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Shaw work debuts at Sacred Heart Photo by Jim Craven Valley Symphony Conductor Arthur Shaw discusses composing at his home in Ashland. Shaw is premiering his own composition, "Mi Re Sol," during the symphony's Candlelight Concerts series which concludes Saturday. Church inspired symphony conductor to compose piece By DANI DODGE Concerts conclude Saturday What : Rogue Valley Symphony Candlelight Concerts Performed by candlelight will be Conductor Arthur Shaw's "Mi Re Sol," Mozart's "Divertimento No. 1," Vitali's "Capriccio for String Orchestra" and Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 When : 8 p.m. tonight and Saturday Where : Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 449 S. Ivy St., Medford Details : Tickets are $18; tonight's performance is sold out. Hot spiced cider and cookies will be served at a reception after the performance Information : 552-6354. When Arthur Shaw was a student at Flagstaff High School in Arizona, he and other musicians were playing in the school's auditorium lobby that doubled as a hallway between the athletic fields and the locker room. "The athletes came sliding by on their cleats," said Shaw, conductor of the Rogue Valley Symphony. "They said, `Look at this,' and I won't tell you what they said, but it wasn't nice. I thought, I've got to right this wrong." It was a crime of ignorance. A lack of understanding of how music can enrich life and spark imagination. The sad spectacle of people who believe classical music to be a stuffy form of sound for elitist snobs. "The reason I'm on the podium is partly because I'm a good musician, but also because that's where the decisions can be made to right that wrong," Shaw said. Toward that end, Shaw has taken the symphony into schools, illustrated the second movement of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 1 with a video of sailing, and now is performing his own composition that melds renaissance and baroque styles with a minimalist simplicity. Many people say he's taken the Rogue Valley Symphony to new heights of professionalism and musicality. Shaw, 46, has been conducting the Rogue Valley Symphony since 1987. He lives in Ashland with his wife, Nancie, a violinist who also teaches at Ashland schools and Southern Oregon University. Their children -- Katelinn, 13, and Camden, 10, are budding musical talents themselves. Shaw was inspired by Medford's Sacred Heart Catholic Church to write "Mi Re Sol," the piece he is premiering in this season's Candlelight Concerts that began last weekend and conclude Saturday. He said the church's beauty, excellent acoustics, classic architectural design, spaciousness and feeling of history almost forced him to write. "You tie all those into a knot and that knot is a beautiful bow," Shaw said. "All good reasons to want to do something on their own but together it almost demands it." Shaw's piece is played with brass instruments on four sides of the church. It starts with low brass and creates a melodic, bell-ringing sound all around the audience. Basically, it's Johann Pachelbel meets Philip Glass. And it's a crowd pleaser. "He's combining the 20th century with the 13th," said Anne Decker, a symphony supporter who attended the candlelight concert last Saturday. "I liked it a lot. It was charming." Decker said she's seen a marked improvement in the symphony since Shaw took the helm. And she has been impressed with his efforts at innovation as well as his performance of his own composition. "I didn't know he could do things like that," she continued. "He's got a lot of hidden talent." Tuba player Mike Knox sits in the middle of the audience, right in front of Shaw, who conducts from the center of the church with a lighted baton. It's the best seat in the house, Knox said. "I get a quadraphonic stereo effect. The trumpets are mirroring each other. The sound bounces back and forth. It's wonderful." Judy Bjorlie, a cellist with the symphony, described the piece as "powerful." Shaw said he was trying to create something simple, mesmerizing and memorable with the piece. "What can we offer someone that they can't get by simply shagging in a CD?" he asked. "This is something we can do." But Shaw didn't exactly put the piece out there as soon as he'd written it. Although it's been in his head nearly 12 years, he waited. "When you do anything creative you open yourself up to criticism," Shaw said. "I realize with this I'm opening my heart for criticism, so it took a little while for me to get up the courage." Even after conducting the piece for the first time last weekend, he took suggestions from his musicians on how to make it better. Janet Kintzle, a violinist with the symphony since 1978, also had glowing words about Shaw. "I think Arthur is always looking for ways to bring a better musical experience to the audience and bring the music to life as much as possible," she said. "He's really brought the players along to be almost like a family of ensemble players." Symphony board president Gary Lovre said he's been pleased with Shaw's innovativeness, focus on education and ability to bring the symphony together musically. He said the board didn't even have to discuss whether or not Shaw could conduct his own music. "It was just something he wanted to do," Lovre said. "I'm looking forward to hearing it." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA