New Orleans Volunteer Orchestra

Founded on March 17th, 2012, the New Orleans Volunteer Orchestra or N.O.V.O. has since given two performances, both entirely free. Composed entirely of volunteers running the gamut between local high school students and seasoned professionals, and self-organized by Loyola students, this orchestra looks to introduce players and hungry-eared listeners alike to the world of symphonic music through a mix of contemporary movie soundtracks and classical favorites of old for the affordable price of FREE.I wish I could have witnessed the very first performance, but I do feel very fortunate I got to witness the second and most recent one on November 9th, with the theme of "space". Starting with a suite of Star Wars music from Episodes 1-3, they moved on to play Holst's Mars and Jupiter, as well as a piece from Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Ravel.For lovers of orchestral music such as a myself, it was a real treat. Though shorter than a standard visit to a symphony, being entirely free and performed entirely by volunteers, you won't hear a single complaint from me about the duration. It also ended with a reception of complimentary food and drink where we were all even able to mingle with the orchestra members.My hats off to all those in the orchestra for adding such wonderful music to the world, purely for the joy of the symphony experience. If you ask me, New Orleans is a rare place where something like this would spontaneously appear and take root, and seems to represent another facet of what is so wondrous about this city and its immortal musicality.I highly recommend catching future performances and you can definitely do that by keeping an eye on them via their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/NewOrleansVolunteerOrchestra as I now do.For the love of music! (standing ovation)

How much fun was this? So. Much. Fun!I got invited to "The Dark Side" performance by fellow Yelp Elite, Katie A and am so incredibly grateful for it! What a fabulous experience! I have never heard a volunteer orchestra play, so I didn't know what to expect, but the talent and passion was beyond measure. The performance started with some beautiful Beethoven, followed by a fun and exciting run through six numbers from Star Wars. We were then blessed with a killer concerto with strings and a marimba. So so SO GOOD!!! I have never seen or heard anything like it. When I thought it couldn't get any better, a young and talented cellist nearly brought me to tears as she played Hungarian Rhapsody Op. 68. This young lady, Rachael Levine, was superb. The orchestra performs at the St. Charles Ave Baptist Church, a wonderful location, although I recommend getting there early for parking. The view and sound seemed best from upstairs in the balcony seating, however it is very warm up there. Also, the stairs getting up there are not lit, so be careful!I am disappointed that this performance ended the season, I cannot wait until Spring to attend again. It's likely I'll go to all of the performances.