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Pocono News Section
100 Guitar Orchestra Set to Rock Billtown
100 Guitar Orchestra Set to Rock Billtown - Thursday, May 22, 2008 at 2:35PM EST
Reported by: Jeremy Deebel
Thursday, May 22, 2008 @ 02:35pm EST
Williamsport, Lycoming County-
It's shaping up to be the ultimate in rock music. One hundred guitarists are coming together in Williamsport to make a musical masterpiece. The rock-and-roll orchestra will feature amateur and professional musicians from around the area and the world.
And they're all learning from each other.
Twelve-year-old Aaron Hamilton loves performing for a crowd. With guitar in hand, he looks every bit like the rock stars he imitates. "It's just the thrill of being on a stage and having people in front of you, looking at you, listening to your music,” he explained.
Aaron takes lessons at the Uptown Music Collective, a non-profit music school here in Williamsport. He'll be part of the upcoming 100 Guitar Orchestra performance, playing alongside seasoned professionals at the Community Arts Center.
Uptown Music Collective Executive Director David Brumbaugh says it will be a great learning experience. "We have one perception from TV of what musicians are like, and now they get a taste of the real thing. Now they get to hang with them as peers," Brumbaugh noted.
Composer and guitarist Rhys Chatham created the 100 Guitar Orchesta. The show has played in cities around the world, with local amateurs and pros joining in.
Chatham said, "We become a small community. We share experiences, we get to know the musicians. We learn from them, and hopefully, they take something away from us."
Everyone involved agrees it's a show you have to see to believe.
Brumbaugh explained, "At times it's thunderous, at times it's beautiful, it's all sorts of different things...It's not something that I think you can imagine. You just have to experience it. It's a lot of guitars."
Hamilton added, "They're gonna get kind of a rock show. Some people think it's going to be a classical guitar show, but it's really loud."
The 100 Guitar Orchestra is only performing one show here in the Williamsport area. That's this Friday night at 7:30. Tickets are available at the CAC box office.
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