Vivace, an Italian musical term meaning “full of life,” is often used to designate a mood such as a vivacious approach to performance.
East Lewis County’s town of Morton has embraced the concept of vivace.
A small lumber town that is relatively quiet most of the year, Morton has new sounds emanating from a just-formed community orchestra composed of assorted musical instruments played by musicians of all ages and skill levels.
On Wednesday evenings, the high school’s music room comes alive with the vibrant sounds of powerful brass horns, uplifting violins and deep bass undertones as the new orchestra’s weekly rehearsals get underway.
While the Pacific Northwest Chamber Orchestra at Centralia and other orchestras in more populated areas of Washington are well known, it’s unusual for a rural mountain community of about 1,000 residents to create its own startup orchestra.
“I thought it would be great to have an orchestra here, so I asked around, ‘hey, do you know anyone who could play?’ And it also went out on social media,” said Jessica Scogin, a bass violinist and orchestra member who also serves as president of the Fire Mountain Arts Council at Morton.
“Right away, several people said they were interested,” Scogin said. “So, I asked Brandon Pratt, the high school music teacher, if he would serve as the musical director. And he said yes.”
There are about two dozen orchestra members now, with a few more musicians showing up to rehearsal nearly every week. The musicians range from young adults to senior citizens, along with some college and high school students.
Violinist Tallinn Kent, 12, of Morton, is the youngest orchestra member. Well-known area violin virtuoso Allen Lesser, of Morton, who has been with the Centralia and Longview symphonies, also participates.
Asked how long it had been since she had performed with a group, flutist Annette Paulo, 70, of Morton, said, “Oh, I’d say about 50 years, not since high school.”
After not playing for decades, she picked up the flute again about five years ago.
The orchestra is composed primarily of musicians from Morton but also from Mossyrock, Eatonville and other rural towns in the area.
Rosaline Hansen, 84, of Morton, and her daughter, Jan Delavega, of Onalaska, both joined the orchestra, bringing their French horns. Her son, Dr. Mark Hansen, of Morton, joined with his tuba. Violinist Dan van der Elst travels the furthest distance each week, driving 90 minutes each way from Enumclaw.
“This is a dedicated orchestra with strong performance,” said Pratt, a tall, lively conductor with presence. “We’re playing a lot of fun music, mostly show tunes and some classical, from familiar to more complex.”
He described the orchestra as having several violins, a few violas, a low string section, woodwinds, a robust trombone section and even an oboe. A bassoon player would be particularly welcome, as are percussionists.
Pratt said if additional interested musicians have basic musical acumen, “we’d be able to get them on board quickly” during weekly rehearsals for the orchestra’s first public performance, set for June 19 at 7 p.m. at the Roxy Theater in Morton.
Planning is underway for the orchestra to continue in the fall and winter.
“We’ll see what happens. We’d like to continue it, because people enjoy being in the orchestra and the orchestra will just continue to improve over time,” Pratt said.
In positive community spirit, Brad Nelson, the former music director at Morton High School, and Dylan Patrick, the Mossyrock High School music teacher, will cover for Pratt if he is unavailable to conduct a rehearsal or performance, as Pratt and his wife are expecting a baby at any time.
Buoyed by community interest in having an orchestra, Scogin also recruited area residents to organize a Morton community choir.
As residents stepped forward, she invited music instructor and composer Mitchell Fund, who had moved a few years ago from city life to a cabin in the woods outside Morton, to serve as choir director.
“I was hoping we would get at least 15 or so participants so that this could work,” said Fund, adding that the choir’s current 35 members “is far beyond what I expected. It’s great to live out here and be able to conduct a choir again.”
The choir is also diverse with ages 16 to 80 and diverse backgrounds, including a forest ranger, a logger and medical staff, among others.
Fund said the choir will also be performing at the Roxy on the evening of June 19 with music by Coldplay, Simon and Garfunkel, and internationally acclaimed composer Ola Gjeilo, as well as a piece Fund has composed.
Both Pratt and Fund said they expect the audience to be surprised at the quality and breadth of the orchestra and choir performances.
There is also interest in having musicians serve regularly as a pit orchestra for upcoming theater productions at the Roxy, such as for Pirates of Penzance scheduled for August 1-9.
The orchestra and choir operate in conjunction with the continuing education programs offered by the Centralia Community College’s satellite Centralia College East campus at Morton. Having the college involved takes care of administrative tasks for the groups and lends further credibility, said Scogin.
“Morton is already known for the arts, and having both a quality orchestra and choir just adds a richness to community life and connects people,” Scogin said.
“The community culture that exists here creates an environment that appeals to people who are looking to move to a rural place,” she said. “Along with, of course, the beauty of the area.”
