Locally-based Foothill Symphonic Winds will be performing on Sunday, June 9, in a concert of music titled Wish You Were Here at Cubberly Theater in Palo Alto. Tickets are $10 for adults; $5 for seniors and children. We talked with Menlo Park resident Jennifer Co, who is a flutist with the ensemble.
InMenlo: What is your profession?
Jennifer: I’m an attorney, specializing in licensing, trademarks, and copyright. I currently work in-house for a software company.
InMenlo: What brought you to Menlo Park?
Jennifer: After living (and loving life) in New York for several years, I decided to return to California to be closer to my family, and transferred to my law firm’s Palo Alto office. Menlo Park provided a relaxing change of pace from big city life, but still offered many of the benefits of my neighborhood in New York: easy access to multiple grocery and retail stores, restaurants, parks, and public transit.
InMenlo: When did you start playing the flute? What do you enjoy, in particular, about your instrument of choice?
Jennifer: I started playing the flute in junior high, thanks in part to the encouragement of the amazing Yolanda Gardea, who was the music director at Walter Reed Junior High (now Middle School) at the time. I love the tone of the flute, and the flexibility the instrument allows. It can be warm and expansive, sweet and charming, dark and mysterious.
InMenlo: How long have your playing with Symphonic Winds? And why did you join?
Jennifer: I’ve been playing with Foothill Symphonic Winds since the fall of 2010. I joined on the recommendation of my flute teacher, Ginger Rombach-Adams, whose husband, David Adams, conducts the band.
I hadn’t played as part of a group since chamber ensembles in college. It’s been a great way for me to further develop my own musicianship and to perform with and learn from some wonderful and extremely talented musicians.
InMenlo: There are a number of local groups that perform concerts. What if the difference between Symphonic Winds and these other groups?
Jennifer: Foothill Symphonic Winds performs not only popular pieces — such as excerpts from West Side Story and The Wizard of Oz — but also explores the full and diverse range of classical and contemporary band repertoire, including orchestral pieces that have been transcribed for symphonic bands.
InMenlo: What can people expect at June 9th concert?
Jennifer: Our next concert will feature music that may inspire summer travel plans, including Gershwin’s An American in Paris and a piece that evokes the energy and excitement of New York City. Fittingly, this concert is titled Wish You Were Here. For more information on Foothill Symphonic Winds and our upcoming concerts, people can visit our website.
Photo by Irene Searles
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