Here's a major concert just discovered by the matchless Marco:

http://www.mercuryorchestra.org/auditions.html

Concert #1: Saturday, July 18, 2015 / Sanders Theatre (Cambridge, Mass.)

Miklós Rózsa: Overture to a Symphony Concert, Op. 26a (1963)
Miklós Rózsa: Notturno ungherese (Hungarian Nocturne), Op. 28 (1964)
Miklós Rózsa: Three Hungarian Sketches, Op. 14 (1938)
Béla Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra, Sz. 116, BB 123 (1943)


The Mercury Orchestra an amateur community ensemble, but don't let that deter anybody. The Boston area is rich in universities and musical talent. The best community orchestras are capable of giving fully professional performances. I recall a recorded student festival Mahler Eighth (!) that got fabulous reviews a few years back. The big difference is in rehearsal time. A professional orchestra typically has three or four rehearsals, and of course the players would already be familiar with much of the repertoire. An amateur group, as you see here, needs more rehearsal time. But the very choice of challenging and mostly unfamiliar music for this program indicates an organization with high standards and lofty goals.

Do we have any musicians in the Boston area? You could actually audition to play Rozsa!

I would definitely be heading up to Boston for this program were it not for a likely family obligation in July.