Northeast Orchestra brings a tone of community harmony

As an emergency medical physician, Wayne Schuricht used his hands to help heal patients.

But there have been many times when the now-retired Schuricht rushed from his work in the emergency room to get his hands on something else — a trombone.

Schuricht, who is also a retired lieutenant colonel for the U.S. Air Force Reserve, is a member of the Northeast Orchestra (NEO) and has been since it was organized by music educator Loretta Kring in 1989.

He is one of several dozen people, representing myriad professions, who volunteer their time to keep the orchestra flourishing as an integral part of the cultural scene in Northeast Tarrant County.

The orchestra will celebrate its 25th anniversary with a concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Peace Lutheran Church in Hurst.

In some ways, there is not a greater symbol of community than a symphony orchestra, a body composed of many parts that is able to come together in harmony.

And at NEO, there is a great effort to include young people in its community, both as musicians and as part of the audience.

“One of our major tenets is to be community-based and family-oriented,” Schuricht said. “And we encourage parents to bring their young children to the performance. We hope to expose them to great music.”

At a rehearsal Monday night, I watched as members of various ages came in with their instruments and began to work through the difficult Oskar Böhme Trumpet Concerto, Op. 18, under the direction of conductor Thomas A. Connely, a music teacher at Tarrant County College and a real estate investor.

The concerto is one of several challenging pieces the orchestra has chosen for its anniversary performance. Also included in the concert will be Handel’s Largo from Xerxes, the Rimsky-Korsakov Procession of the Nobles and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5.

“Our goal is to give people who have played musical instruments a chance to play great music with an orchestra,” said viola player Linda Simmons, another member who has been with NEO since its beginning.

The orchestra’s small budget is supported by contributions from area businesses and organizations, modest admission fees and some grants, including one from Arts Council Northeast.

Admission prices are $10 for adults and $5 for seniors and students, but Schuricht emphasized, “We’ve never turned anybody away from the door because they didn’t have the price of a ticket.”

Schuricht was playing in a band for a church choir along with his trumpeter son when he was approached about joining the orchestra 25 years ago. Both he and his son became members, and later his younger daughter joined as a violin player.

The orchestra does five concerts a year and one free performance for the city of Hurst, usually in a park.

“It’s the highlight of my life,” Schuricht said. “I’m not a great player — there are players better than me — but that’s the beauty of the orchestra.”

The group’s website notes that “while our concerts display a high level of performance, they’re also casual, family-friendly and fun.”

Orchestra musicians are hoping that past members and conductors will join them for the celebration this month and be recognized for their contributions to this enduring Tarrant County institution.

The arts are the soul of a community, and music is a vital element that adds to that sense of a shared place.

In Northeast Tarrant County, thankfully, there is still a group of people who continue to come together for the love of music and love of community.

For more information, go to northeastorchestra.org.

This story was originally published February 13, 2015 at 7:25 PM with the headline "Northeast Orchestra brings a tone of community harmony."