The Heart of Appalachia Community Orchestra (HACO) will take listeners on a southwest Virginia journey at its upcoming concert on Thursday, June 1st in the newly renovated Lyric Theatre in St Paul. The performance begins at 6:30pm. The orchestra also has performances on Friday, June 16th at the Keyser-Aday Auditorium at VHCC in Abingdon, and Saturday, June 17th at Lebanon High School in Lebanon, VA, beginning at 7pm. All of the concerts are free and open to the public, though donations are welcomed.
Under the direction of Kevin Townsend, the orchestra will play a diverse array of music ranging from show tunes and adaptations of popular music to George Bizet’s “Farandole”. A medley of movie themes by John Williams, including “Schindler’s List”, “Angela’s Ashes” and “The Fallen” is also included.
One of the pieces featured in the concerts will be “A Southwest Virginia Portrait” by Wise County, Virginia composer, Jason Bailey. The work’s three movements – “Powell Valley”, “The Clinch River” and “High Knob” – reflect some of the region’s best-known areas through unusual rhythms, hymn-like melodies and uncommon combinations of instruments. The Clinch River movement will be performed on June 1st, in recognition of Clinch River Days.
The nearly three dozen volunteer musicians who make up HACO come from communities across southwest Virginia, as well as east Tennessee, western North Carolina, and eastern Kentucky. For more information, contact Kevin Townsend at kkirkt@yahoo.com, or Anthony Flaccavento at 276 698-8956.