Londontown Symphony Spring Gala Set for March 15

The Londontowne Symphony Orchestra is holding a fundraising Gala next week at Homestead Gardens during the 2011 Garden Show. According to organizers, the 6 p.m. March 15 event will be the first of an annual fundraising event.

The Gala will include Chef Jesse Sandlin from Top Chef season six and Executive Chef James Barrett from Azure restaurant in the Annapolis Westin Hotel. The chefs will be giving preparation tips and recipes to the guests and serving heavy hors d'oeuvres throughout the night.

In addition, local wineries will be offering wine samples and selling bottles of wine. Some of the local wineries include Boordy Vineyards of Hydes, MD (Baltimore County), Thanksgiving Farms of Harwood, and Friday’s Creek Vineyards of Owings, MD (Calvert County).

Of course, the Londontowne Symphony Orchestra will be performing throughout the night. On tap will be the jazz ensemble, the brass quintet, the strings quartet, and different soloists.

Tickets are $35 a person or $60 a couple.

LSO publicity chair said that the orchestra hopes to make money from both ticket sales and a silent auction. Auction items range from sporting events and memorabilia s to Whole Foods to yoga.

“We need about $30,000 a year to operate, and we are just getting by with our income and expenses,” said Buzz Stillinger, who handles publicity for the LSO.

Expenses for the all-volunteer orchestra include things like music rentals for the performances, conductor’s fees, publicity costs, soloist costs and license fees for the music they perform.

The orchestra performs about five times throughout year, typically at South River High School in Edgewater.

About the LSO

The Londontowne Symphony Orchestra was started in 2002 by Kathy Salano. Salano, who has since passed away, saw a void in the community for people to see classical music for a good price. The idea was to bring together professional musicians on a volunteer basis who could play together several times a year.

Stillinger said that Salano also wanted to help the youth in the community, and give them a chance to play with professionals.

The orchestra is made up of professional musicians who lead the performances. High school and college-age musicians get to perform with the more experienced players, providing mentoring relationships.

Salano died in 2009, but the Orchestra carries on. Current conductor and director Anna Binneweg is an assistant professor and conductor at Anne Arundel Community College in Arnold. Binneweg is also the back-up conductor for the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, DC.

For tickets, visit the LSO here.