The Orchestration of Community

Buffalo Community Orchestra celebrates 25 years

There is perhaps no other thing that can sweep us away to another world of memories and emotion than music. It carries us to far off places we could only hope to see, and it brings our memory to places of remembrance. We feel things just as powerfully as we did in the past under the caress of music.

Perhaps that is why music has lived throughout the ages, remaining an art of choice and fondness, even today. While music itself evolves throughout time, what it does to our humanity does not – it affects us, in many ways, each time we sit to listen. It instills presence, discipline, culture, and expectation to those who subject themselves to it.

And maybe, just maybe, that is why the Buffalo Community Orchestra has lasted for over two decades.

 

Beginnings

From even before BCO was born into the community, Mary Ellen Lundsten was involved in the discussion process. She remembers, fondly, of how the idea came to be 25 years ago, in the summer of 1995.

“It was ‘three ladies on a couch,’” she remembers with a chuckle. “Two of us were music teachers, and then there was me, a very untrained violinist. We started discussing the idea of an orchestra in Buffalo, and if it would be feasible.”

From there, things kicked off. By November of 1995, the idea had a name, “Buffalo Community Orchestra.” By the fall of that year, 40 musicians had signed on, and Zion Lutheran Church had agreed to host rehearsals and performances.

It was at Zion that the idea to have a social hour after the program was born. “Community was the strongest pull behind the idea to form BCO,” Lundsten recalled. “It only made sense to have a cookie and coffee hour, where we could connect with audiences and really discuss the music which brings us together.”

For the first two seasons of the BCO, Buffalo resident Mary Roberts Wilson conducted the orchestra. At 80-years-old, she was a respected flute and piano instructor and had retired from the St. Paul Orchestra. Her dedication to the BCO was commendable, evidenced by her drive from Plymouth to Buffalo each Sunday, despite the weather.

By 1997, Wilson had retired, and the orchestra welcomed a St. Olaf graduate, John Sall. He would be the first in an estimated 12 conductors since the BCO’s inception, most all having spent time in college music programs.

“All the students we’ve had have been marvelous,” Lundsten shared. “They’ve each brought vision, talent, and passion to the community. We’ve loved having student involvement from the beginning.”

 

Growth and Expansion

What began as 40 musicians has exploded to around 65-70 community musicians in 2019. About 95% of those musicians are volunteers, ranging all in age from 15 years old to 70+.

“The most fabulous thing is having other communities come and work with us,” Lundsten shared. “This is well beyond Buffalo. We have musicians from Winsted, Howard Lake, Montrose, and other small communities within the county. It has truly grown significantly.”

Concerts, which first began in Buffalo, have since expanded to Annandale, Winsted, and even to Minneapolis. BCO was part of the discussion  to include a band shell in Sturges Park, where they even still play each June. Buffalo High School opened their doors to allow for state-of-the-art performing spaces with a commons area to foster the idea of social hours.

“The high school has been a saving grace,” Lundsten shared. “The acoustics of the Performing Arts Center are remarkable, and make for a special night, each time we play. It has really helped us grow in our expertise as not only individual musicians, but also as an orchestra.”

BCO is overseen by a Board of Directors, as well as a Music Committee, which meets with directors and conductors to plan the year of music. Usually by June, the music for the following year has been selected, and each year’s “theme” has been chosen.

“We really decided to be called an orchestra instead of a symphony because we really wanted the freedom to play music of any kind,” Lundsten shared. “Be it film scores, classical music, stage, hymns, or even show tunes, we wanted a large range of music to choose from, and each year we’ve tried to highlight the vast selection of music available.”

And, BCO has done that. Playing everything from film scores to Christmas carols, BCO truly embodies a reverence and appreciation for music. And, it hasn’t always been easy, either – some composers’ work is more difficult to master than others and takes more practice.

Then, working with youth adds another aspect to practice and rehearsals, as well. BCO performs concerts with Bravo Strings, a youth division of musicians. Once a year, Bravo Strings will open a show for the BCO, and then allow older students to accompany the night’s performance with fellow musicians.

“It is really a culmination of how music can reach any generation,” Lundsten explained. “We’ve had the pleasure of working with talented six-year-olds, as well as high schoolers or middle-school kids. Music has drawn us together and really opened doors to highlight their skills, as well as ours.”

Student involvement has led the BCO to organize a scholarship program for youth who participate in the orchestra regularly. Started in 2019, three scholarships were awarded to area students with a passion for music, who have since gone on to study music at college this fall. The scholarships were announced at the June performance at the Sturges Park Band Shell. The orchestra hopes to further the scholarship program, as the years go on.

 

25 years

“So much happens in 25 years,” Lundsten remembers. “Over the years, I’ve felt we have really kept the original goal, and mission alive.”

The orchestra began with the hope to not only keep music alive in the community, but also to benefit the community. Lundsten shared that the beginning of the BCO really began with the desire to feed back into the community something they deserved, something that hadn’t been high-lighted in the community much at all. They agreed that musical arts were beneficial.

Throughout the years, it has been discussed about inductees, and the application process of how to become part of the orchestra. While there are by no means any “official” requirements, it is important that musicians have an understanding of music and discipline. While professionals have played with the BCO, and still do, hobbyists and closet musicians have also made it into the program, as well.

“It’s important to have the understanding of sight-reading and such,” shared Lundsten. “If it has to have a label, we expect applicants be around the Suzuki level 4 skill to be able to apply.”

The orchestra has also grown to perform alongside singers of all kinds, including opera and stage, as well as others. With that has come the ability to highlight solo artists and concertos, of which BCO has often welcomed.

“We’ve had soloist violinists, bassoons, and pianists come in and perform with us,” said Lundsten. “It always works out so beautifully. To see those instruments really put in the spotlight by professionals, who choose to work alongside us, is truly moving.”

 

2019 and forward

The 25-year anniversary for BCO has been in talks for a while now, and has not been under-thought. What’s on the docket promises to be as extravagant as always, including fresh selections and an outstanding program.   

Included in the season is a tribute to Scandinavian composers and music, as well as opera, and carols penned by Benjamin Britten. June 2020 will be the culmination of 25 years, and when the BCO will truly shine in its appreciation of community support.

“Really, this is all possible because of the community,” Lundsten commented. “Without audiences and support from the community and without grants, funds, or donations, we wouldn’t have this orchestra. It is all due to the community and the blessing our audiences really are.”

Currently, BCO is focusing on music selections for the upcoming season. This year, the orchestra welcomes Hisham Bravo Groover as the conductor.

Currently, the BCO is rehearsing for their October 27 “Brass Spectacular.” 

For more information on BCO, please visit: www.bcomn.org.

Publication: 

The Drummer and The Wright County Journal Press

PO Box 159
108 Central Ave.
Buffalo MN 55313

www.thedrummer.com

Sign Up For Breaking News

Stay informed on our latest news!

Manage my subscriptions

Subscribe to Breaking News feed