LAKEPORT, Calif. — The Lake County Symphony will present its annual summer chamber concert on Sunday, Aug. 17, at 2 p.m. at the Soper Reese Theatre in Lakeport. 

Doors open at 1:30 p.m. Tickets are $20.

This concert is not as lengthy as the regular season concerts, and consists of a smaller group of musicians, featuring mostly strings and harpsichord with some woodwinds, brass and percussion. 

There is one performance only; there is no discounted “rehearsal” performance this time. As usual, though, there is no charge for youth aged 18 and under.

The chamber orchestra will play several selections by composers who are considered among the best in Western history.

Lake County Symphony Association, or LCSA, Musical Director/Conductor John Parkinson opens the concert with “Rondeau from Abdelazer Suite” by Henry Purcell (1659-1695). 

A composer of Baroque music, Purcell incorporated Italian and French elements in his musical style and is generally considered one of the greatest English opera composers.

The orchestra’s next piece is “Marche pour la Ceremonie des Turcs” by Jean-Babtiste Lully (1632-1687). 

Lully was a French composer, dancer and instrumentalist who was considered a master of the French Baroque music style. Originally from Florence, he spent most of his life working in the court of Louis XIV of France and became a French subject in 1661. 

Luigi Boccherini’s “Overture in D Major” (G. 521 -Op. 43) is a lively piece often performed as a standalone concert overture. Boccherini (1743-1805) was born into a musical family in Lucca Italy and received his first music lessons at age five from his father, who taught him the cello. 

Considered a child prodigy, he continued his musical studies and by age 13 he and his father were employed by the Vienna court as musicians. As an adult, he was employed for many years by the younger brother of King Charles III of Spain.

J.S. Bach (1685-1750) has two selections in this concert: “Brandenburg Concerto No. 3” (1st mvmt) and his “Flute Concerto in E minor,” featuring Celesta Deter on flute. Bach was a German composer and musician of the Baroque period, known for his “prolific output across a variety of instruments and forms.”

Bach is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers in the history of Western music, as are the final two composers, Mozart and Haydn. 

Following intermission, the audience will hear “Serenade in D Major, K239” by Wolfgang Mozart (1756-1791). Mozart’s music is admired for its “melodic beauty, its formal elegance and its richness of harmony and texture.”

The final piece is “Symphony No. 88” by Joseph Haydn (1732-1809). Born in Rohrau, Austria, Haydn has been called the “father of the symphony” due to his prolific output. His compositions include 104 symphonies, 50 concertos, 84 string quartets, 24 stage works, and 12 masses, among numerous other works. 

Tickets may be purchased through the Soper Reese website or at the Soper Reese box office at 275 S. Main St. in Lakeport 30 minutes prior to the 2 p.m. performance. 

Refreshments will be available in the lobby before the concert and during intermission. 

Season ticket holders should note that this concert is “open seating” with no reserved seating and that LCSA member discounts will not apply.