Into the Fray
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Qatar People, Qatar Interviews|
Brita Fray, the Doha Community Orchestra Director, tells QH how the universal language of music is bringing the community of Doha closer together, and what it’s like to hold the baton as the only female conductor in Doha. | |
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Company: Doha Community Orchestra
Designation: Director
Date:
05/01/2010 | |
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Brita Fray has a profound love of music. She believes anyone – no matter what
background – can appreciate music at some level.
“Personally, I feel so honoured to make music with people and share my passion for music with people. Music can be feelings; it can be a message, or it can
simply be something beautiful,” says Brita.
Brita became aware of the The Doha Community Orchestra (DCO), a non-profit community organization made up of musicians resident in Qatar or enrolled at education institutions in Qatar, when she started teaching at Qatar Academy on her arrival in Doha in 2008. With a background in teaching music, specifically the viola, Brita taught for many years in Chicago before she relocated to Doha.
“Teaching music is my forte,” Brita says with a smile. “It’s something I love to do”.
Brita first played with DCO to assist at one of their concerts, and before long, she was doing what she loved – coaching and teaching. The mission of the
DCO, Brita explains, is to provide learner musicians of all ages with the opportunity of performing in a full symphony orchestra, and of playing and learning alongside more experienced musicians. “Qatar is such a metropolitan (environment) with a mix of different cultures,” says Brita. “It’s amazing to see what kind of talent there is in the community, something you
wouldn’t necessarily expect to find here”.
The DCO was founded in October 2005 by two music teachers, Kathy Stuart and Lesley McBright. Originally called the Doha Chamber Orchestra, the DCO started
off with just ten string players, but has grown to a full-sized symphony orchestra and is entering their sixth season of music making. The orchestra
now numbers around sixty members, aged eight to sixty, and auditions are held every year in the fall. Around two thirds of the orchestra are school students, and the adult members include professional musicians, music teachers and amateurs.
Another of Brita’s loves is conducting string orchestras. In Chicago where she lived for 10 years, Brita conducted the All City Youth Orchestra of Chicago. In 2009, the DCO took a new direction and, while still performing as a full orchestra, it also separated into two sections: The Wind Band, under the direction of Sanford Jones; and The String Orchestra, conducted by Brita herself. Shortly thereafter, Brita continued her journey of knowledge and started conducting both sections together. The only female conductor in a position normally dominated by men, Brita feels that to participate in her role with DCO is “a blessing and a great honour”.
So how has the word of DCO managed to spread? Brita and her fellow members encourage music lovers who have had previous experience in an orchestra to join them, and are often found visiting outreach fairs and community events to spark the interest of new arrivals in Doha. Brita also feels anything that sheds light on any orchestra, such as themselves and Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra (QPO), motivate people and make them aware of what is possible,
stirring up new interest and opening new avenues. Many of their members, she adds, are musicians who find their website by chance because they are searching for exactly this kind of activity and experience in Doha.
DCO meet every Thursday, after work or school, and every meeting is a joy to Brita.
“People come because they love making music and getting together – students have been studying all day and all week, people have been working, but they make the time and dedicate themselves to coming to DCO,” she says. “No matter how tired I am after a long week I’m given a lot of energy from the orchestra members, as they are so special and so very happy to be here, playing and
practising together”.
DCO will be holding the Spring Into Music Concert on May 8th. Going from strength to strength, with orchestra numbers increasing, the skill level developing and a repertoire that consists of classical and popular works –
from Mendelssohn and Brahms to The Magnificent Seven and Phantom of the Opera – DCO are well on their way to achieving success. “We are playing more and more challenging pieces,” Brita happily tells us, “and we’re only getting better and better!”
For more information on DCO browse through the website, www.dohaorchestra.com, or contact them directly if you are interested in joining or attending concerts.
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