Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, November 15, 1993                   TAG: 9311150043
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

SMALL CITIES MAKING PLAY FOR A PIECE OF THE MUSIC

"People here love their music," Mayor John Avoli said. "It's the heart and blood of this community."

Now, Staunton can boast that it has its own orchestra. Well, sort of.

The city of about 25,000 residents "time-shares" the Mid-Atlantic Chamber Orchestra with Martinsburg, W.Va., and Bristol, Tenn.

The cities each pay about $30,000 a year for three or more concerts, several school workshops with the orchestra's musicians, recitals and master classes.

That's probably a good buy considering the average cost of a classical music concert is about $38,000, said Sandra Hyslop, editor of Symphony Magazine in Washington, D.C., a publication of the American Symphony Orchestra League.

Hyslop said finding a professional chamber orchestra is unusual in a small locality, and sharing ownership of one is even rarer. "That in itself is unusual," she said. "It's a massive organizational job - a lot of time and effort."

The time-share arrangement with the Mid-Atlantic orchestra could be an answer to the rising costs of hometown classical orchestras, which are beyond the reach of most small localities' budgets, said Jeanne Massey, Mid-Atlantic's founder and national board president.

It also could help larger cities that find they can no longer fund their orchestras, Massey said. "The model, I think, works and would work for a symphony orchestra." A symphony orchestra is much larger than a chamber orchestra, which typically has about 25 musicians.

Keeping a professional orchestra in Staunton would cost about $950,000 a year rather than the $385,000 the Mid-Atlantic probably will cost during the upcoming season for performances in the three cities and elsewhere.

"I think all of the towns are very appreciative," said Paula de Vaux, the Mid-Atlantic's director in Staunton. "In a town this size, we couldn't afford it. But we can by splitting the cost of administration, travel and rehearsals."

The orchestra is hoping to add Calvert County, Md., which it plans to visit this year, to its time-share program, she said. The musicians also make stops in St. Mary's County, Md., and Frederick, Md., as well as Galax.

Performing in smaller communities has its benefits, Massey said.

"It's become an exciting thing for people in the audience because it's only three or four times a year," she said. "Artists love when the applause lasts for two minutes."

In addition, the musicians have a closer relationship with the community because they stay in residents' homes, she said. "You get more involved with the orchestra if you're keeping the cellist at home. It's like, `That's my cellist.' "

Massey said the group is planning a Come in Your Jeans and Jackets concert this spring in Martinsburg, an attempt to erase classical music's reputation as being "snooty."

Half-price tickets for the Valentine's Day concert in Staunton also go to "everyone who's in love," she said.

Conductor Yuval Waldman helps set the mood at concerts. "He tells jokes between the pieces," she said. "People in the towns are really crazy about him."

"Classical music is not this serious thing," Massey said. "Musicians mostly composed for entertainment. We only made it serious later."