Orchestra celebrates season of concerts
Bravura Philharmonic held its spring concert on Sunday
BY CHRIS MURINO Staff Writer

Chiu-Tze Lin

SOUTH BRUNSWICK- The Bravura Philharmonic Orchestra finished up its first season Sunday with its spring concert, which featured three soloists fromthe ages of 14 to 17 who won this responsibility at the Young Artists Competition, held on March 1.

Forty young musicians participated in the competition, the largest concerto competition of its kind in New Jersey.

"They were all vying for the opportunity to take a solo with the orchestra," said conductor Chiu-Tze Lin.

Lin was pleased with how the first season went, especially the debut performance for the 65-piece orchestra in December.

"There were easily six or seven hundred people there," Lin said.

Each of their three concerts was themed and the first one was a holiday concert. The second, held in February, was a family concert, while the third, held Sunday,May 25, was the spring concert.

"So far, we have a three-concert season, but I'd like to grow it into four," Lin said. "In these difficult financial times, a lot of symphonies are cutting short their seasons."

Each of the concerts has a differentmusical flavor. The holiday concert had joyous tunes, tunes to dance to in the holiday spirit. The Family Concert featured a 10- year-old narrator reading from "Peter and the Wolf." Each instrument represented a different character.

Lin said she enjoys talking to the audience during the concert, especially during the family-themed one.

"I talk about what to listen for, what's important about the piece," Lin said. "There were a lot of children there, too. They really responded to the questions I asked. It was a very dynamic kind of interaction between the audience and performers."

Lin also wants to add a pop concert.

"It would appeal more to seniors," Lin said. "Amore lighthearted kind of concert: Broadway musical themes, movie themes. It will have music that is very accessible. You'll walk away humming these tunes."

Lin has had a successful career, even before founding the Bravura Philharmonic. She served as the music director and conductor for the Manalapan Battleground Symphony for seven years. She was also the music director at the Princeton Presbyterian Church. Lin has also performed overseas.

A few township residents, including Ingrid Tang and Myeong-Jin Kim, are also members of the orchestra.

"Ingrid is the co-concertmaster," Lin said. "She's quite a prominent teacher involved with strings."

However, it is not only professionals who are a part of the orchestra.

"We have good amateurs," Lin said. "They're excellent players, but they just don't do music as a career."

There are also some players as young as 13 years old.

"Sometimes they like to work at a faster pace," Lin said. "It's a good educational experience for the young people to sit next to a professional."

So far, the orchestra has performed in front of Hillary Clinton, when she appeared in East Brunswick, and on June 21, they will be performing at the Luminaria Ceremony of the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life program in Freehold.

Lin said next year she hopes the orchestra will develop a stable audience base and broaden its audience. She would also like to see more financial sponsors and contributors to the orchestra.

However, there was a lot that made her smile this year.

"Music to me, it's a passion," Lin said. "When I hear some magic moment where the orchestra just comes together so well, it just touches my heart. I just find myself in tears, a little bit."