Bay Area Summer Orchestra Strings Up

Soothing cello bass lines and lightly flowing high-pitched melodies resonated through the auditorium Monday night as the third Bay Area Summer Orchestra (BASO) rehearsal began.

From the sounds of it, BASO’s concert will have a showbiz theme this year: The group will perform various pieces from movies and Broadway shows. Some of these include “The Magical World of Pixar,” “Superman Returns,” “Prelude to Carmen” and “Phantom of the Opera.”

“It’s a mix of recognizable stuff,” said BASO Director David Johnson.

Running for six seasons, BASO continues to be one of the area’s biggest summer programs, comprised of more than 100 people. The group is primarily composed of students, alumni and community members from the district.

However, Johnson said now teachers and students from other districts have joined. Some of these districts include Sayville, Connetquot, East Islip, Deer Park, Three Village and Half Hollow Hills.

“Now that the group is established, outside people are hearing about it and just showing up,” Johnson said.

Johnson said the group was started as a way to reunite alumni and create a summer club with a shared passion: Music.

“My original reason for starting it was to keep in contact with alumni, with former students,” Johnson said. “That’s where it started, but the people who play in the group are people who really want to be here and love music.”

Lauren Anderson, a 2007 B-BP graduate, said she joined BASO to maintain her cello skills and catch up with old high school classmates.

“I think it's a good idea because B-BP is such a close-knit community,” Anderson said. “Music is fortunately an everyday occurrence in B-BP public schools during the school year, and it's ultimately music that unites community members and brings alumnus back together.”

Some students feel a void after ending their musical career in high school. Johnson said music will always be a part of them and they can finally bring out their love for it again in this group.

Anderson also said that while playing in college, she found how privileged she was to come from an outstanding music program and it made her appreciate BASO even more.

“I was actually surprised at the fact that my college orchestra seemed to be at a lower musical level than the high school group that I had come from,” she said “Obviously, this can only be attributed to wonderful music teachers in the district.”

Johnson said he dedicates nights from his summer to direct BASO because it’s something he really enjoys doing and it’s a pleasure to be a part of an enthusiastic group.

“Everyone’s just here for the same reason,” he said. “Everyone just loves music and it’s something that’s very easy to volunteer my time for. It’s one of my favorite things that I do here.”

Witness BASO in all its uplifting musical glory for free at its summer concert on Aug. 4 at 7 p.m. in the high school auditorium.