Chandler Symphony kicks off 16th season

Going to the symphony doesn’t have to be a stuffy black-tie affair or cost you an arm and a leg, says a local orchestra member.

The Chandler Symphony Orchestra kicks off its 16th season Sunday, Oct. 14 at the Chandler Center for the Arts, 250 N. Arizona Ave. The symphony, which performs five free concerts through May, will continue its long tradition of classical music in a relaxed and fun atmosphere.

“It’s fabulous music at an unbeatable price,” said Nell Dunivent-Hill, symphony president and principal violinist. “There’s a different ethos about our concerts and that is relayed to the audience. We take our music seriously but we don’t take ourselves seriously.”

Dunivent-Hill said classical music may be an acquired taste, but once people get a taste, they’ll like what they hear.

“The roots of most of the music people listen to today can be traced to the music we play,” Dunivent-Hill said. “Some of the composers we play were the Elvis Presleys of their day.” Those composers include Ludwig van Beethoven, Prytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky, George Frederick Handel and Antonin Dvorak.

Their roots began with an orchestra that Maestro Jack Herriman conducted at Mesa Community College in 1991, when their rehearsal location was no longer available. The majority of the orchestra joined together to form the beginnings of the San Marcos Symphony. In 2006, they were renamed the Chandler Symphony Orchestra.

Herriman has a long and distinguished career in classical music. He has conducted several orchestras, including the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Kansas City Youth Symphony, and guest conducted for the Honolulu Symphony, Chicago Civic Orchestra, Iowa State Orchestra and the National Youth Orchestra of Germany. In 1951, Herriman performed with Jack Benny for President Harry S. Truman.

Herriman said the Oct. 14 concert will kick off with Beethoven’s Symphonic No. 4 in B Flat.

“It’s one of the more mysterious, dramatic and exciting pieces Beethoven ever composed,” Herriman said. “We think every concert is special because of the uniqueness of the music we select.”

Herriman said his concerts play to packed houses because the atmosphere is fun and loose – the music is accessible.

“We play music that people can grab a hold of,” Herriman said. “Each piece has a story to tell and our audience is stimulated by how it’s presented – that’s how we work.”

In keeping with the underlying premise of the symphony, all of the concerts are provided to the public free of charge.

“This is something that exposes families that might not normally have a chance to do this and it’s not cost prohibitive,” Dunivent-Hill said. “It’s a great way for a family to spend an evening.”

For more information on the Chandler Symphony Orchestra, call (480) 899-3447 or go to www.chandlersyphony.org.