Sequim Gazette staff

Guest vocalists, Mozart and more highlight the Sequim Community Orchestra’s latest program this weekend.

The free show at 7 p.m. Friday, June 17, at Trinity United Methodist Church, 100 S. Blake Ave., is filled with short and upbeat classical music selected by music director Phil Morgan Ellis who chose pieces befitting the increasing skill sets of the orchestra players.

Vocal duo Robin Reed and Joel Yelland return with another operatic duo with Verdi’s “La Forza del Destino.”

The double aria finds Don Alvaro returning from battle believing himself to be mortally wounded. He leaves a valise containing a bundle of letters with his friend Don Carlo and commands his friend to destroy the letters as soon as Don Alvaro dies. Don Carlo has sworn but he becomes suspicious of his friend.

The orchestra segues into “Rumanian Folk Dances” by Bela Bartok, a collection of short pieces based on Romanian folk tunes, and then “Valse Triste” by Sibelius, based on a folk tale of a young son sitting by the bed of his dying mother who arises from her bed and dances with a group of ghost-like figures.

Music by Mozart and two pieces by Richard Meyer, winner of the 1989 National String Orchestra Association competition for new compositions, complete the program.

Orchestra members dedicate this concert to the memory of two long-time members, Mary Whitmore, a clarinet player who was active in recruiting new members, and Rex Abbott, a trumpet/tuba player who was cheerful and willing to lend a hand.

The orchestra’s string students perform during the Sequim Farmers Market at the corner of Washington Street and Sequim Avenue from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, June 18.

The strings classes’ instructional costs are provided by grants and community donations while the Sequim School District provides facilities and logistics. Donations are accepted to meet two challenge grants to match donations from local supporters.

For more information, visit www.sequimcommunityorchestra.org or call 681-5469.