Left to right: Charlotte Symphony Orchestra French horn player Bob Rydel, Principal Flute Victor Wang, Assistant Principal Viola Alaina Rea
“The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra was in its final rehearsal in March 2020 for ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ when musicians learned that the next night’s show was canceled,” writes Page Leggett in Tuesday’s (9/7) Charlotte Observer (NC). “Now, at last, indoor concerts are back…. As the delta variant continues to fuel a surge in COVID cases, the orchestra [changed] its season-opening concert in October … to Vivaldi’s ‘Four Seasons’ … to accommodate a reduced orchestra and allow for additional spacing onstage…. Victor Wang, principal flute … said the pandemic accelerated a shift in his priorities and helped him reflect on the important things in life…. Alaina Rea, assistant principal viola, … moved to Charlotte in July 2020…. Rea … is [getting] to know the other musicians, including the other two CSO ‘freshmen,’ double bassist Judson Baines and timpanist Jacob Lipham…. ‘One really interesting thing we did was (Bach’s) Brandenburg (Concerto No.) 6, which is written for two violas,’ says Rea. ‘One of the cellists in the orchestra, Jeremy Lamb, put an arrangement together. We actually had four violas playing all the different parts.’ … Bob Rydel plays French horn for the Charlotte Symphony. He also helped create the symphony’s al fresco concert series.”
