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Moon Over
Buffalo Comments
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BOB LARKIN - MUSIC DIRECTOR Bob is a veteran music director for the WBS, having conducted the predecessor Teen Club’s first musical, Camelot, and many others* through last year’s production of The Secret Garden. He has also done shows for Huntsville Little Theater, Huntsville High School, Huntsville Community Chorus and the Manassas, VA, Choral Society.** Bob studied violin in San Diego, where he was a charter member and assistant concertmaster of the Youth Symphony. During several years as a music major at San Diego State University, he was concertmaster of the University orchestra and became a member of the San Diego Philharmonic. While in the military service, he served as assistant concertmaster and rehearsal conductor for the Mobile Symphony and played with the New London, CT, Symphony. He was concertmaster and assistant conductor of the Huntsville Symphony for 15 years and served as interim conductor for the ailing Russell Gerhart until a new, permanent conductor was engaged. He has conducted several chamber orchestra performances for the Huntsville Chamber Music Guild and performed in other of their programs. He was principal second violin and assistant conductor of the Huntsville Chamber Orchestra. He is in much demand as a musician for musical theater shows, weddings, receptions, churches, and performances by such well-known stars as Mitzi Gaynor, Red Skelton, Bobby Vinton, Glen Campbell, Tony Orlando and Tony Bennett. During his ten years in Northern Virginia, he played with the Fairfax Symphony, the Prince William Orchestra, the Potomac Symphony Orchestra, and the Shenandoah Conservatory Orchestra. He also performed with the Front Royal Oratorio Society and the Winchester Musica Viva. With his country musician wife, Leo, Bob is enjoying the challenge of combining their different styles of musical talent, such as performing in the highly-acclaimed Broadway musical, Big River, produced by Lee High School and performed on the main stage of the International Thespian Society festival. Several years ago, they went on a concert tour of South Africa. With Leo’s son, Shane, the three perform professionally as the CLASSICAL-COUNTRY CONNECTION. Bob is a retired IBM engineer, having worked on the Apollo-Saturn space program and on Trident submarine sonar systems. * Man of La Mancha, Fiddler On The Roof, King and I, Brigadoon, 1776, Into the Woods. ** How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Finian's Rainbow, South Pacific, Carousel, Annie and Godspell. MOST GUT-WRENCHING EXPERIENCE WITH WBS It was the WBS’ first production of Man of La Mancha. Dot Moore had obtained the services of the high school bandmaster for music director - she didn’t want to impose on me because of the many trips I had made for the previous show. On the Monday before the first performance, Dot called me at work. It sounded like she was near tears. At the rehearsal with cast and orchestra the day before, the band director had told her that he would not be conducting the Saturday performance and that he would be taking some of his orchestra players with him. It turned out that he had not even obtained a complete orchestra, including an all-important guitar player. I told Dot that I was not familiar with the show, but that I had a record of the music to listen to. If she would get a copy of the score for me. I would be at that night’s rehearsal. I watched the rehearsal and followed along in the score. The rehearsal fell completely apart at the song, “I’m Only Thinking of Him.” I asked Dot if she wanted me to fix it. She answered, “Would you?” We had it right in a few minutes. I told Dot I would be there for the next nights’ rehearsals, the dress rehearsal and the opening performance so that I would able to conduct Saturday’s performance. In the meantime, I engaged players for the missing instruments, including guitar and a pianist for Sunday’s performance. Saturday night, with butterflies in my stomach, I conducted Man of La Mancha for the first time. I suppose it went well enough. Dot said that she wouldn’t do a musical again without me - and she didn’t until I moved to Virginia! |
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