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Ogden has a real treasure in Chamber Orchestra Ogden, and COO proved it once again last Saturday during “A Grand Night for Singing” with Ta’u Pupu’a, tenor (and former WSU football star who played with the Cleveland Browns).

I never feel more of a community than when sitting in an audience, especially at Peery’s Egyptian Theater. I never felt more like a community member of the world than when COO started the evening with the Ukrainian national anthem, the audience standing together for peace.

I’ve never attended a concert with such a storyline, musical review, ingenious costumes and everything else. Storytelling moods accompany the tragedy of his career-ending injuries. Broadway tunes tell of his move to New York, Juilliard training in opera and a career as an international opera hero. Dr. Michael Palumbo, COO director, produced an ingenious and unusual evening in music.

Every performer experienced style after style of music. We were the fortunate recipients of their practice and art. My grandchildren, their friend and a niece went with us. We had lots to talk about after the concert, including how happy we were to be doing this again. They have been going since they were 8 and are now almost 14 and 15. They are old hands about having an opinion about the music and they always love it.

My 11-year-old grandson liked the storytelling the best. He found Ta’u’s story very interesting. He liked how the songs matched the story.

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Another thing we like about COO is that my daughter plays bass. The kids just love seeing her on stage, and I’m always the proud mother. We also know a number of other musicians, as well as the director, because we are such fans.

This truly is a community orchestra, MY community orchestra. For more than 10 years, Dr. Palumbo has brought these musicians from across the community to rehearse and perform four or more public performances a year. Some of them teach in schools, some work for business, others stay at home; but for those hours they work together they are Chamber Orchestra Ogden, a jewel in my hometown.

Having Ta’u Pupu’a return to Ogden for this concert was the completion of a long story. In 1995, he was selected to perform at Concerto Night, the most prestigious Weber State Symphony Orchestra concert of the year. This past Saturday, he performed the piece again under the baton of Dr. Palumbo. It was a sentimental gesture of great significance. The love he was sending back to us was powerful.

We haven’t been to a public performance since March 11, 2020. Two days later we entered a new reality. Attending this Chamber Orchestra Ogden was our first concert since then.

My husband and I wore masks. We weren’t the only ones. The pandemic caused me, an immunocompromised old person, a reasonable fear of other people. I’m learning to be an audience member again, one of my favorite things throughout my whole life. It’s a new world and we are all learning to live in it.

This week, Ogden once again celebrates a Bach Festival. We went Monday to hear Rulon Christiansen playing the Pipe Organ at the Lutheran Church on Harrison. We’ll be attending the choir and orchestra performance this Friday at the Tabernacle. There is something for most people. If you miss it, it happens every year.

Jazz at the Station still happens on the second Wednesday of each month. April will feature the WSU Jazz Octet.

COO will bring their Pops! concert back to the Ogden Amphitheater on June 25. They have announced the 2022-23 season and it includes a Gala Concert at WSU on Oct. 15 with the return of Ta’u Pupu’a.

I’m glad to be back in the audience, to cheer on the artists from my own community. There are so many choices here. I know I’m making the right ones for me.

Caril Jennings is an arts advocate. She retired from WSU in 2013, after 22 years in the Department of Performing Arts. Her family operated Universe City from 2004 to 2011. She produced Jazz at the Station, 1998-2021. Although her degree is in the sciences, she has always wanted to be a part of the show. Now she is content to be an appreciative audience member and share her love of music with her family. She never suspected how much she would love living in Ogden.

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