{"id":4148,"date":"2010-02-28T19:35:29","date_gmt":"2010-03-01T03:35:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/?p=4148"},"modified":"2013-02-07T20:14:08","modified_gmt":"2013-02-08T04:14:08","slug":"obt-orchestra-returns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2010\/02\/28\/obt-orchestra-returns\/","title":{"rendered":"obt orchestra returns"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bob Hicks (a.k.a. Mr. Scatter) has a review<\/a> of the Oregon Ballet Theater’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which featured the return of the OBT orchestra after being absent due to budget cuts for all of the 2009-2010 season.\u00a0 Here’s the portion of the review that deals with the orchestra:<\/p>\n

Welcome back, orchestra.<\/p>\n

After an elegant, crisp interpretation of George Balanchine<\/strong>‘s modernist classic “The Four Temperaments” and an intermission break on Saturday night, conductor Niel DePonte<\/strong>‘s head poked up for the first time this season from the orchestra pit.<\/p>\n

The crowd in Keller Auditorium<\/strong> broke out in applause: At long last, the Oregon Ballet Theatre<\/strong> Orchestra was back. Missing all season because of extreme budget cuts caused by the ballet’s financial near-death experience last year, the musicians \u2013 45 strong, and buttressed by the singers of the Pacific Youth Choir<\/strong> \u2013 were back in the pit to perform Felix Mendelssohn’s warm, playful and sometimes deeply moving music for Christopher Stowell<\/strong>‘s ballet “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”<\/p>\n

The orchestra’s performance was lively and assured. More important, it was there, back where it ought to be, providing the full sound and anticipatory, in-the-moment partnership that quickens dancers’ responses and brings a ballet fully to life.<\/p>\n

Maybe it’s fitting that the orchestra’s first performance of the season came for a ballet set in a forest. OBT is hardly out of the financial woods yet, but it seems to be finding its path. After last spring and summer’s remarkable emergency drive that brought in more than $900,000 to keep the company afloat, donations this season are up sharply. In January alone OBT hauled in $455,000 from three major grants. That doesn’t solve the company’s long-term challenges, but it helps considerably.<\/p>\n

And for the run of this “Midsummer Night’s Dream,” at least, it brings the orchestra back.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n
All was not smooth sailing, however: here’s a posting from OBT’s facebook page<\/a>:<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream”<\/div>\n

When: <\/strong>7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, plus 2 p.m. Saturday
\nWhere:<\/strong> Keller Auditorium, 222 S.W. Clay St.
\nTickets:<\/strong> $17-$130 (2 p.m. Saturday show, $8.50-$65)
\nInformation:<\/strong> 888-922-5538 or www.obt.org<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bob Hicks (a.k.a. Mr. Scatter) has a review of the Oregon Ballet Theater’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which featured the return of the OBT orchestra after being absent due to budget cuts for all of the 2009-2010 season.\u00a0 Here’s the portion of the review that deals with the orchestra: Welcome back, orchestra. After […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":303,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1335,2],"tags":[1685,1340,160],"class_list":["post-4148","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dance","category-the-orchestra-world","tag-bob-hicks","tag-oregon-ballet-theater","tag-review"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa8kC-14U","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2727,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2009\/06\/18\/obt-meets-exceeds-fundraising-goal\/","url_meta":{"origin":4148,"position":0},"title":"obt meets, exceeds fundraising goal","author":"Charles Noble","date":"June 18, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Oregon Ballet Theatre has surpassed its $750K goal by over $100,000 as of today.\u00c2\u00a0 That's great news!\u00c2\u00a0 So, how are they going to continue past the next season, and will that involve a live orchestra?\u00c2\u00a0 Not sure.\u00c2\u00a0 But Bob Hicks has an excellent post at Artscatter concerning the current dilemmae\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "dance"","block_context":{"text":"dance","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/dance\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"obttherm","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/obttherm-200x263.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2298,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2009\/04\/06\/obt-pit-goes-dark\/","url_meta":{"origin":4148,"position":1},"title":"OBT pit goes dark","author":"Charles Noble","date":"April 6, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"From today's Oregonian: In yet another round of bad news for Portland's arts scene, Oregon Ballet Theatre is cutting its budget 28 percent. The ballet will go on. Just don't expect a live orchestra at any OBT performances or quite as many dancers on stage next season. Approved by OBT's\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "dance"","block_context":{"text":"dance","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/dance\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2651,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2009\/06\/07\/obt-season-ending-performance-dazzles\/","url_meta":{"origin":4148,"position":2},"title":"OBT season ending performance dazzles","author":"Charles Noble","date":"June 7, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"My wife and I attended the Sunday matinee of Oregon Ballet Theatre's final performance of the 08-09 season.\u00c2\u00a0 It was an amazing show all around.\u00c2\u00a0 First of all, the sets and lighting were phenomenal.\u00c2\u00a0 The orchestra, under music director Niel DePonte, sounded as good as I've ever heard them, which\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "appreciation"","block_context":{"text":"appreciation","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/appreciations\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"obt_thermometer","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/obt_thermometer-200x260.gif?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3262,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2009\/10\/14\/obt-doing-well\/","url_meta":{"origin":4148,"position":3},"title":"obt doing well","author":"Charles Noble","date":"October 14, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm guessing that Oregon Ballet Theatre is doing very well with their ticket sales for their Emerald Retrospective this week - I tried to buy tickets to their Friday night performance and the only tickets available were over $100 each - too rich for my blood!\u00a0 I'm glad that the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "dance"","block_context":{"text":"dance","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/dance\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8049,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2012\/11\/28\/autumn-for-the-arts-in-portland\/","url_meta":{"origin":4148,"position":4},"title":"autumn for the arts in portland?","author":"Charles Noble","date":"November 28, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Today came the surprise announcement of the resignation of Oregon Ballet Theater (OBT) artistic director Christopher Stowell, effective December 31. Part of a wave of new administrators\/artistic directors at the major Portland arts institutions (among them Carlos Kalmar at the Oregon Symphony, Christopher Mattaliano of the Portland Opera, and Chris\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Christopher_Stowell_0809.gif?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2871,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2009\/07\/15\/trombone-doins\/","url_meta":{"origin":4148,"position":5},"title":"trombone doin’s","author":"Charles Noble","date":"July 15, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Nathan Zgonc The New York Philharmonic hired a new associate principal trombone this week, but the news for Portlanders is that the other finalist was our very own Nathan Zgonc, son of Larry Zgonc, principal bassist of the Oregon Ballet Theatre orchestra, and Lorely Zgonc, concertmaster of the OBT orchestra\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "auditions"","block_context":{"text":"auditions","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/auditions\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nathanzgonc.com\/biopic.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4148","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/303"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4148"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4148\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4148"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}