search season. A replacement for the retired conductor Mary Woodmansee Green is sought for the 2014-15 season.

The candidate arrives early in the week, meets the board, staff and musicians. Then he directs three rehearsals and delivers a performance at the end of the week. Each conductor is given the same budget with which to work.

The process began last spring when three finalists for the conductor position were asked to create a musical program that would work with the Kennett Symphony and be well received in the community. Rahbee looked at the calendar and thought of spring, then Copeland’s Appalachian Spring came to mind. His next thought was to find a complimentary work. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, Pastoral was the choice.

The performance will be Saturday March 22 at 8 p.m. Rahbee will begin at 7 p.m. with the background and story of the music.  After the concert, Rahbee will hold an audience question and answer period. The concert will be in the Madeline Wing Adler Theater of West Chester University in West Chester Pennsylvania. From Chadds Ford, take 202 north continuing on as it turns to High Street. The Theater is on the right side, 817 S High Street. Parking is free.

Monica Buffington, Executive Director, is hoping for a sell out, but as of Tuesday there were a few tickets left. http://www.kennettsymphony.org/

About Emily Myers

Emily Myers has lived and worked in Chadds Ford for over thirty five years.  She founded the parent company of Chadds Ford Live, Decision Design Research, Inc., in 1982.  ChaddsFordLive.com represents the confluence of Myers' long time, deep involvement in technology and community. Myers was a founding member of the Chadds Ford Business Association and currently serves on its board of directors.  Her hobbies include bridge, golf, photography and Tai Chi. She lives with her husband, Jim Lebedda, in Chadds Ford Township.

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