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Octava Chamber Orchestra presents a World Premiere

Here’s another upcoming concert that should be well worth a listen. The Octava Chamber Orchestra will be performing on Sunday, November 13th at 6:00pm at Maple Park Church, located at 17620 60th Ave W. in Lynnwood, about fifteen miles north of Seattle.  Octava is an interesting group – a chamber orchestra comprised of professionals, teachers and some of the area’s best amateur musicians.

Originally formed by Music Director Johan Louwersheimer and Concertmaster Matthew Weiss in 1991, the group disbanded when Louwersheimer returned to his home in Canada. There he founded the Abbotsford Symphony Orchestra and Abbotsford Symphony Orchestra Chorus, and has since built a distinguished career in Western Canada and beyond.

In 2007 Octava re-formed with Louwersheimer and Weiss, and they have been performing excellent and unique programs since. The orchestra has maintained an interesting balance. They play masterworks by well-known composers such as Bach, Schubert, Beethoven and Mozart, presented by a chamber-sized ensemble – we have become used to hearing many of these pieces played by large orchestras, but Octava presents them in a format much more in keeping with their original sound. And, in contrast, they also play many premiers of new works by contemporary composers.

The upcoming program is typical of this approach: It features the Concerto for Two Trumpets in D Major, by the Italian Baroque composer Francesco Manfredini with soloists George Steward and Dan Schmidt;  Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence; the Sonatina No.1 for Winds by Richard Strauss, and the world premier of Nacht Musique for Strings by composer, author and Seattle Weekly music critic Gavin Borchert. This promises to be a fascinating evening of music.