Memphis Symphony's Opus One puts new twist on classical music experience

Oboist Joey Salvalaggio is one of the organizers of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra's Opus One series, which debuted Thursday evening at One Commerce Square in Downtown Memphis.

Change has been building at the Memphis Symphony Orchestra.

Last week the MSO introduced Mei-Ann Chen as its fourth music director in its 58-year history. But even as the new maestro embarks on her journey of music, community and education, there are other developments happening at the orchestra.

Opus One — a performance series led and sustained by MSO musicians without benefit of a conductor — debuts on Thursday. It’s no reflection on Chen — in fact she embraces the idea. It is, rather, a way to do more of what the musicians love to do best: make music.

Oboist Joey Salvalaggio is one of the organizers of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra's Opus One series, which debuted Thursday evening at One Commerce Square in Downtown Memphis.

Susanna Perry Gilmore, the MSO’s concertmaster and one of the organizers of Opus One, says the timing is right for this effort, although there were issues to consider.

“The musicians were wondering how we could reach a new audience knowing there are people who like to go out but don’t connect to the traditional classical music experience,” she says.

What has evolved is a musician-run project that plays classical favorites as well as nonclassical music in nontraditional venues and with a party atmosphere.

“It’s a concert offering that is different from anything else we have,” Gilmore says. “It’s what most people’s iPods are like — you might hear a bit of Beethoven and then Duke Ellington and then a favorite singer/songwriter.”

It might seem that creating a new performance series would fly in the face of harsh economic times when arts organizations everywhere are facing tight purse strings. But this artistic expansion is moving ahead in part because times are tight.

By doing all the heavy lifting, the musicians are able to cut costs.

There is no conductor to compensate, and the players put their skills into marketing, public relations, development and programming, tasks usually done by the MSO administrative staff.

It’s been educational for the musicians. Oboist Joey Salvalaggio, another Opus One organizer, says one of the benefits of putting it together “was seeing how many musicians had so many great ideas beyond what they’re doing onstage.”

Those ideas and the drive of the players have brought about a fusion experience that’s completely new, Gilmore says. “But we’ve worked hard, getting a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to go to New York and learn from the premier unconducted ensemble in the world, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.” In December, Opus One held a private performance with Orpheus musicians attending and mentoring.

There’s another Opus One performance scheduled in May, and next season promises more examples of musical diversity.

“Musicians in the symphony play all sorts of music and have a ton of other different projects,” says Salvalaggio. String Theory, made up of MSO players, has been playing in local coffeehouses doing arrangements of, for example, Radiohead, and there’s an Opus One project brewing with String Theory and a partnership with singer Susan Marshall.

“The idea is,” Salvalaggio says, “ that we bring as much local talent and spotlight the diversity of our cultural climate here.”

“Opus One”

Thursday at One Commerce Square (formerly the lobby of the Sun Trust Bank), 40 S. Main. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., music starts at 7. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1, followed by a reception featuring big-band music and dancing. Tickets: $25, $15 for students. Call 537-2525 or go to memphissymphony.org.

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