The Broomfield Symphony Orchestra will highlight the talent of two young musicians in an upcoming concert, along with selections from the Baroque period.
Each year, the Broomfield Symphony Orchestra offers an opportunity for young artists to be recognized for their talent and dedication to music. From bassoon to harp players and everything in between, dozens of artists have been featured. This year, the musicians are a violin and a cello player.
Cellist Johanna Shaffer is a seventh grader, homeschooled in her hometown of Durango. She began learning the cello at age 4 using the Suzuki method, a type of musical teaching that follows the principles of teaching children language. The method focuses on repetition and loving encouragement to produce musicians who love their craft — and Shaffer is no exception.
“(I’m still learning) a lot of cool stuff about the cello and I like different styles of playing, like classical and bluegrass,” she said. Although she’s been leaning into some bluegrass tunes, like the American folk song “Boil Them Cabbage Down,” her upcoming performance with the symphony orchestra will focus on a very different style from the plucky fiddle tunes of the South.
The concert will highlight music from the Baroque era, a period in the 17th and 18th centuries characterized by familiar composers like Johann Sebastian Bach. Baroque music is known for its flair — with dynamic changes and more ornamentation than previous eras.
Shaffer’s mother, Kathryn Shaffer, said that the long drive from Durango is well worth the concert and rehearsals.
“We live in a very, very rural area with very little opportunity for her musically, so when we looked into the audition in Broomfield we just thought, why not just give it a shot?” Kathryn Shaffer said.
For violinist Sadie Rhodes Han, the concert is closer to home, but just as exciting.
“I started when I was four, and my mom plays the violin and viola, so I guess I wanted to be just like her,” Han said.
Han is in ninth grade, and had her orchestral debut at age 10. She just returned from a tour of Italy, where she played with the Sinfonia Orchestra in Rome, Florence and Venice. She said she likes playing as a soloist with an orchestra, as the large sound of music behind her follows her lead.
Shaffer will be playing Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto No. 1, a 20-minute solo with orchestra accompaniment. The concerto includes fast-paced sections to show off her technical talent as well as slower, melodic sections to highlight the beautiful sound of the cello.
Han described the piece she’s playing, Max Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1., as beginning with an angry and dark tone, before shifting to a beautiful love song. The piece ends with a fast and playful movement. Both concertos and the rest of the Baroque features will be conducted by the orchestra’s director, David Brussel.
Shaffer and Han will both perform at the show on at 7:30 p.m. May 11 at the Broomfield Auditorium, 3 Community Park Road. Tickets can be purchased at the door or on the Broomfield Symphony Orchestra website, broomfieldsymphony.org.
