Mead masterpiece concert celebrates fifth anniversary

Music has the ability to do many amazing things.

It can move us to different emotional lengths and when done right, can cleanse the mind and body.

Those effects brought on by quality music are exactly what the organizers at the Performing Arts of Maitland hope visitors take from the fifth annual Masterpiece Moments at Mead this Saturday.

“It’s a beautiful location and this music will soothe your soul, and perhaps help you prepare for Halloween,” said PAM Executive Director June Flowers.

This year’s event will include performances from two of the best musical groups from around the area in the Maitland Symphony Orchestra and the Winter Park Chamber Music Academy.

Performing deep in the heart of the Mead Botanical Garden at the amphitheater, the Winter Park Chamber Music Academy will kick off the night’s theme of “Myths, Legends, and Heroes” at 6:30 p.m. by playing an assortment of classical and superhero-inspired music.

The group, led by creator and director Dr. Alvaro Gomez, is mostly made up of students from Winter Park High School, as well as some home-schooled students, Flowers said. Gomez is also the principal concert manager for the Bach Festival Orchestra.

“They are the top-notch of Winter Park High School — these are some of the best musicians coming out of the area,” Flowers said. “So these kids are really good.”

The Winter Park Chamber Music Academy will play until about 7:15 p.m., before making way for the Maitland Symphony Orchestra at 7:30 p.m.

The MSO, under direction of art director Eric Mendez and conductor Dale Burket, will continue the night as it performs assortments of music from legends such as John Williams, Tchaikovsky and Hans Zimmer.

As an orchestra, the MSO has become a staple at the Masterpiece Moments at Mead — playing at every single event.

It’s an interesting ensemble, as all of the musicians within the MSO are volunteers that range in age and experience — from high school students to those in their 80s, and from amateurs to retired professionals. 

“All these people come together to make really fine music,” Flowers said. “They’re not your typical community orchestra — they’re not playing simple pieces.” 

The MSO is one of the groups under the umbrella of the Performing Arts of Maitland, which also includes the Market Performers, Maitland Stage Band and PAM Cares. PAM was established in 2005.

In the past, a number of different small orchestra groups and the Baroque Chamber Orchestra also have performed at the concert.

The concept for the Masterpiece Moments at Mead came when Flowers and the others at the nonprofit noticed that the amphitheater at Mead was being underutilized. From that observation, the Performing Arts of Maitland decided to do something about it. 

“First of all, you see this stage, you stand at the top of the hill and you look at this beautiful stage at Mead Botanical Garden,” Flowers said. “We just thought, ‘Wow, this is like a masterpiece,’ and we played masterpiece selections — Beethoven, Vivaldi, all the greats.”

The ultimate goal of PAM is to utilize music and the arts to help the city of Maitland create and nurture a cultural identity through the arts, while also making sure people in the community to come together and have a chance to enjoy themselves.

“It’s a real community event,” Flowers said. “We do it for free, you can bring your family, you can picnic — it’s the most beautiful locale.”