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| John Page, conductor of the Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra, leading a recent practice |
Story and photo by Timothy Gillis
PORTSMOUTH –
All their practicing has paid off. The Portsmouth Symphony
Orchestra is going to play at Carnegie Hall, providing the music for a new
special called “The Christmas Rose” on November 29. The orchestra will join
multiple Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning actress Jane Seymour, PBS composer
Tim Janis, and artistic director Brad Kenney of the Ogunquit Playhouse. A cast
of 400 performers will fill the stage for an evening of music, dance, and
drama.
“The Christmas Rose” is a whimsical, family tale that
follows a young orphan named Annabelle into the desert, pursued by a team of
bandits. She crosses paths with everything from the three wise men and singing
angels to Mary and Joseph.
While providing music for such a spectacular will require
all of their concerted efforts, the orchestra has several other events to
occupy them.
On Monday nights, the orchestra practices at Portsmouth High
School, transforming a momentarily-empty band room into a jam-packed session
with more than sixty players.
This past Monday saw them rehearsing for their Fall Concert
at the Music Hall on November 4 – featuring the music of Dvorak - before they
turned their attention to the holiday special in New York City.
In their first concert of the 2012-2013 season, “the lyrical
and affable 8th Symphony by Dvorak provides a good natured romp through the
countryside and a welcoming start to the season,” according to their website.
“It’s a life affirming mix of landscapes from dark shadowy woods to a
rollicking harvest festival. Paired with the Dvorak, we are truly delighted to
present Mark O’Connor’s Fiddle Concerto played by local musical legend, Andy
Happel. Along with Andy, Thanks to Gravity will join the orchestra for the
concerto and perform a piece specially written by Andy Happel for the
occasion,” the site says.
There’s no time to rest, however. This Monday, they will hit
the road to have a joint open rehearsal with the Northeastern Massachusetts
Youth Orchestra at Masconomet High School in Topsfield.
“We will be playing with the youth orchestra and then
they'll be observing us rehearse,” said John Page, conductor of the Portsmouth
Symphony Orchestra.
Page joined the PSO as music director last fall. Before
that, he led a concert as a guest conductor during the year of their conductor
search. Page has been around music for most of his life.
“I do, or should say, did play the French Horn and I also
play piano and dabble in a few other instruments,” Page said. “I started at the
age of eight in my hometown of Derry, Northern Ireland, through a visionary
music education program that provided free instruments, tuition and ensemble
participation to kids who showed the slightest aptitude.”
He shares this love of music with his orchestra through
light-hearted banter mixed with demanding expectations. He interfuses his
practice sessions with gentle hints and reminders, supporting his musicians
while expecting their very best.
Page's conducting career began with the National Symphony
Orchestra of Ireland in 2000. Prior to this he attended King's College London,
University College Dublin, Trinity College Dublin and Harvard University. He
studied conducting with Gerhard Markson and at the renowned Canford summer
school with George Hurst. In Ireland, his 2002 performances of Viktor Ullmann's
The Emperor of Atlantis with Opera Theatre Company garnered the prestigious
Irish Times Opera of the Year award and he was subsequently invited to give a
Lyric FM broadcast concert with the NSOI, according to the website.
More recently, John Page was Director of Large Ensembles for
the New York City based Mimesis Ensemble, a group dedicated to the performance
of music by living composers. He has performed with them in the Kennedy Center,
Washington DC, and Symphony Space, New York, as well as conducting numerous
studio recordings. In 2009 he travelled home to his native Northern Ireland to
conduct the BBC Ulster Orchestra.
In spring 2011 Mr Page was a Visiting Associate Professor at
Boston University assuming the duties of Director of Orchestral Activities. He
was appointed Music Director of the Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra, New Hampshire
in 2011 and has been invited to conduct the Portland Symphony Orchestra, Maine.
He is also the Artistic Director of the newly formed PARMA Orchestra which
began an ongoing series of recordings in June 2011.
Page recalled an “enlightening” experience in his young PSO
life.
“I suppose one PSO ‘moment’ is the time we performed Brahms'
First Symphony last March in the Music Hall,” Page recalls. “The Music Hall is
a wonderful old building and is full of character and quirks. During the
performance the lights went out, just for the briefest moment, but in that time
many thoughts flashed through my head, like ‘I'm having a stroke!’ When I
realized what had actually happened, I thought ‘well it's fine, I know this
score pretty well’ followed by ‘wait a minute, if they can't see me OR their
music it doesn't matter what I know!’ The lights came on in what must have been
a few seconds but in that time I had a humbling awareness of just how powerless
a conductor can be! No one knew why it happened, it was simply a ghost in the
machine, but it did make me think about the true nature of what it is to be a
conductor. We are there to shape, encourage and unify but are silent leaders in
a realm of sound. Ultimately, it's the players who have to play the music, we
can only be their guide.”
Founded in 1997, the Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra is a 60+
piece symphony orchestra comprised of local professionals, educators, dedicated
amateurs and advanced students drawing audiences and members along the Seacoast
from Newburyport to York and west to Bedford. The Orchestra presents three
concerts each season at The Music Hall in Portsmouth, NH.
The Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra is a 501(c)3 tax exempt
not-for-profit organization. All contributions are tax deductible. For more
information, visit portsmouthsymphony.org.
