The Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra, Matthew Scinto directing, in pre-Covid performance. Jean Kirby photography.
In three years, Matthew Scinto has seen more than most conductors experience in decades.
Founding an orchestra, and building an audience, is hard enough in normal times. Scinto’s Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra managed that in a few short years, building an enthusiastic following for the Harwich Port–based ensemble, creating a distinctive identity around his unusual repertory choices.
But the pandemic stalled those accomplishments. With an audience that couldn’t gather safely, and musicians that couldn’t even rehearse, the CCCO had to find an alternate path.
“If this had happened ten years down the line, we’d be even worse off,” he says. “Our revenue model was destroyed. When forty-five percent of your budget comes from ticket sales.…”
There’s no reason to finish that thought.
But the CCCO will forge ahead with a concert season, online and free, beginning Oct. 2. A streaming program, filmed and recorded with a dozen string players at the Yarmouth New Church, will feature Scinto’s typical mixture of rarities (Peter Warlock’s “Capriol Suite,” Still’s “Mother and Child”) with familiar repertory (Barber’s “Adagio for Strings,” Mozart’s Divertimento in F).
“I try to find a good blend, a contemporary piece or something from the 20th century, and have contrast in the program. Sometimes it’s a stretch, but nobody is performing this music out there.
“I spent so much time this season for these concerts,” he says. “I love crafting something where concertgoers can find some hook, especially if it’s community driven. Our original programs might have to change, but I can put them in my pocket for later.”
This program was recorded with safe practices at the restored Yarmouth New Church—“a really cool space,” Scinto says. “We had twelve musicians, including me. We are masked, and distanced. Actually everyone wore masks except for me—I felt like a lot of expression is done with my face, and the players are a pretty expressive group.
“It was weird hearing live music again, with actual harmony next to you and surrounded by sound. The hall is lively, and it sounds like a much larger orchestra. I was pleased with how it came out.”
The scaled-back program—about one hour, without intermission—is a film, not a live concert, so Scinto added some extras. “We did an 8-minute documentary about the project, about not playing for six months, a little about the program and the space that we’re playing in. Then we get right into the music.”
Upcoming programs during the year will adapt to the changing social situation. A December concert—Scinto avoids typical holiday fare, and had planned an ambitious offering including Ives’s “The Unanswered Question,” and Barber’s “Knoxville, Summer of 1915”—will probably become another online film. “I can’t imagine doing that concert virtually, so I’ll have some contingency plan,” he says. “And I’m not about to cancel our spring season yet. We’re flexible enough to make adjustments.”
For now, the season begins online. “It’s going to be free, and we have a suggested donation,” he says of the Oct. 2 release, “but I didn’t want to put it behind a pay wall. It’s on our web site, on FaceBook and YouTube. We have a season pass, and we have some people who sponsor musicians—that’s been successful. The only way we can afford to do this is through donations.”
The season opening Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra concert will be available free online beginning Oct. 2 at 7:00 p.m. Visit capecodchamberorchestra.org or call 508-348-9202.
Keith Powers covers music and the arts for Gannett New England, Opera News and Leonore Overture. Follow @PowersKeith; email to keithmichaelpowers@gmail.com.