Music From the Heart - Southern Maryland This Is Living magazine

Music From the Heart

Story by Christine Reese

Southern Marylanders craving culture in pursuit of a live classical music performance no longer need to make the dreaded drive into Washington, D.C. Southern Maryland is home to the Chamber Orchestra of Southern Maryland in Concert (COSMIC) - a treasure in our own backyard.

In 1995, when three musicians, from Calvert, Charles and St. Mary's counties joined forces and decided they wanted a place to play, COSMIC was created. The group advertised in local newspapers for other musicians to audition and soon the orchestra grew to its present 56-member ensemble.

Laura Theofilis, principal flute player with COSMIC and board president, said the beginning of the orchestra was a series of peaks and valleys. After a chain of conductors, the group "even hobbled along for a season with no conductor." The lack of direction a conductor normally gives an orchestra may have been an end to a group with less heart, but the members of COSMIC had a sincere desire to perform and did not give up.

COSMIC players are not paid musicians. They are a unique combination of ages, gifted student musicians and adults who may or may not have taken lessons, but who are dedicated to the community orchestra. A big break came for the group when professional oboist and conductor, Vladimir Lande, visited the orchestra and "was drawn into it by the energy of the group."

Lande, from St. Petersburg, Russia, holds a master's degree in oboe from the St. Petersburg Conservatory of Music. He has studied conducting with the professor of the St. Petersburg Conservatory, the music director of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, and with Gustav Meir and Edward Polochick, both at the Peabody Conservatory of Music at Johns Hopkins University. In addition to his many accomplishments, he also conducted the St. Mary's College Symphony for the Performing Arts from 1997 to 2005. Lande has served as music director for COSMIC since he first visited the group in 2003.

"I believe in music," Lande said. "I don't separate COSMIC from professional orchestras I'm conducting. The people in COSMIC show an eagerness to do their very best - their energy is much higher because they are not professional; they have a greater desire." Lande commutes from Baltimore each week to practice with the group in St. Mary's County.

"Every orchestra has something to teach and working with COSMIC is very rewarding," Lande said.

Theofilis said Lande's guidance has "made people play the very best they could play."

Playing with the orchestra has been a learning experience for many involved with the group. Some adult members who may not have started lessons until later in life, come to COSMIC to hone their craft while the younger players have the educational opportunity and benefit of playing in a serious orchestral setting with a professional conductor.

Jennifer Lyons, a violinist with COSMIC, appreciates the orchestra's involvement with the community by offering The Young Artist Competition. The purpose of the competition, Lyons said, "is to encourage the musical development of young instrumentalists and vocalists in the tri-county area." The winner of the competition receives a savings bond and an opportunity to perform a solo with the orchestra at COSMIC's Family Concert in February.

Another way COSMIC connects with the community is through a program called "Do You See What I Hear?" This fascinating program run by COSMIC principal trumpet player and music therapist Richard Smucker, offers students an opportunity to "educate in context with music using visual arts as an engagement to listening to music." This is not a competition, "it's about connection; about discovering yourself through art and music," Smucker said.

The COSMIC season opens in late October and the season finale is in mid-May. Performances are held at local high schools and season tickets are available. For more information, visit www.cosmicmusic.org.