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Music is not merely sound. It's something more. It CONNECTS us. It becomes us. Music makes us laugh, cry and dance. It reminds us of wonderful yesterdays, and gives us hope for better tomorrows. We fall in love, and CONQUER milestones, all with music. Music DEFINES generations and gives meaning to a moment. And when it's great, it deserves to be heard LIVE!
	The Mariposa Symphony Orchestra performs in the Mariposa County High School Feister Auditorium. On occasion, the dates selected for a performance must be changed to insure that Mariposa High School students are served as our community's first priority. You are encouraged to send an e-mail to mso@sti.net in order to receive automatically confirmed concert information as soon as it's available, contact the Arts Council office at (209) 966-3155 or info@arts-mariposa.org.
Les Marsden, MSO Founder and Conductor, in the history-making Ahwahnee Hotel performance of April, 2009. The MSO with special guest New York violinist Lewis Wong play to a packed audience of 300 in the Ahwahnee Hotel - April, 2009. Photographer: Brent Gilstrap
October of 2009 will mark the start of your Mariposa Symphony Orchestra's Eighth Season of bringing live symphonic music to Mariposa County. The MSO recently made history by presenting the first-ever orchestral concert in the Ahwahnee Hotel's 82-year existence. MSO Founder and Conductor Les Marsden is gratified by the reaction given this orchestra by the Mariposa community and the incredible reception afforded brilliant guest musicians from New York (Lewis Wong) to Minnesota (Dr. Thomas Ashworth) to Merced's own Patrice Nelson.

June 27, 2009



Mariposa Symphony Orchestra will perform in the beautiful Mariposa County Park Amphitheatre to celebrate Independence Day!

The performance will begin at 7:00 pm on Saturday, June 27th.

Advance ticket purchase will be available at the Mariposa County Arts Council
$6 adults and $4 youth

America's 233rd birthday will come one week early as your Mariposa Symphony Orchestra's annual "Independence Day Spectacular" Concert raises the roof. Or rather: the sky, as this concert will be held (like last year) outdoors at the Amphitheatre at Mariposa Park. It all begins at 7:00 PM on Saturday, June 27. For those of you who attended our first-time concert at the Amphitheatre last year, you remember the magic: there's nothing like a good old-fashioned outdoor symphonic concert for the Fourth of July, evening when it's held on June 27th instead!

I've (of course) scheduled patriotic fare (including John Philip Sousa's "The Stars and Stripes Forever") and the concert will feature two works by local composer Dr. Phillip Smith, retired US Army bandsman, arranger and composer. Dr. Smith's "Armed Forces Salute" is a perennial favorite of MSO audiences and salutes the various service branches; veterans or family members in the audience are encouraged to stand when their particular tune is played. Dr. Smith's "Elegy and Prayer," a moving memoriam to the victims of September 11 will also be performed by the MSO. We premiered that piece many years ago and I am honored to be able to bring it to an MSO concert again. Dr. Smith is principal tuba player of the MSO and one of our true community treasures for the extraordinary work he does for Mariposa.

I'm VERY proud to feature the four winning student compositions from the MSO Young Master Composers Celebration of 2009. You can't miss the world premieres of 9-year-old Analise Wall's "Clara's Song," 10-year-old Chrissy Tiner's "Spring Blossoms," 15-year-old Cecilia Ojcius' "Une pleine lune en prairie," and 16-year-old Isaac Decker's "Frozen Dreams." You may remember that I annually challenge young Mariposa County residents aged 8 - 18 to write their own 'classical' music following guidelines I've established; I've orchestrated the winning compositions and they'll be premiered by the students' own regional symphony orchestra - the MSO - in their presence at this annual concert. Each winner is presented with a $50 cash prize as well.

There'll be a brief (surprise) cameo appearance by a local guest musician during the evening's performance of my own large-scale piece of symphonic Americana entitled "Foster Child." The 1/2-hour work is based on the music of American original Stephen Foster and the title is appropriate - because though Foster may have birthed all these tunes, I've adopted them and made them my own, hence that title! Fifteen or so Stephen Foster melodies are treated symphonically, some conventionally and some a little more unusually. From the very famous ("Camptown Races", "My Old Kentucky Home", "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair", "Old Folks at Home" aka "Swanee River") to the not-so well-known including "Gentle Annie", "We are Coming, Father Abraam", "Gentle Lena Claire" and "Willie Has Gone to the War". Stephen Foster's music is absolute Americana at its best. I wrote a piece that will allow our audience to enjoy old musical friends while making the acquaintance of some of his more obscure works. Foster is regarded as America's greatest 19th-century popular composer.

The concert will close with what has become one of America's de rigueur Independence Day concert 'musts': Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's "1812" Overture, complete with simulated cannon fire and carillon. It'll be fun to have this great piece back after several years' absence.

This rousing, patriotic outdoor concert will be held at the Amphitheatre at Mariposa County Park: 4998 County Park Road, off Stroming Rd (Hwy 140, south on 6^th). Tickets are Adults: $6 and Students: $4. Concertgoers are encouraged to bring blankets for the lawn or cushions for the seating area; a pre-concert dinner in one of Mariposa's local restaurants or a picnic dinner has become part of this local celebration. PLEASE consider purchasing your concert tickets in advance and not waiting until the evening of the concert as the Amphitheatre setting can get backed up. For concert tickets and information: call the Mariposa County Arts Council, Inc. (209) 966-3155 (Monday - Friday, 9/AM-5/PM) at 5009 Fifth Street (adjacent to The Pizza Factory.) Tickets are also available at the Mariposa County Visitors Center at the north end of town across from the Miners Inn; call the Visitors Center at (209) 966-7081 for hours. And be prepared to join us as we all celebrate our great nation's birth in true Mariposa style.

Consider purchasing a fresh take-out meal to help benefit the Mariposa Pines/Jerseydale Fire Safe Committee's Fiesta Mexicana fundraiser, held the afternoon of the concert (from 4 - 8 PM at the Bootjack Fish & Game Hall). For more information on that take-out food option, call Lorie Setterberg at 742-4614.

September 7, 2009

Closing night of the Mariposa County Fair has become a tradition for local music lovers with the MSO's star-lit outdoor concert on the Amigo Stage. Marsden allows the musicians of the orchestra to select those musical pieces from the just-ended season they'd love to perform one last time; called the "You Pick 'Em, You Play 'Em" Concert by Marsden, it's a great way to meet your MSO for the first time - or to renew your affection for some of the world's greatest music played by your own symphony orchestra.

Conductor
Les Marsden – a peek beyond the wand

As Actor - In a lengthy career as a Los Angeles- and Manhattan-based actor which was ended only by accident-caused disability, he starred on stage in well over 3,000 performances in theatres across the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom including London's West End and Scotland's Edinburgh Festival. Roles ran the gamut from the classics to musical comedy and include Lopakhin in Chekov's The Cherry Orchard, Peter Poll in James Kirkwood's final play Stage Stuck to Touchstone in Shakespeare's As You Like It and even as all the Marx Brothers in various Marx revivals and original works. Other favorite roles included Max Prince in Neil Simon's Laughter on the 23rd Floor, Ali Hakim in Oklahoma! (five separate productions,) Jimmy Deegan in the celebrated (and first-ever) revival of Cole Porter's 1930 The New Yorkers in Manhattan's historic Town Hall and countless others. Nominated for the world's most prestigious acting honor, Great Britain's Laurence Olivier Award (for Comedy Performance of the Year) and many more citations including the London Critics' Award, the Carbonell, Scotland's Fringe First Award, etc. Veteran of innumerable TV commercials seen nationally and internationally and TV series such as General Hospital, Mel Brooks' The Nutt House, the Bob Newhart Show and Al Franken's Lateline. Appeared in films from Robert Redford's Quiz Show to The Siege with Bruce Willis, Denzel Washington and Annette Bening. Has worked with or directed Albert Finney, Vanessa Redgrave, Jeremy Irons, Burt Reynolds, Harvey Korman, Charles Nelson Reilly, Matthew Broderick and many more. As Playwright - His A Night at Harpo's is the only biographic show ever allowed by Harpo's widow and children and was written with their full cooperation. Mr. Marsden performed his award-winning one-man show extensively around the world; likewise his interpretations of Groucho, Harpo and Chico Marx in various productions was endorsed by the elderly Groucho Marx himself. Union affiliations: Actors' Equity, the Screen Actors' Guild, AFTRA, the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, etc.

As Musician - classically trained on many instruments including piano (and all keyboards,) trumpet (and most all brass,) concert grand harp and others. Composed/conducted many symphonic and chamber works from early teens beginning with his Symphony #1 at age 13; most recently premiered his Mariposa Festival Overture at the inaugural concert of the Mariposa Symphony Orchestra, which he founded in 2002 and serves as Music Director and Conductor. Has also composed lighter works including the score and lyrics for the successful musical comedy The Telethon Fool. Member of the Conductor's Guild.