Dr. Don Hutson, the conductor of the Conroe Symphony Orchestra, raises his baton, and musicians begin rehearsing “L’italiana in Algeri” by Gioachino Rossini. “Bravo!” Hutson exclaims several times. He coaches the orchestra on such technical matters as articulation, the relative length of quarter notes and eighth notes, and accents. “It’s not dum-dum-dum-dum-dum-dum,” he says, “it’s dum-dum-dum-dum-dum-dum!”
As on most Tuesday evenings, the CSO is preparing for an upcoming concert. First founded in 1997, the orchestra’s members include about 60 dedicated professional and amateur musicians of all ages, from high school students to septuagenarians, with a mission of “adding to the cultural enrichment of the community, assuring a better quality of life for the Conroe area.” Six founding members still play in the symphony.
“Everybody here is a professional in the truest sense of the word,” Hutson interjects. “They profess music. That is why it works.” “This is a great group,” agrees Dr. Sheronna McMahon, orchestra director at Mitchell Intermediate School and the CSO’s concertmaster. “It’s great to work with Dr. Hutson. We are not the Houston Symphony. We have other jobs, but we love to make music together.”
“Music is an art form based in time and not in space,” he says. “My job is to take all the dirt off of it, and polish it up so you can see what it’s supposed to look like. I get the chance to reveal it. I want to share this beauty and this unexplainable passion with my friends. Why wouldn’t you want to share something good with your friends?”
The Music
The music may be classical, but there is nothing stuffy about a performance of the Conroe Symphony Orchestra. “Our goal when you leave a concert is for you to say ‘Wow,’” Hutson says. Audiences sometimes clap along, he says, and at one recent concert, some attendees enjoyed the music so much, they literally danced in the aisles.
“I have never seen a conductor who has such a good rapport with the audience,” says Gayle Laminack, president of the CSO Board of Directors. “The first time I went to one of his concerts, I was surprised to hear so much conversation from the podium. In big towns, big symphonies, it’s very solemn. He loves to bring the children up on stage. The audience adores him.” Hutson, however, insists that neither he nor the musicians are the stars of a CSO concert. “There are no stars,” he says. “The music is the star.”
The orchestra plays a variety of music to suit the theme of each concert, but one selection has been so popular with audiences, it has a permanent place on the program. A medley of the songs of each branch of the armed forces is played at the CSO’s patriotic concert each summer. “That is the only piece besides the Star Spangled Banner that is required in our program every year, because the people out there deserve it,” Hutson says. “We do it to honor people who have served their country.”
The Vision
The CSO’s vision is to “be recognized as one of the outstanding community orchestras in the State of Texas.” To achieve this, the organization has three groups: the orchestra itself, the Friends of the Symphony, and the Conroe Symphony Youth Orchestra.
The Friends of the Symphony organizes a cadre of volunteers who devise fundraisers and events that help defray the costs of producing the orchestra’s concerts. Ticket sales, Laminack explains, do not cover production costs, which include venue rental, music, posters, security, and the salaries of the conductor and some of the principal musicians.
“You always remember the first time you went to the symphony,” Laminack says. “You remember who took you and it’s a memory you never forget. That’s what we are trying to do for the children, so they will want to come back. Should they decide to take up an instrument, so much the better. We want it to be a lifetime thing.” Hutson agrees. He vividly remembers a young boy who approached him after a CSO concert. “He asked, ‘Are you the conductor man? I went to the concert and I loved it. It was fun.’ That made my day,” he says.
The “Noble Purpose”
While professional musicians earn their livings by performing music, members of the CSO spend their days working or parenting, then arrive in the evenings for several hours of concentrated rehearsal. For Hutson, the best part of conducting the CSO is being able to work with these dedicated musicians to prepare music for the enjoyment of local residents. “It’s a great organization,” Hutson boasts. “We have great people behind the scenes. They go above and beyond. We have board meetings that are fun! Nobody wants to leave and go home. Why? Because we have a noble purpose.”
For more information about the Conroe Symphony Orchestra, or to audition for membership, visit the CSO’s web site at www.conroesymphony.org or call the CSO office at (936) 760-2144.