REMEMBERING MAESTRO RODOLFO FERNANDEZ
With the swing of his baton, colorful notes were splashed into the audience. This founding conductor, Maestro Rodolfo Fernandez of the Lompoc Pops Orchestra, kept the notes dancing. These notes could be elegant as in a slow waltz or fired up by Star Wars and Superman sending the wonderful music of America all over Lompoc. But of course, it is essential, in any orchestra, that the musicians “play into” the scene with the best of their attention and musicianship.
This is only possible in their establishing of a closeness and co-operative spirit with the conductor. The Pops musicians were fellow musicians of founding Concertmistress, Diane Siminski, being the very talented local musicians from Lompoc and from all over the Central Coast. They knew the urgency to “perfect” a reading because, with the large program of American music titles to be mastered, there was only one rehearsal to put it all together. Finances allowed the musicians only one paid service and a concert performance.
Working towards perfection, with respect and co-operation towards the conductor and fellow musicians, the Lompoc Pops Orchestra reached high success in presenting concert after concert of many of the most loved and popular music of our good ol’ U.S.A. Our halls became filled with fans and we expanded our concert dates to serve VAFB, Santa Barbara and special events such as 4th of July Concerts in the Park, Chumash Casino, Brushes and Blues Arts Event, Cinco de Mayo, Harvest Arts, Lompoc and the tribute concerts of 9-11, 2001 and 2002, VAFB, Ca. On Flag Day, June 14th 2002, we were featured at the gala event, the viewing of the Bodger Seed Company’s Flower Flag viewing. The event was recorded and televised as a segment show of Huell Hoser’s CALIFORNIA GOLD
We were honored to have performed in some exceptional venues. The first was the privilege of making music within the large, beautiful chapel of the La Purisima Mission, founded in 1787, in addition to performing in Lompoc’s historic Calvert Theater. The Calvert Theater holds the reputation of being “the hall with the exceptional acoustics, second only to those of the California Missions.” As Lompoc Mayor Dick stated as the Emcee of the Pops concert night, June 1999, “This Theater is the Grand Lady of historic Lompoc”,
Working with LUSD, we were able to present a “Music from Outer Space” concert, during school time at both Lompoc High
School to the audience of 1600 teens, and a turnaround concert at Cabrillo High School to some 800 teens. Fantastic audiences, well behaved, and one could almost hear a “pin drop”. These concerts were gifted to us by Local resident Louise Mollath. Small ensembles performed at Lompoc’s 4th grade assemblies.
We are grateful to our founding conductor for sharing his talents and his great dedication to the Lompoc musicians and community audiences “For The Love of Music” While conducting the music of our U.S.A., he helped to put U into US in the audience and to put US into USA as each concert unfolded into celebrating America, in a uniquely beautiful way.
We are most grateful to our Lompoc Pops Board of Trustees and to past Board Presidents and Members who were dedicated, creative and talented in forming an official organization establishing the Lompoc Pops as a full fledged professional community orchestra and have strived to keep it so, in Lompoc
since 1996
Thank you, community of Lompoc, our many corporate and our business partners. It is because of your continued support of the Lompoc Pops orchestra that our Concert Season continues from year to year as we celebrate our initial concert. The popular Lompoc Festival Strings Orchestra was asked to entertain at V.A.F.B’s Space Week ’96 which opened July of 1996. Rodolfo Fernandez was invited to conduct the orchestra at this gala event.on July 17, 1996. That following year, July of !997, the dinner orchestra was invited to return and to entertain at the annual dinner. In addition, we were asked to expand to a full Theater Orchestra and to present a concert for the community to be held in the city of Lompoc, that week of Space Week ’97.
This we did and with resounding success! We found, that night, that we Americans were thirsty for our American music, as presented by an enthusiastic, live orchestra.. We believe we always will. Patriotism is stirred up at its best, through music.
We thank our founding conductor Rodolfo Fernandez for his dedication, talents, and friendship all of which entered into your colorful conducting of the Lompoc Pops. Lompoc will always miss Rodolfo on the podium of the Pops.