A little piece of musical culture is brought to the area in a very laid back way each summer.
For eight years Conductor/Artistic Director Richard Auldon Clark and various members of the Manhattan Chamber Orchestra have come here to play for a diversified audience with special consideration for introducing young people to music.
At home base in New York City the orchestra has been featured at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Trinity Church and performs eight concerts a season at Merkin Concert Center. Smaller groups come to the Finger Lakes to appear in a much more relaxed setting.
On Thursday, July 15, Clark and three others entertained a lively group of 200 young people at Camp Cory.
Clark chose selections to capture the audience from classical to the Beatles.
After packing up there, the next performance was at Camp Good Days and Special Times in Branchport.
In an interview earlier in the day, Clark told about taking a harpist to Camp Good Days last year. One little girl was so excited, because she had never seen a real harp. After the show she asked to touch it and the musician put her hands on the instrument and showed her how to play. It is moments like that Clark finds amazing.
Richard Auldon Clark grew up in Apalachin, N.Y. In the fourth grade he picked up a violin and music has been a big part of his life ever since. He studied violin and viola in New York City with Raphael Bronstein, Ariana Bronne and Lillian Fuchs. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Rutgers University.
In 1987 Clark founded the Manhattan Chamber Orchestra. He is also the director of the Butler Symphony Orchestra and professor of violin and viola at Butler University in Indiana.
Clark holds the distinction of being one of the youngest conductors to appear at Carnegie Hall.
These are the “stuffy” facts about how Clark rose to fame.
But the facts don’t reveal the true personality of Clark. The man is on a mission to reach out to everybody with a kind of music they will enjoy.
“Classical music is interesting, but not enough to keep young people interested,” Clark says.
The artists themselves have killed classical music, according to Clark. “Some walk on stage ‘like God’ and don’t share with the audience. If the community doesn’t embrace it, it will not survive,” he asserts.
Clark said he had recently attended a ballet in the city and was pleased to see that the audience was multi-generational and culturally diverse. These are the kind of listeners he strives to attract.
Perhaps the tie-dye shirt Clark wore for a recent interview was an indication of Clark’s wide range of musical interest. He called his appearance on Saturday Night Live with Puff Daddy and Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, “a hoot.” Clark played the viola and says, “It was one of the greatest gigs I ever did.”
Movie performances and commercials are pretty lucrative work, according to Clark. He says he still is receiving royalties from performing, “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” with Aerosmith in the block-buster movie, “Armageddon.”
Being based in New York City has also given Clark the opportunity to perform in several Broadway plays including, “Ragtime,” and “Annie Get Your Gun,” whose star, Reba McEntire, gave him a taste for country music. In another genre Clark has worked with Kurt Vonnegut on background music for the author’s audio books.
The diversity Clark brings to the Finger Lakes performances is what makes the series unique. He has a particular passion for forgotten American masterpieces. He calls this area the “Tanglewood of the Finger Lakes.”
The Finger Lakes Chamber Music begins in May when school is still in session.
This year Clark put on programs in the Penn Yan and Dundee Schools. “We play, but we also talk, share and answer questions.” He includes 350 years of music style - classical, jazz, folk, rock and ethnic numbers.
He has noticed a change in the eight years of bringing music to the area.
“The kids are starting to be respectful and listen. A few weeks ago, we played at the Windmill and a little girl ran up to me and said she remembered I played at her school. I want them to understand the essence of playing an instrument and to just listen to how we make music,” Clark said.
During a two week summer camp, college students stay on the Hobart and William Smith campus.
Under Clark’s direction they learn to write and perform their own pieces. “They are able to make their debut in the beautiful Finger Lakes,” Clark says.
Clark is grateful for the local board of directors who make the festival possible. “They are the ‘movers and shakers,’ who get things done and get the right people involved. They have created something very cool here. They take care of everything, especially the educational outreach at no cost to the community,” he explains.
Members of the board of directors provide homes to stay in and places to practice. This gives the musicians a relaxed, pleasant stay in the Finger Lakes.
Two performances remain in this year’s series. The Oboe Reigns at Hunt Country Vineyards in Branchport on Saturday, July 24 at 8 p.m.
The last is Piano Wonders on Sunday, Aug. 1 at 7:30 p.m. at Norton Chapel Keuka College.
