11/9/2009 4:29:00 PM Departure couldn't stop the music
If you go
What: Beethoven's Ninth Symphony performed by Wayzata Symphony Orchestra and the Edina Chorale
Where: Wayzata Community Church, 125 Wayzata Blvd., Wayzata
When: Nov. 15 at 3 p.m.
Admission: Free, with donations welcome
By David Schueller
Members of a local orchestra who play at Wayzata Community Church found themselves without a conductor in August - and a rapidly approaching concert lineup.
Because the former conductor, William Stuber, had also created and run the orchestra called Allegro Sinfonia, members also found their group without a name.
The e-mails started flying, and soon enough a meeting was called in a member's house, where they decided to keep playing.
"We made the decision then that we needed to do it the right way, that we needed to create a new organization and a new board of directors to govern the group," said board president and principal bassoon player Paul Humiston.
With a new name - Wayzata Symphony Orchestra - a four-member board and new enthusiasm, the orchestra kept its former concert schedule as well as the dedication of most of the 50 orchestra members.
Wayzata Symphony Orchestra is now preparing to perform Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in its second concert on Nov. 15.
"We're our own orchestra now," Humiston said. "It's a huge change from how it was organized before. We will continue to be the orchestra in residence at Wayzata Community Church."
While Stuber had also run an orchestra camp and a paid orchestra in addition to the volunteer community orchestra, the new organization is focusing solely on its concerts, and Stuber plans to continue independently of it.
Stuber said lack of funding and the huge time commitment made it too difficult to continue running the orchestra, which had been playing for 14 years.
"The last couple years of Allegro Sinfonia had gotten a little bit more difficult just because of the funding for one thing. It's always a struggle to get the funding, even if it's a volunteer orchestra," Stuber said.
And with no office staff to manage the orchestra plus a wife and two kids, it got to be too much to handle without more volunteers, he said.
"I didn't have the time. I couldn't keep it up," Stuber said.
Wayzata Symphony Orchestra applied for non-profit status and will rely on donations to keep afloat.
This year guest conductors are vying to be the permanent conductor of the orchestra, and Humiston said the search, as well as members claiming the orchestra for their own, has upped the enthusiasm in the group.
"It's really shown in our playing," Humiston said.
French horn player Melissa Kalal, who's also working on marketing the new orchestra, said the members are bringing their talents to help the orchestra grow.
"It's a lot of work to run a group like this. It takes a lot of volunteers and a lot of time," Kalal said.
It looks like it may be paying off - the first concert was well received and had a good turnout, Kalal said.
"It's been very exiting, there's been a lot of momentum and a lot of good energy around it," Kalal said.
