Orchestra Seattle and Seattle Chamber Singers marks 40 years

The year 1969 was culturally and politically tumultuous everywhere in the U.S., including Seattle. But for an Emerald City teen named George Shangrow, it seemed like the right time to start singing.

"High-school kids were getting together to sing madrigals," says Shangrow, founder and music director of Orchestra Seattle and Seattle Chamber Singers. "We sang at clubs and got some pay. Our first concert with an orchestra and chorus was June 1, 1969. That was the beginning of our organization, 40 years ago."

Under Shangrow's guidance, the roots of OS/SCS flourished into a fine community orchestra and chorus, now ushering in a milestone anniversary with an exciting new season beginning Sunday.

Shangrow and his all-volunteer players and vocalists will be celebrating majestically with a program including Bach's Cantata No. 78 and Beethoven's Symphony No. 9.

"We play more Bach than anyone else in town," Shangrow says. "And there's never a time when you don't get excited playing Beethoven's Ninth."

Subsequent events this season — all on Sundays through June — include Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra. ("One of those dream pieces I've never done," says Shangrow.) Other firsts for OS/SCS include a holiday show featuring Saint-Saëns' Christmas Oratorio, Strauss' "Four Last Songs" (with soprano Eleanor Stallcop-Horrox), and the world premiere of Murl Allen Sanders' "She Runs Hot and Cold."

Below is the complete schedule for the new season. All programs take place at First Free Methodist Church except where noted.

7 p.m. Sunday, Beethoven: Symphony No. 9; Bach: Cantata No. 78.

3 p.m. Nov. 1, Bach: Missa in G Major; Violin Concerto in A Minor. (Special guest Quinton Morris, violin.)

3 p.m. Dec. 6, Handel: Messiah.

3 p.m. Dec. 20, Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf; Bozza/Kechley: "Jour d'été à la Montagne"; Saint-Saëns' Christmas Oratorio.

3 p.m. Jan. 17, Chamber Music selected by members of Orchestra Seattle.

3 p.m. Feb. 7, Mozart: Serenade No. 12 for Winds; Symphony No. 40 in G Minor; "Coronation" Mass; Grieg's "Holberg" Suite

3 p.m. March 14, at UW's Meany Hall, Strauss: "Four Last Songs" (with Eleanor Stallcop-Horrox, soprano); Torke: Saxophone Concerto (with Erik Ibsen-Nowak, saxophone); Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra.

3 p.m. April 11, Handel: Alexander's Feast.

7 p.m. May 2, Sanders: World Premiere of "She Runs Hot and Cold"; De Falla: "The Three-Cornered Hat Ballet;" Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Guitar Concerto No. 1; Michael Partington, guitar

7 p.m. June 6, Edstrom: Concerto for Jazz Piano and Orchestra (special guest Brent Edstrom, piano); Bernstein: Choruses from "The Lark;" Beyer: "The Turns of a Girl" (with Jessica Robins-Milanese, soprano).

Seattle Symphony Orchestra

• The Seattle Symphony Orchestra concludes its program of Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto (with guest soloist Isabelle Faust) and Mahler's Fifth Symphony this weekend. (Today at noon; 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.)

• On Monday, Norwegian violinist Henning Kraggerud will lead (instead of Janine Jansen, as scheduled) the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra in music by Beethoven, Stravinsky, Bach and Aaron Jay Kernis. (7:30 p.m.)

• Beginning Thursday, SSO music director Gerard Schwarz conducts Dvorák's Symphony No. 8 with guest pianist Louis Lortie. (7:30 p.m.; the program repeats at 8 p.m. Oct. 10 and at 2 p.m. Oct. 11.)

Tom Keogh: tomwkeogh@yahoo.com.