The last six months have been difficult for everyone in the arts, but especially for performing musicians.

As coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic restrictions were implemented, indoor performances in Pennsylvania were limited to a total number of 25 people inside. Under these guidelines, presenting concerts as the Allentown Symphony Orchestra had originally planned became impossible.

Many larger arts organizations across the United States simply shut down and canceled all performance for the 2020-21 season. Following a different path, the board and staff of the Allentown Symphony have rallied to “re-create” an exciting season of chamber music and chamber orchestra concerts for you.

Over the summer, we spent countless hours working on new concert formats that include streaming platforms for audience members and social distancing on stage for our musicians. Coming soon are new COVID-safe procedures for re-opening our wonderful Miller Symphony Hall in Allentown to audience members. These are challenging, yet exciting times for all of us as we find new ways to share the music.

Our first new ASO-streaming concert event will air at 7;30 p.m. Oct. 24. The concert was filmed recently at Miller Symphony Hall and involved seven members of the Allentown Symphony Orchestra. Featured prominently were our Principal Oboe, Rick Basehore, and our Principal Harp, Fran Duffy. It is rare to be able to hear a solo harp or a solo oboe perform and by featuring these instruments, we were also able to explore some wonderful repertoire that does not get performed as often.

Fran Duffy, ASO Principal Harp, has been a member of the orchestra for 15 years. In addition to performing with the Allentown Symphony, Fran has performed with the New York Philharmonic, the Baltimore Symphony, the American Symphony Orchestra, the New York City Ballet, and American Ballet Theatre.

She has also been the harpist for the “Radio City Christmas Spectacular” and the Broadway show, “Wicked.” Other orchestras she performs regularly as the Principal Harp include the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra, West Virginia, and the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, New York. We are so proud to have her as a member of our orchestra.

In the concert, Fran Duffy is featured in two works for harp and strings. The first by Claude Debussy, “Dances sacree et profane,” was written in 1904 and commissioned by the Pleyel Piano company for its new chromatic harp.

The Pleyel chromatic harp had no pedals and used a method of cross-stringing the harp in order to make a single string for each chromatic pitch. This instrument fell out of favor quickly because it was large and bulky, and required a lot of tuning for all the strings.

Debussy’s piece is now performed on modern concert harp, which has seven pedals, each of which is attached to one note and has three positions which make that note sharp, natural or flat. Thus, a harp can play in multiple keys and can switch keys in the middle of a piece.

The second piece for harp on the program is the “Aria in the Classic Style for Harp and Strings” by Marcel Grandjany. It was written in 1951 and commissioned by Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge. It is a beautiful work reminiscent of the style of Handel. It is truly a musical gem that will warm your heart.

Our Principal Oboe with the Allentown Symphony is Rick Basehore, who has performed with the ASO for seven years. He is a freelance oboist in the Washington, D.C. area. Rick is Principal Oboist of the Fairfax Symphony, Virginia, and Sarasota Opera, Florida, He plays Second Oboe and English Horn with the Annapolis Symphony, as well as English Horn with the Maryland and Harrisburg Symphony orchestras.

Over the years, you have heard his beautiful solos in the orchestral repertoire through our standard concerts. The streamed concert is a wonderful opportunity to hear him as a featured soloist.

Rick performs Vivaldi’s “Concerto in FM, RV. 455 for Oboe and Strings.” This piece is very virtuosic for the oboe and features a lot of improvisation in the slow second movement. The dance-like final movement showcases Rick’s amazing technique and musicality.

In addition to focusing on oboe and harp, I also wanted to feature our string players of the ASO. When deciding what string quartet piece to perform in the concert, Mendelssohn’s “String Quartet No. 3, Op. 44, No. 1” immediately came to mind. This is an upbeat, exciting work, that showcases the exceptional abilities of our ASO Principal and Assistant Principal String musicians, Tallie Brunfelt, Inna Nedorozov, Cameron Raecke and Jameson Platte. The first movement is fun and joyous, the second movement is more like a waltz. The melancholy third movement is so hauntingly beautiful, followed by the virtuosic final movement that is incredibly fast and exciting.

The program opens with the famous first movement of Mozart’s beloved “Eine Kleine Nacht Music,” where our string quartet members are joined by Principal Bass, Peter Paulsen. Peter also performs in the Vivaldi, the Debussy and the Granjanay piece.

Online streaming of concerts is a new venture for the Allentown Symphony, but one we are very excited about. It is now possible for you to share these musical links with family and friends across the United States and across the world. I encourage you to let other people know what a wonderful orchestra we have right here in Allentown and how amazing our musicians are that perform as members of the Allentown Symphony Orchestra. We know you will enjoy these performances featuring members of the Allentown Symphony Orchestra.

The best news is that tickets for the Allentown Symphony Chamber Ensemble Series online are free to Allentown Symphony subscribers and only $15 per device for people who had not yet purchased their subscription for the 2020-21 season

Tickets: www.MillerSymhonyHall.org. Select Buy Tickets from the drop-down menu, choose your event by series or by date then click on the Buy Tickets button.

Diane Wittry is Music Director and Conductor of the Allentown Symphony Orchestra; Music Director and Conductor of The Garden State Philharmonic, New Jersey, and author of “Beyond the Baton” and “Baton Basics.” She teaches conducting workshops throughout the United States and Europe.