Western Australian Charity Orchestra

Western Australian Charity Orchestra (WACO) is a symphony orchestra and SATB chorus founded recently in Perth, Western Australia. The ensemble is made up of amateur musicians (mainly students from tertiary, secondary and primary institutions) and puts on concerts to help fundraise for local charities and organisations. It is run by a committee consisting mostly of students from UWA, WAAPA and local high schools.

Background

The ensemble founded by Samuel Parry, a student at WAAPA. It was put together not only to help the local communities and organisations, but to change the way people think of musicians. The idea was to prove that musicians have the ability to help people and to really make a difference in their community. It's also an opportunity for students to constructively spend their holiday time working towards being better musicians. On the 4th of February 2008 they organisation performed their inaugural concert, which was held at the Perth Concert Hall. Through donations and ticket sales inspired by this event, the organisation was able to raise $8,600AU to the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation.

Instrumentation and Players

The WACO is a very large orchestra (with over 160 members in the February 2008 concert), and has a very wide instrumentation. For the concert on the 4th of February 2008, the orchestra contained over 80 musicians, consisting of:

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* 2 Piccolos,
* 3 Flutes,
* 4 Oboes,
* 2 Cor Anglais,
* 3 Clarinets,
* Bass Clarinet,
* 3 Saxophones,
* 4 Bassoons,
* Contrabassoon,
* 6 Horns,
* 4 Trumpets,
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* 3 Trombones,
* Euphonium,
* Tuba,
* 7 Percussionists,
* 2 Harps,
* 2 Pianos,
* Organ,
* 14 Violins,
* 6 Violas,
* 8 Violoncello
* and 4 Double Basses

The Chorus was made up of over 80 members, divided into soprano, alto, tenor and bass.

2008 Repertoire

In their last concert on the 4th of February 2008 at the Perth Concert Hall, the orchestra and choir performed 11 pieces. These were:

'Espana' by Emmanuel Chabrier

'Mars, the bringer of war' by Gustav Holst

'Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks' by Modest Mussorgsky/Maurice Ravel

Prelude to 'The afternoon of the Faune' by Debussy

'O Fortuna' and 'Fortuna Plango Vulnera' by Carl Orff

'Habanera' from 'Carmen' by Georges Bizet

'God so Loved the World' by John Stainer

'Symphony no. 40-1st Mvt' By Mozart

'Polevetsian dances' from 'Prince Igor' by Alexander Borodin

'Rhapsody in Blue' by George Gershwin

'Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity' by Gustav Holst

External links

* [http://www.2525productions.com/waco] - The Western Australian Charity Orchestra's Website
* [http://www.pmhfoundation.com/] - The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation's Website
* [http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Western-Australian-Charity-Orchestra/14635115966] - WACO on Facebook