North Shore orchestra Symphony by the Sea has many deep connections to Marblehead, with musicians, board members and countless fans here in town. SBS, which launched in 1981, performed for years at Abbot Hall before moving to The Cabot in Beverly in 2015.
SBS President Marcia Duffy, who lives in Marblehead, has been involved with the nonprofit for about a decade.
“The part of my role that I enjoy the most is sitting at a concert and looking around at the audience and seeing a range of ages and people who are really engaged with the music,” she told the Current. “There’s a transformative power to music that, in our chaotic world, is so welcome.”
Duffy estimates that Marleheaders make up about 40% of the symphony’s audience.
SBS and its 35-40 musicians perform four concerts a year, with the next one coming up Sunday, Feb. 2. The program is called “A Family Affair” and features young violinist Keila Wakao and her father, Keisuke, who is the assistant principal oboist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. They’ll be performing the music of J.S. Bach and his sons.
Marblehead professional violinist and teacher Sheila Vitale has performed with SBS for many years and will play at the upcoming concert. She has also performed with the BSO, Boston Pops and Boston Ballet.
“Symphony by the Sea has always had a very nice reputation, and it’s great that it’s so close so people don’t have to travel into Boston,” she said. “The audience always really enjoys it.”
Duffy says SBS is lucky to have acclaimed conductor Donald Palma leading the orchestra.
“He is highly esteemed and has thousands of recordings,” she said.
Palma is also the founder of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra in New York City and is a professor at New England Conservatory in Boston.
Duffy talks about the “secret sauce” at SBS, which has kept the orchestra playing for nearly half a century.
“Our programming enriches and excites people,” she said. “And there’s an educational component, too. Palma offers free mini master classes before each concert where he weaves a compelling and interesting narrative about the music. It really adds to the value of the concert experience.”
To learn more about Symphony by the Sea or to get tickets, visit thecabot.org.
