Using timeless pieces by Scott Joplin, Billie Holiday and Motown, the inaugural performance of the Strings of Color Orchestra will be presented in “The Sounds of Black History” concert, at The Eisemann Center in Richardson, Texas. The orchestra features several Richardson residents.

The concert will be Sunday, February 24, 2008 at  1:30 p.m.

Adding their fabulous music to the evening are guest vocalist Andrea Williams and flutist Donald Bohanon-Williams. The show opens with the jazzy sounds of local band Mike Whitley Project.

Alexis Smith of Richardson; violin

Designed for up and coming young musicians, Strings of Color Orchestra members range from middle school to college-level experience, said SOC Founder and Conductor Ron Planks. Hopeful students from across north Texas auditioned for the orchestra last summer nineteen are in the orchestra. Tajette Travenia is Associate Conductor of Strings of Color and a member of the Appassionato String Quartet.

“We’re really excited about our first concert,” Planks said. “Strings of Color Orchestra – and ‘The Sounds of Black History’ performance – is the realization of a dream I’ve had for years. The musicians have worked day and night to perfect the music, but we’ve had a lot of fun too, because the music is familiar and lively. How can you not be upbeat when you’re playing Scott Joplin or Motown? We’ve worked hard to make this a reality – it’s still hard to believe it’s really going to happen!”

Planks, director of the award-winning Plano ISD Williams High School Orchestra and member of the north Dallas-based Appassionato String Quartet, founded SOC in 2007.

“Strings of Color was born out of a desire to provide young string players of all racial backgrounds a venue to showcase their talent, with our target audience being string players within the African American community,” Planks said. “I remember coming through my public school orchestra program and being one of maybe two African-Americans in my string program. But times have changed and you see so much diversity in all music classes, but especially the orchestra room.”

Eden Sirak of Richardson; violin

Jazz, Pop and Rhythm and Blues may not be the usual fare for orchestras, but to Planks, it’s all great music.

“We want to provide an opportunity for young musicians to perform in a traditional orchestral setting and to expose our young musicians to the traditional orchestral literature as well as the best of music from musical genres such as Jazz, Pop, R&B, Hip-Hop, and Gospel,” he said. “Those may be seen as non-traditional orchestral music but it is great music nonetheless. And quite simply, people love to hear music they recognize. There is so much wonderful music out there that hasn’t been scored for string or full orchestra and Ms. Travenia and I would love to be able to do more arrangements of mainstream music.”

Bree'Anna Farlough of Richardson; cello

SOC members have been working and practicing long and hard in anticipation of their first performance Feb. 24. Members are: Ariel Bowman (violin, Murphy), Xavier Degrate (violin, Murphy), Bree’Anna Farlough (cello, Richardson), Andrew Hodge (cello, Murphy), Xavier Hubbard (violin, Richardson), Mickala Johnson-Gomez (cello, Carrollton), Stephanie Jones (cello, Carrollton), Daniel Lattimore (violin, Murphy), Kimberlee Manora (cello, Plano), Curlita Meshack (violin, Dallas), Qoice Sanders (violin, Dallas), Jasmine Scott (violin, Plano), Eden Sirak (violin, Richardson), Alexis Smith (violin, Richardson), Alex Robinson (viola, Plano), Ramfis Swoopes (cello, Plano), Savannah Thigpen (cello, Plano) and Sedrick Wall (bass, Plano).

Tickets for “The Sounds of Black History” are on sale now at www.eisemanncenter.com, or by phone at 972-744-4650. Ticket prices range from $8 to $25. Students and seniors receive 20 percent off tickets $15 or higher. Group ticket purchases of 10 or more also receive a 20 percent discount. The Eisemann Center is located at 2351 Performance Drive in Richardson, Texas 75082.

About Strings of Color Orchestra
The Strings of Color Orchestra was founded in 2007 by Ron Planks to provide an orchestral experience for all young musicians. This unique orchestra is designed for people of all colors, ranging from middle school to college level experience. SOC performs a variety of works including literature from the traditional repertoire as well as the best of new music, such as Pop, R&B, Hip-Hop, and Gospel. Visit www.stringsofcolor.com for more information.