Ahoy, mateys! Melbourne Community Orchestra offers free pirate-themed concerts
Every year, Melbourne Community Orchestra blends mystery with music for its May Mystery concerts. This year, MCO is mashing up classical music with pirate mayhem and even a Vegas-style entertainer in “Dead Men Tell No Tales,” free concerts at 7 pm., Wednesday and Thursday, May 1 and 2, at Melbourne Auditorium, 625 Hibiscus Blvd.
Alfie Silva, the “Man of a Thousand Voices” will perform with the orchestra, because when the orchestra calls, Silva answers.
“No matter how busy I am, when (MCO conductor) Mark Nelson asks, I always say yes,” said the performer and tribute artist. “It’s an honor to share my time with so many talented community members. The work that Melbourne Community Orchestra is doing is amazing.”
An award-winning performer and Vegas-style entertainer, Alfie Silva has performed his one-man tribute shows around the country in his 30 years in show business.
Silva will channel his inner Jack Sparrow for the concerts, which are all about searching for Davy Jones’ treasure.
Flute player/orchestra general manager/published novelist Noel Barefield concocted the loose script of orchestral music paired with zany antics with maestro Mark Nelson in a key role.
“Our May show was such a hit last year we just had to do it again,” Barefield said. “We got audience participation planned and I think it’s going to be epic.”
Expect to hear swashbuckling tunes, including music from “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Flight to Neverland” by John Williams and selections from Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Pirates of Penzance,” among others.
The all-volunteer orchestra Mark Nelson conducts performs free concerts throughout the year as the Orchestra-in-Residence for the City of Melbourne. Nelson is a two-time recipient of the National Band Association Citation of Excellence. In 2013, he was named a Legion Laureate, one of only 100 nationally, by the John Philip Sousa Society.
Arrive early for best seats and to enjoy the pre-show that starts at 6:15 p.m. Channel your inner pirate and dress in costume to participate when cued from the stage.
If you go
May Mysteries: 'Dead Men Tell No Tales'
Where: Melbourne Auditorium, 625 E. Hibiscus Blvd., Melbourne
When: 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, May 1 and 2. Pre-show entertainment will start at 6:15 p.m.
Admission: Free
Call: 321-285-6724
Website: mcorchestra.org
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Wear a costume: Orchestra offers swashbuckling pirate-themed concerts
