Photo courtesy of Concord Chamber Orchestra
Concord Chamber Orchestra 2023-2024 Season
“It doesn’t pay but I fell in love with it!” says Jamin Hoffman, conductor of the Concord Chamber Orchestra. “We do music because we love music,” he continues. “It’s a great diversion from everyday life, playing great composers with people who it for love and experience.”
Hoffman, schooled as a French horn player, came to Milwaukee in the ‘80s for his master’s in music at UWM. He was the Milwaukee Ballet’ assistant and interim music director for 13 years, and since 2001 has been orchestra director at Nicolet High School. He played his horn with the Concord Chamber Orchestra starting in 1989 and set the instrument aside upon becoming conductor in 2004.
The word “amateur” still rings negatively in some ears but sentiment has grown around the value of people whose fulfillment isn’t based solely on money. Founded in 1975, Concord is proudly amateur and features 40 to 60 musicians depending on the music performed. The orchestra is a volunteer organization, with only Hoffman and general manager Dana Robb receiving modest salaries.
“I’m in charge of procuring the music. I get to drive the truck and unload the equipment,” Hoffman says. He also programs the orchestra’s season with input from musicians and board members.
Concord performs five concerts during the performing arts season and two summer shows at Boerner Botanical Gardens and other outdoor settings. For each season, “I try to develop a theme,” Hoffman says. “I find that having constraints helps me” chose from a concert repertoire that has become innumerable.
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Family Music Makers
Family is the theme for the 2024-25 season, with one previous concert showcasing Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his father, Leopold, and another with music by siblings Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn. Featured at Concord’s next concert, on March 22, will be husband and wife Robert and Clara Schumann, his Symphony No. 4 and her Prelude and Fugue. The couple worked together and as Hoffman reminds us, “She was the breadwinner in the family as a renowned pianist.” But while her musicianship was honored, women composers were met with skepticism in the 19th century and her work has been less heard.
The concert will also include a performance by the winner of the Walter A. and Dorothy J. Oestreich Concerto Competition, an annual contest for music students living or studying in Wisconsin, judged by Hoffman and two members of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. This year’s winner, Rebecca Zhang, is only 13. She will perform Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23. As usual, orchestra members will linger after the concert to mingle with audience members.
For Hoffman, an important aspect of the Concord Chamber Orchestra is “the camaraderie and joy in celebrating music together,” he says. “I think of concord as the opposite of discord. It’s all about getting along to achieve a common goal.”
The concert begins 7 p.m. Saturday, March 22 at St. Sebastien Parish, 5400 W. Washington Blvd. after a 6:30 discussion led by Concord’s assistant conductor Dayvin Hallmon. For tickets, visit concordorchestra.org.
