High noon

By Sonia Mohinani  

MARCH 3, 2011 3:13 p.m. (0)

The deep notes of the cello and more airy ones of the flute reverberated off the acoustic barrier behind the musicians in the Barrett Room at the Spartanburg Public Library Headquarters and drifted toward the audience, where feet were tapping and heads were nodding.

They were there for Music Sandwiched In, a free event open to the public and presented by the Music Foundation of Spartanburg and held every other Wednesday.

The people were seated in rows of chairs and at tables throughout the room. Some of the audience members ate at the tables in the back of the room, either the lunches they brought with them or sandwiches that were available for purchase at the event. During the music, which lasted from 12:15 p.m. to 1 p.m., people trickled in and out of the room.

Keysie Maddox, the executive director of the Music Foundation of Spartanburg, said the program has been going for about 10 years, September through May. This event has featured the Foothills Oompah Band, the Spartanburg Philharmonic Orchestra Brass, jazz trios, the Spartanburg Little Theater and many other performing arts groups.

This week, the tunes were provided by a duo called “Silver and Wood” for the flute and cello, respectively. They played a collection of classical songs as well as some other light pieces including “The Entertainer,” by Scott Joplin, Handel’s “Sonata in F Major,” “Cradle Song” by Russian composer Reinhold Gliere and “The Band Played On,” from the Alfred Hitchcock movie “Strangers on a Train.”

Brenda Leonard, who played the cello and is a member of the Spartanburg Philharmonic Orchestra, said she and the flute player, Alison Watson, enjoy playing a wide range of music, from jazz to classical.

“I just like the diversity,” Leonard said. “I like doing different stuff. It’s fun to play.”

Leonard said she enjoys playing popular tunes. “They’re fun for me; they’re fun for the audience.”

The arrangements for cello and flute she and Watson played were written for treble and bass music and put out by a company called Last Resort Music. This is Leonard’s third time to perform at the library.

“No two groups are going to play the same batch of music,” she said.

When the Music Foundation hires musicians, they hire a variety so that there are many different genres presented. Maddox said the funds to hire the musicians are provided by the public library.

Since The Music Foundation is the presenting foundation for the Spartanburg Philharmonic Orchestra, guest artists who perform with the orchestra often make an appearance at the Music Sandwiched In events. Although these guests do not always play for the crowd, they talk about the music they are presenting for the orchestra.

“It’s very well attended,” Maddox said. “It’s an older crowd, but we have a lot of young musicians, too.” In the future, the Music Foundation is hoping to draw a wider crowd with a greater selection of music.

“One of the things we want to do is expand our audience,” Maddox said. “We want to do some smaller presenting of cultural groups. We are going to explore presenting small groups in Chapman [Cultural Center].”

The Music Foundation will continue to present musicians for the Music Sandwiched In event, the next performance of which takes place on March 9.