PAM maintains sound and stage equipment, percussion instrumentation with chairs, music stands and electrical lighting for a 100 piece symphonic orchestra.
The Maitland Symphony Orchestra (MSO) is a community of volunteer musicians that come together every Thursday night to rehearse for 5 to 6 concerts a year. Setting up for rehearsal or a show is extremely labor intensive and includes placing lights on each music stand and plugging them in to power strips that lie on the floor by the players feet. Our recent outdoor concert taxed the electrical power that was available on the lovely stage in Mead Botanical Garden. Our twilight show required lighting each music stand in addition to installing stage lighting for spotlights. During the concert, the breaker would blow every time a spotlight was used. This left some musicians playing in the dark, and caused momentary voids from sections that were affected. Stage volunteers quickly tripped the breaker to restore the lighting and the show came off as perfect as we could expect. There simply was not enough power on the stage to handle a large orchestra. We are looking for ways to improve this venue for next year and lighting is essential not only for the musicians, but for the ambiance of the performance. Funds are limited and electrical assistance is costly.