DelawareScene: SODELO PRESENTS: OLD WORLD/NEW WORLD @ Epworth United Methodist Church @ Epworth United Methodist Church, Rehoboth

SODELO PRESENTS: OLD WORLD/NEW WORLD @ Epworth United Methodist Church

THE OLD WORLD/NEW WORLD CONCERT:

Under Music Director James Allen Anderson, SODELO will perform works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonin Dvořák, featuring soloists Joseph and Ellen Turi. We know many of you loved hearing the Turis at one of our earliest concerts, and we know you will welcome them back with open arms.

The concert opens with Mozart's brilliant overture to The Magic Flute. This masterpiece features the lighthearted , high-energy spirit of a fairly tale with darker elements. The Turis will then perform duets and arias from some of Mozart’s most beloved operas,

After intermission, the orchestra will perform Antonín Dvořák’s cherished Symphony No. 9, "From the New World." This masterpiece reflects his experience and musical observations in America and is perhaps his most familiar work. Our choice of this piece is a reflection of our collective support and celebration of America’s 250th anniversary.

As master composers, both Mozart and Dvořák were magnificent storytellers. Mozart wove complex and marvelous tales through the spoken and sung word of his operas, the music enhancing every twist and turn. Dvořák, relying primarily on his music alone, proved equally adept at vivid musical narrative—a skill fully realized in the descriptive power of the piece that concludes our program.

We have chosen our program to celebrate music you already love, and to introduce you to pieces that will broaden your classical horizons. We believe we have done so here, and hope you will agree!

THE SODELO STORY

In February 2022, violinist Steve Greifer started reaching out on local social media to see if he could find some musicians to play chamber music with when he moved to Milton in April. He hoped to play some duets or, better yet, play in a string quartet.

Eva DelGallo, a Lewes violinist and retired school orchestra director, responded to Steve’s first postings with a much bigger vision than a quartet. Seeing the enthusiastic response from the string-playing community, Eva saw the opportunity to bring her long time dream of an orchestra in Southern Delaware to life, and jumped in with both feet.

Our third co-founder is our music director, James Allen Anderson, head of Orchestral Studies at University of Delaware. Steve and Eva reached out to Jim in their search for a musical leader, hoping he would refer some of his conducting students. Instead, Jim volunteered to lead the orchestra!

By May 3, an unnamed orchestra of 30 string musicians held its first rehearsal, and on July 16, a newly named/formed/incorporated 501(c)(3) Southern Delaware Orchestra played its inaugural concert at Bethel United Methodist Church in Lewes to a standing ovation from a capacity audience! Today, we are a full orchestra with many friends in the southern Delaware community who support our efforts. We practice every Tuesday night and have a full roster of upcoming concerts ahead of us.

Please visit our Website at sodelomusic.org to learn more about SODELO and how you can be a part of our story, from playing with us, to volunteering, to financial support.

We are all about creating a wonderful musical experience for both our members and our community, and we plan to be a long term member of the cultural scene in Southern Delaware!! We hope to see you soon.

We are a welcoming community orchestra with members ranging from retirees to active professional musicians to talented teens! We play to enthusiastic sold out houses from The Grand Opera House in Wilmington to the Rehoboth Convention Center to our home at Cape Henlopen High School. Our performance this past summer on the Freeman Arts Pavilion stage in Selbyville was yet another high note for our orchestra and audiences, and closing out the year with two sold out performances of the Messiah commemorating the Southern Delaware Chorale's 40th anniversary was the icing on the cake!

Our upcoming March performances will continue to build on the short but exciting history of SODELO!