The Firelands Symphony Orchestra performed last Saturday evening on the Firelands campus of Bowling Green State University. Sandusky OH is home to the Firelands Symphony Orchestra.

What's this? You've never heard of Sandusky, OH or the Firelands? Sandusky is a small town situated on the south shore of Lake Erie roughly halfway between Toledo and Cleveland with a population of about 25,000. It is best known for being near Cedar Point amusement park. Cedar Point is always rated in the top five amusement parks in the US.

Its hard to believe a town this size would have a symphony orchestra, and a very good one at that. This year marks the thirtieth year of its existence. Members of the orchestra all have very good credentials from their training. Members come from Oberlin College, Baldwin Wallace University, the Cleveland Institute of Music, and other noteworthy schools.

Dave Brubeck recorded a concert at Oberlin over 50 years ago that has become a classic in jazz circles. The other schools need no further mention to people who study classical music.

Presently, the orchestra is conducted by Carl Topilow. Carl has great credentials, He is founder of the Cleveland Pops Orchestra, he is associated with the Cleveland Institute of Music, he is music director and conductor of the National Repertory Orchestra in Breckenridge CO, and the list goes on.

Now that I have qualified the Firelands Synphony Orchestra, let me tell you about the wonderful music I heard last Saturday night. They played the theme from the movie Rocky, music by George and Ira Gershwin, a tribute to Glenn Miller. They even had a hoedown. There was music from the musical Oklahoma. The last scheduled number they performed was the 1812 Overture.

For an encore we heard God Bless America.

Making the evening even more enjoyable was the appearance of Helen Welch. Helen was born in England and has performed throughout the United Kingdom. She has appeared on Broadway and had starring roles in Hello Dolly, Barnum, Show Boat and many more. She has a magnificent stage presence and is a joy to listen to and watch.

The Firelands Symphony will perform five more concerts this season. with two pops concerts, Bethoven's Ninth, an Irish tribute and a show on violin virtuosity.

Now I realize they are not the Cleveland Orchestra, Boston Philharmonic or any of the other top symphonies in the world. However, who would expect to find such professional talent in so small an area? This is the second time I heard them and both times I was blown away and am looking forward to their next performance.