Orchid Isle Orchestra to perform holiday concert ‘Earth, Snow and Fire’ in Hilo

When Cathy Young moved to Hawaiʻi In 1992 and realized there were no orchestral opportunities for her two young children, she decided to create a youth orchestra.

“But then their were friends and members of the community that wanted to play, too,” she said. “Some were amateurs. Some were pros. And we became a community orchestra.”

On Sunday, the public can hear the Orchid Isle Orchestra perform during its 18th holiday concert. This year the orchestra is celebrating “Earth, Snow and Fire.”

The concert begins at 4 p.m. on Dec. 15 at the Hawaiʻi Science and Technology Museum, which is located above Jackie Rey’s Restaurant at 64 Keawe Street in Hilo.

There will be 34 people performing, including high school and college students, community members and professional musicians. Some will be performing in a concert for the first time.

“We all have a good time together, which is the most important thing,” Young said. “Everyone just wants to enjoy playing music and present it to an audience. And hopefully we’ll get more orchestra members, too.”

Young said she also learned that if she had an orchestra just for youth, many would go off to college and never come back after finding a career elsewhere: “Community members are here to carry it on and carry it forward with the next group of youth.”

The orchestra also encourages string music education for all ages and backgrounds in East Hawaiʻi.

Young, who owns Young Music Studio, also teaches group lessons to beginning and intermediate-level stringed instrument players. Once she thinks her students are ready, they are invited to join the orchestra.

“It’s important to me to populate our island and hopefully the orchestra with string instrument players, because there aren’t always a lot of opportunities for people to learn these instruments and then participate in an orchestra,” Young said. “I’ve had people go on to continue playing for the rest of their lives and some people in orchestra decide to join because it’s been years since they’ve played.”

Beginning-level students from the Young Music Studio will open the concert and play parts from the classical and fiddling traditions.

The orchestra will then play a concert that includes music from classical, romantic, jazz, modern and holiday genres, including Holst’s Paul’s Suite; movements from Grieg’s Holberg Suite, Fossils and Finale from Saint-Saëns’ The Carnival of the Animals, Girl from Ipanema by Antonio Jobim, Gershwin’s Someone to Watch Over Me, and Leroy Anderson’s Sleigh Ride. Music composed more recently also will be performed.

Orchestra concertmaster Alden Young will perform a Chopin piano Etude, and resident conductor Maestro David MacKenzie, who will lead the orchestra throughout the concert, arranged percussion parts to several of the selections for Waiakea High School percussionists Kiera Ida lyu and Tabitha Snader to liven it up.

Orchid Isle invites the audience to sing along with familiar holiday music to close the concert.

Concert admission is free, but donations are welcome and will benefit the Orchid Isle Orchestra and its mission to provide string music education in East Hawaiʻi.