What: Langendorf Mandolin Orchestra (with the Edelweiss Harmony Choir and the Victoria Mandolin Orchestra)
Where: Phillip T. Young Recital Hall, University of Victoria
When: Sunday, 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $15 regular, $10 students/seniors (cash only at the door, opening 6:45 p.m.)
The Langendorf Mandolin Orchestra has humble beginnings.
The seed was planted in 1973, when two mandolinists, a guitarist and a glockenspiel player performed at a church in the German village of Langendorf.
Children who attended the Christmas concert asked for mandolins. So some kind-hearted soul donated enough money to purchase five inexpensive instruments.
Today, the Langendorf Mandolin Orchestra has 35 members. The ensemble will perform Sunday night at the University of Victoria. The program of classical, folk and contemporary music runs the gamut from French baroque to an arrangement of Michael Jackson’s Earth Song.
Conductor Anja Renz said the concerts in Vancouver, White Rock and Victoria mark the Langendorf Mandolin Orchestra’s first trip to Canada. The group has previously toured Japan, South Africa, Sweden, Norway and Italy.
The touring orchestra has 16 mandolinists (including the mandola, a tenor version of the mandolin). It also includes guitars, double-basses and a recorder soloist.
Renz said mandolin orchestras are especially popular in Germany, where there are more than 25.
“I’ve been a member of this orchestra for 32 years. So I’ve grown up with it,” she said with a laugh.
The community orchestra comes from Langendorf, a village 120 kilometres from Hamburg with a population of 478. The musicians range in age from 10 to 74.
Sunday’s concert is hosted by the Victoria Mandolin Orchestra, which will join the Langendorf Mandolin Orchestra for one song. Victoria’s Edelweiss Harmony Choir will also perform.
