PORT ANGELES — With his signature zest, James Ray promises: “You’re basically getting two concerts, with an intermission.”
Then he jumps into a back-and-forth with his co-conductor Kristin Quigley Brye about Saturday’s Port Angeles Symphony outing.
In the first half, Ray will lead Brahms’ Tragic Overture and another overture from Rossini’s William Tell opera, aka “The Lone Ranger” theme.
After the break, Brye will step up to conduct Mozart’s 40th symphony and Beethoven’s very first symphony, pieces she says mix daring innovation with fierce joy.
Rare event
Yes, this will be an unusual, even rare event at the Port Angeles High School Performing Arts Center, for a few reasons.
First off, both public performances — the 10 a.m. final rehearsal and the 7:30 evening concert — will have two conductors: Ray, who is a music teacher at Port Angeles’ Stevens Middle School and Franklin Elementary School along with having a busy private studio, and Brye, who teaches music at Peninsula College in addition to her own studio.
The maestro and maestra are friends, colleagues and candidates for the position of Port Angeles Symphony conductor. This Saturday is a kind of audition for the both of them.
The symphony board of directors chose not to renew Seattle-based conductor Adam Stern’s contract last spring, saying it wanted a more community-focused orchestra.
So when the new season began last fall, a series of guest conductors took up their batons.
Ron Jones, music director at Port Angeles High School, led the symphony’s September concerts.
Next came October’s chamber orchestra performances with Brye, the November symphony concerts with Jonathan Pasternack from New York City, the December holiday concerts with Richard Sparks of the University of North Texas and, last month, Ray conducted another pair of chamber concerts.
Guest conductors auditioning for the position will be scheduled through May, with the board planning to make a decision in May or June.
Plans for the evening
As Brye and Ray take the stage for their symphony orchestra performance, they are clearly focused on the music to be made.
Brye is going for juxtaposition: one of Mozart’s last symphonies, written when the composer was 32, and Beethoven’s first one, which he created at age 31.
This was his first foray into public performance, Brye noted — but you can hear the master’s unmistakable voice.
Ray, for his part, notes that the William Tell Overture has three parts leading to the big finale: an essay for low strings, an orchestral depiction of a storm and a sublime interplay between English horn and flute.
To balance with the grandiosity, Ray added, the concert has a bit of ballet music from Rossini’s opera. This pas de six is “delightfully buoyant throughout,” said the maestro.
To fully cover the emotional spectrum, there’s Brahms’ Tragic Symphony, which Ray calls “aching, often turbulent.”
This music, Brye said, will appeal to seasoned listeners and first-timers alike. She’s delighted, too, to be conducting alongside Ray.
“Working with James is always a joy,” Brye said, “and sharing the podium with him is an honor.”
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Features Editor Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5062, or at diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.
