Prodigies & Retirees

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Wedgwood's own Symphony Orchestra

Want to walk to the symphony? Wedgwood residents need trod no further than the concert hall of University Prep. This is the home of Musician's Emeritus Symphony Orchestra, commonly referred to as MESO, the long-time orchestra based in and around Wedgwood. The concerts are free, cookies and punch abound in the long intermissions, and the orchestra literally in the backyard of Wedgwood residents.

MESO was begun in 1971 by the Mayor of Seattle, who designated it as a haven for senior musicians in the community. While the orchestra would play traditional symphonic repertoire, the same as you might hear at the Seattle Symphony, the orchestra would also prepare a year-long mix of favorites for area nursing homes and residences for 4-8 additional performances each season.

Over time, the mission of the orchestra has changed to be more inclusive. Within the last decade, the requirements for membership have relaxed, allowing players of all ages to participate in the orchestra. The result is a mix of high school and college students, young professionals, middle-aged, and retirees (the current oldest player is 91) creating a dynamic mix of sound and energy.

A major factor in this dynamic change is MESO’s conductor, Jim Mihara. He, with the aid of MESO’s board and his wife, bassist and orchestra librarian Holly Hollenbeck, came on in 2000. Players in the orchestra speak reverently of the duo, noting how far the orchestra has come under their expert artistic direction and vision. Maestro Mihara attributes much of its success to orchestra members recruiting family and friends. “Community orchestras build on themselves,” he says, “the better the players get, the more people get excited about it and join, making the level of playing even higher.”

Whatever the case may be, the orchestra is certainly beloved by its players and audience alike. Through primarily word of mouth, MESO has flourished over its 37 years, holding full brass, wind, and string sections. The stage at University Prep is filled nearly to overflowing and the concerts growing in popularity.

The last ingredient in the recipe for MESO’s success in the Wedgwood area is its regular inclusion of a soloist for every concert. The typical MESO soloist is not a paid professional, but usually a Seattle-area child under the 18 years old who has perfected a famous classical work to make a debut performance with orchestra. Many former MESO soloists have gone on to the nation’s top music schools, such as the Colburn School of Music in Los Angeles and the Cleveland Institute of Music in Ohio. The orchestra has served as a springboard for these young talents and their future careers.

MESO has recently begun a marketing campaign to increase Wedgwood’s awareness of their community treasure. A new website is up, www.mesoseattle.org , and board members are taking a more active role in making sure the word about the concerts gets out to the public.

In a last touching note, Musicians Emeritus recently decided to try a new project: They will be playing a area debut performance on the Kent/Renton border at First Evangelical Presbyterian Church. This concert location was chosen for locale as Kent has no orchestra of its own, and also because two long-time members of the orchestra have been commuting for many years the twenty miles to rehearsals. Bill Johnson and David Durham, violist and bassoonist with the orchestra hail respectively from the south end. It’s a touching thought from a 40+ member organization.

The last concert of the 2007-2008 season is June 8th, 3pm, at University Prep.

The Special South End concert will be held on June 14th, 7:30pm, at First Evangelical Presbyterian Church,

All concerts are free with refreshments provided. There is a suggested $10 donation.

-Valerie Coon, May 01, 2008

The Marvelous Musical Mihara Family

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Eight years ago, Jim Mihara became conductor of Musicians Emeritus Symphony Orchestra.....actually, the story really begins during WWII at the Japanese Internment Camp at Tule Lake where three-year-old Misa (Oiye) Mihara would listen to the camp orchestra practice and making plans to learn the violin. She would eventually become a much beloved instrumental teacher in the Seattle School District and raising a very talented violin player, Jim, who early in life would make the decision to become a conductor.

When Jim Mihara agreed to become conductor of Musicians Emeritus he was following in the footsteps of conductors Stanley Chapple, Ron Taylor, Bob Buck, and Ron Ryder. Much to the delight of orchestra members, Jim also brought his mother, Misa, to play in the violin section, and Holly, his wife, to play the bass. What a marvelous combination! And what a transformation it has made with the orchestra.

Jim brings to the orchestra a rich interpretation of the music. He demands that the music be played as the composers intended it to be played. He knows each note played by each instrument of the orchestra. He demands that the music be played correctly. And while this sounds like a hard-nosed way of running a symphony orchestra, the members love it. Consequently, players of advanced playing ability (and of all ages) have swelled the ranks of the various sections. When the audience shares a Musicians Emeritus concert they are listening to a well rehearsed and well played concert.

Misa makes sure that the violin sections feel comfortable with fingering, bowing and the general technique required by the music being played. Jim will frequently pick up her violin and demonstrate how he wishes the string sections to play the music (with Misa watching carefully). Misa has also instituted a rotating seating arrangement so each member of each section has a chance to play the various positions.

Then there is Holly. If ever there was a good example of the expression..."behind every successful man is a successful woman"...Holly is it. Not only is she a professionally trained musician (bass, cello, violin, piano), she is organized. It is Holly who helps Jim select the music and prepares it for the orchestra. She does the publicity for the upcoming concerts, and produces the concert programs. Her trademark is the very professional program notes of those programs. Jim conducts the orchestra, Misa is the heart and soul of the orchestra, but Holly makes the operation tick.

When you attend a Musicians Emeritus concert, you will share in a very good community orchestra; much to the credit of that....Marvelous Musical Mihara family.

The Little Band

Fifteen years ago, MESO's clarinet player, George McGraw created The Little Band. It's purpose was to bring old-time band music to the senior residence community. Today current and former members of MESO'S wind and brass sections perform at ten senior residence communities each year. Typical program items are:

Broadway One Step - Heliotrope Bouquet - Hello, Dolly - Indiana - Jazz-Me-Blues Caravan - Nonpareil - Big Noise From Winnetka - Ballin' The Jack - Original Dixieland One Step - El Capitan - Washington Post March - Stars and Stripes Forever - Bier Her, Bier Her! - The Student Traveler - Liechtensteiner Polka - Lauterbach - Trink Mer Noch A Tropfche - Hof Brau Medley Waltz - The Jolly Coppersmith - Disneyland March - Brasses to the Fore - St. Louis Blues March - Do You Know What it Means - Livery Stable Blues - South - Lazy River - South Rampart Street - An American Collection - Heave Ho! My Lads March - National Emblem March

While most patrons of Musicians Emeritus associate the orchestra with its four concerts at the University Preparatory Academy each season; it is important to remember that MESO also provides a valuable outreach program to the senior community through its four full-orchestra performances and the ten The Little Band performances.