Chappaqua Orchestra Aims to Bring Nature to Life

CHAPPAQUA, N.Y. – Nearly 55 professional musicians will attempt to capture the feeling of spring and return it in the form of music on Sunday during The Chappaqua Orchestra's annual spring performance at Horace Greeley High School.

The orchestra, led by conductor Michael Shapiro, will perform nature-centric pieces such as Bethoven's Symphony No. 6 (Pastoral) and "Afternoon of a Faun" ("L’apré-midi d’un faune") by Claude Debussy.

"All the pieces have a connection to nature in a sense," Shapiro said. "The Sixth Symphony is exactly that; Beethoven’s reflections on nature and peasant life, and he reflects this in the actual title of the five movements of the symphony. There’s even a thunderstorm."

Shapiro will also perform an original harp concerto with soloist Anna Reinersman. Reinersman notably served as the harpist for the entire run of the Broadway play “The Producers.”

"The harp is kind of a symbol of spring, and the music is very lyrical and open, and connotes the natural world," Shapiro said. "So the three pieces have this kind of descriptive reaction to natural things."

Shapiro has been the music director and conductor of The Chappaqua Orchestra since 2002. The orchestra typically performs eight shows per year and has performed throughout northern Westchester since 1958. The orchestra includes both professional and professional-level volunteer musicians, most of whom are Westchester residents.

Sunday's performance begins at 3 p.m. in the Horace Greeley gym. Tickets are $20 and may be purchased online.

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