Have you ever had an ear worm? Most of us have. No, I’m not talking about some nasty critter that crawls up your ear canal and sets up houskeeping in your skull. I’m referring to the catchy tune that comes to you and plays itself over and over in your head. And all too often its one we wish would just go away.
It is a proven scientific fact (based on nothing I’ve ever seen written, but prove me wrong, I dare you) that the best cure for a bad ear worm is prompt replacement by a good one. And good ear worms were in abundance at Saturday nights performance by the Rockwall Philharmonic Orchestra, under the direction of Dr. Stephen Holcomb, at the Harbor Amphitheater. One after another, thanks to the genius of songwriter/playwright duo Rodgers and Hammerstein, tunes great and familiar came forth and delivered the cure.
Dr. Holcomb is no stranger to Rockwall, having conducted the last six MusicFest concerts. His musical credentials are impressive. Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at Dallas Baptist University, he holds degrees in Conducting and Music History and is a member of the American Choral Director’s Association, Texas Choral Director’s Association, Music Educators National Conference, and the Texas Music Educator’s Association, as well as Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Professional Music Fraternity.
The orchestra was joined by the chorale from DBU, which gave full voice to hits from “The Sound of Music”, “Carousel”, “Oklahoma”, “The King and I”, and “South Pacific”. The latter yielded a rousing rendition of “There is Nothin Like a Dame”, a particular favorite of the ladies sitting in front of me. They clapped, whooped, and sang along as male members of the chorus donned Navy caps and lamented, “What ain’t we got? We ain’t got dames!”
There was scarcely a baby-boomer in the audience who is not familiar with the work of this famous musical team, and the talent of the performers on stage were more than enough to overcome some sound and lighting glitches. And even now, the ear worms of “Some Enchanted Evening”, “If I loved you”, and “Carousel Waltz” are welcome visitors.
Thanks to the board of Rockwall MusicFest, chairperson and founder Ruth Peck, and all the volunteers and musicians who made this a delightful evening of great sounds.
by Bob Lewis, Planet Rockwall
