NCSO hosts ‘Pops Picnic’ twice this month
The North Coast Symphony Orchestra will perform “Pops Picnic” at 4 p.m. Sunday, July 27, and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 29, at the Encinitas Community Center, 1140 Oakcrest Park Drive (at Encinitas Boulevard and Balour Drive), Encinitas.
The program will be Broadway and movie score favorites, including selections from “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” “Jurassic Park,” and the recent hit, “Frozen.” Anna Roberts, a San Diego musical theater enthusiast and singer, will be the featured vocalist.
Tables seating up to eight persons will be set up so that the audience can enjoy a picnic supper during the concert. Do bring food, but no alcoholic beverages. Also, a dance floor will be set up so that the children in the audience can move to the music rather than having to sit still throughout the concert. Tickets at the door: $10 general, $8 seniors/students/military, $25/family max. Find more information at www.northcoastsymphony.com.
The North Coast Symphony Orchestra was founded in Encinitas in 1947 by Alfred Williams. It has had several names over the years, including North Shores Symphony. The orchestra is composed of amateur and professional musicians from the North San Diego County coastal region.
The orchestra rehearses five programs each year, usually with two performances each, generally one in the afternoon and the other in the evening on separate days. For more than 30 years, the orchestra was associated with MiraCosta College, but about five years ago it again became an independent entity.
It has a board of directors that manages the orchestra’s affairs and a small endowment that subsidizes its operations. Also, for the past three years the orchestra has received a small grant from the city of Encinitas and Mizel Family Foundation.
Conductor Daniel Swem is highly skilled and has been with the orchestra for more than 25 years. He brings a teacher’s heart, musician’s expertise, and personable humor to the podium. He has a master’s degree in music in Violin and Conducting from the University of Redlands. He was formerly concertmaster and now is principal violist for the La Jolla Symphony Orchestra.
The North Coast Symphony Orchestra accepts musicians with appropriate skill and interest in orchestral music. The conductor approves all members and a brief audition may be required. The orchestra rehearses from 7-9 p.m. Tuesdays at Seacoast Community Church, 1050 Regal Road, room C-3.