“The ‘Happy Birthday’ song isn’t typical fare for an orchestra, but the Orchestra School of Central Ohio is a different sort of ensemble,” writes Ken Gordon in Sunday’s (1/28) Columbus Dispatch (Ohio). “The group … recently serenaded two members in honor of their birthdays…. Founded in 2013 by Karen Madden, [the school] offers a chance for home-schooled students and adult amateur musicians to learn to play in a group…. Madden, 46, is a cellist who earned a degree in music education from Ohio State University in 1994. She played in several central Ohio orchestras and ensembles [and had] long wanted to conduct an orchestra…. She discovered a potential niche among adult amateurs who weren’t members of regional ensembles as well as home-schooled students…. During a break in the recent rehearsal, Hilliard resident Dan Thyng, 75, a bassist, stood talking with 17-year-old cellist Josiah Morrow. ‘It’s fun to see these kids come in and see how they improve over a period of a few years,’ said Thyng, one of the mentors, who plays with the Greater Columbus Community Orchestra, among other groups. ‘The enjoyment on their faces of playing, it’s wonderful.’ ”
Posted January 31, 2018
