Article Photos

When the Southwest Minnesota Orchestra started four decades ago, it consisted of just a few brass and wind players.

It took a dedicated conductor from Washington State to kick up the cornfields to find musicians and make the orchestra what one current member calls a "gem in farm country."

The SMO starts its 40th anniversary season with a concert featuring guest violin soloist Risa Schuchter from Salzburg, Austria, at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Schwan Community Center for the Performing Arts.

Violinists Curt and Gretchen Wagner of Marshall have been with the SMO almost since the beginning.

"It started off innocently enough," Curt Wagner said.

SMO's first conductor, True Sackrison, was sort of recruited along with Robert Whitcomb, from Western Washington State in Bellingham, Curt Wagner said.

The orchestra began with just a little more than a dozen players, Curt Wagner said.

"We started pretty small," said Gretchen Wagner. "I started playing viola in the orchestra, which was not my major instrument."

By 1970, the SMO became a full orchestra, the Wagners said, thanks to Sackrison's hard work.

Sackrison was a people person, Curt Wagner said, recruiting members from a 19-county area.

"She went and beat them out of the cornfields," Curt Wagner said. "She'd take them from wherever she'd find them."

"True was very good at getting people out of the woodwork," Gretchen Wagner said. "These people came and played. She raised the orchestra from nothing."

Gretchen Wagner said Sackrison brought in several of her students as a core for the SMO.

"Anyone who took strings from her were rapidly recruited to play in the orchestra," Gretchen Wagner said.

But Sackrison was also very encouraging, the Wagners said. Even if a musician hadn't played in 25 or more years, she'd coax them to join.

Sackrison brought chamber music to the orchestra, Curt Wagner said.

"She tried to keep it simple because the orchestra was still developing," Curt Wagner said.

After Sackrison retired, the SMO saw several different conductors, including Don Fouse, Roderick Kettlewell and Martin Goldray. Each of the SMO conductors would bring their specialty to the orchestra, Curt Wagner said. With Fouse, it was Haydn. Kettlewell had more of a variety, including some modern music. Sackrison had the orchestra perform baroque, such as Bach.

"Now and then we'd do something unusual, but mostly baroque," Curt Wagner said.

Daniel Rieppel, the orchestra's current director, had performed with the SMO back in 1993 as a guest musician, the Wagners said. Six years later, he became the conductor.

Curt Wagner has seen the changes in the SMO since Rieppel started 10 years ago. He said Rieppel keeps a sense of humor when the orchestra is learning challenging pieces.

"It's improved, especially under Dan," Curt Wagner said. "Sometimes he manages to get us to play something 'beyond' us. He keeps it upbeat."

It was the chance to perform orchestra music again that drew Jan Peterson of Slayton to SMO four years ago.

"The opportunity to play symphonic music is very special," Peterson said.

And Peterson is glad that Rieppel is carrying on the vision that was started by Sackrison.

"How can there be a little gem, an orchestra in farm country?" Peterson said. "People in our area should be able to enjoy good music and the classical delights of a symphony orchestra. I tell you what, we can make it happen."