Next Concert in the Park Will Hit a Decidedly Classical Note

The popular Summer Concerts in the Park series takes a turn toward the classical Sunday when the West Valley Symphony makes its first appearance at the Woodland Hills event. The 50-member group will perform George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” and selections from such Broadway shows as “Cats,” “South Pacific,” “Oklahoma!” and “Phantom of the Opera.”

The semi-professional orchestra, now in its 11th year, stages a regular six-concert series at Pierce College. Thus it is well-known to many classical music fans. But director James Domine is hoping that Sunday’s appearance, which begins at 5:30 p.m. in Warner Park, will widen the symphony’s following.

“This is an important concert for us because it’s very well attended,” said Domine, 38, of Reseda. “It’s right down the street from Pierce College, where we do our regular series, so it’s a good opportunity for us to let people know we’re there.

“It’s outdoors, and we want to have the kitchen sink there--lots of percussionists, a harp. That’s what people don’t get at a lot of performances--the color that an orchestra has.”

“They get as many as 8,000 people at these concerts,” said Rebecca Somberg of Calabasas, a soprano who is a guest soloist. “So we’re really excited about the show.”

The free Warner Park concert series draws big crowds with such mainstream entertainment as the Limeliters, the Lettermen and the Louis Bellson Big Band Explosion. The series, presented by the Valley Cultural Center, runs from the first Sunday in June through the third Sunday in September. Those attending are welcome to bring picnics and blankets.

Organizers said the West Valley Symphony will be the only classical group this year.

Domine chose the program with a eye to the series’ pop tradition.

“Some of the numbers we’ve done before and they’re well received,” he said. “While it’s pop music, we’re trying to get them into the classical vein a little by doing ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ in its entirety. Everybody is familiar with the main themes, but not everyone knows the whole show.”

He said the orchestra’s musicians either have degrees in music or professional experience. Although most are paid for their performances, none make a living from the orchestra. Domine, who has a master’s degree in music from USC, owns a printing business.

He says the perception of the San Fernando Valley as a cultural vacuum is a hindrance to musicians.

“Like so many people, I really had no place to go after the university, and little opportunity. If you just look” at Cal State Northridge, “every year there are a couple of hundred music grads with nowhere to go. So with some friends I formed this orchestra.

“No one thinks of the Valley as a place for anything to happen,” he said. “We’ve been typecast as a wasteland and it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. The city and the county won’t support music here, so it remains a desert except for groups like us that can survive on private funding.”

The orchestra supports itself with ticket sales and donations. In addition to the six-concert Pierce College series, the orchestra gives three or four other performances a year.

The orchestra will play at 7 p.m. Aug. 17 at Constitution Park in Camarillo and 5:30 p.m. Aug. 18 at Newhall Park in Santa Clarita.

The West Valley Symphony performs as part of the Summer Concerts in the Park from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Warner Park, 5800 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Woodland Hills. Free. Call (818) 704-1587.