Areta Kalogeras was on the other side of the podium this week when she played Antonin Dvorak's "New World Symphony" at Heinz Hall, Downtown.
Kalogeras is orchestra director at North Hills High School, where in December she led the school orchestra in Dvorak's music. She was one of 58 non-professional musicians performing side-by-side with members of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra at a concert Wednesday for musicians' families, invited donors and guests.
"Playing the music is a little bit different from conducting it," she says. "All those little technical spots I would rehearse with the students I find myself having to practice more now. It's different from one side of the podium to the other. I'll be a little more sympathetic for the musicians now."
The Pittsburgh Symphony began its adult side-by-side program six years ago to give local amateur musicians a unique experience and to encourage them to actively continue their love of music.
"Many of us are getting involved in community orchestras and symphonic bands, which are enjoying a resurgence locally," Kalogeras says. "You can continue athletics to a certain age, but music can take you through your entire life."
Ruth Parry played cello in high school and college, then put aside her instrument for 38 years to raise three children with her husband in Hickory, near Washington, Pa. She says she always missed her cello, and rented one when the last of her children moved out.
When she resumed lessons after the hiatus, she says she didn't get very far until she changed teachers and began working with Pittsburgh Symphony cellist Mischa Istomin.
"I had to learn it all over again," she says. "But once I practiced and kept going, there's something calls 'muscle memory,' and it began to come back."
Playing Heinz Hall has different meanings for the participants.
For Jill Felder of Squirrel Hill, the rehearsals and performance are "the one day of the entire year my kids don't take all my attention." Her five children all play string instruments. To prepare for the performance on Wednesday, Felder took extra viola lessons.
"When I played at Heinz Hall last year," Felder says with a gleam in her voice, "my family was in the front row. It was great." Additional Information:
