Fenimore Chamber Orchestra
Returns With ‘Music for Winds’

By T. Stephen Wager

The Fenimore Chamber Orchestra performed its inaugural concert at Cooperstown’s Christ Church on August 27, and it was a huge success. Now they are gearing up for another concert at the same location on Saturday, October 8.

“When we all have time to actually sit and think about what happened in August, we are proud of the work we did and the exceptionally high quality of the performances,” said Thomas Wolf, chair of the Governing Board of Directors of Fenimore Chamber Orchestra.

“When an organization begins, there is much work that continually presents itself, so we really have had little time to think of the ramification of that debut; in other words, the work continues.”

The story of how FCO came to be is interesting.

“Rosemary Summers and I were on the phone one day about a year-and-a-half ago and we decided then that this is what we should be doing,” Mr. Wolf said. “With our shared background in the arts in New York City and Europe, and Maestro Maciej Żółtowski’s background in Europe, it seemed the logical thing to do. After all, that the three of us should conflate here at the same time is something I am certain must be quite unique.”

Between them, they have around 75 years’ experience.

“In life, there are people who make things happen, people who watch things happen and then people who wonder what happened,” Mr. Wolf said. “We are definitely people who make things happen. And on a purely practical note, Rosemary mentioned something her father told her once: As we become older, the road behind you is much longer than the road ahead of you. So that has summed up a matter of how I want to spend my time and with whom.

“Well, we did the first performance before a near-capacity house,” Mr. Wolf said. “The simple fact of the matter is Rosemary, Maciej, and I have exceedingly high standards and everyone in the orchestra — handpicked, by the way — also displays those high standards. So, it is inevitable that the results will be of a high standard.”

Everyone must remember that FCO is still in its infancy and that there is always room for a new performing arts organization that adds to the artistic scope of the community, Mr. Wolf continued.

“In that respect, we are constantly working to make certain that FCO will continue to provide regular, high-quality performances,” he said. “We are working on major funding, which is so necessary for a not-for-profit organization, and which must be done to properly secure its longevity.”

The next FCO concert, “Music for Winds,” is at 3 p.m. on Saturday, October 8 at historic Christ Church Episcopal, 46 River Street in Cooperstown, featuring the orchestra’s wind section in a program by French and Italian composers.
On December 3, again at Christ Church, “Festive Strings” will showcase the string section of FCO, a performance that will be repeated a week later in Utica.

“We are working on dates for the spring of next year. For those wishing to attend the concerts on October 8 and December 3, tickets can be purchased by visiting our website at fenimoreco.org or at the door. And while you visit fenimoreco.org, please subscribe to our YouTube Channel,” Mr. Wolf urged.