Love Story

When you see a bunch of people listening to iPods at next weekend's Modesto Symphony Orchestra concert, don't assume they're being rude.

They're participating in an experiment organized by the orchestra. The group is lending 50 volunteers iPods loaded with commentary from Music Director David Lockington about Antonín Dvorák's Symphony No. 8 in G Major.

It will be like Lockington is sitting next to them whispering in their ears, said Caroline Nickel, the orchestra's marketing and public-relations director.

She compared the iPods to the audio guides at museums.

"Maybe there are people for whom it will

demystify the concert -- make it more educational, more interactive," she said.

There will be no iPod commentary for the two remaining pieces on the program -- Gang Chen and Zhanhao He's "Butterfly Lovers" Violin Concerto featuring soloist Jessica Lee, and Gabriel Fauré's "Pelléas et Melisande" Suite.

The experiment is just one of the innovative ideas the orchestra is trying this year to fulfill the requirements of a $250,000 grant. Awarded in 2007 by the James Irvine Foundation, the grant is intended to broaden and deepen its relationship with the community.

The orchestra recently held a "Guitar Hero" video game competition and is organizing a wine and cheese tasting tonight and a symphony yoga class Tuesday (see a brief on Page E-11 for details).

While Nickel acknowledged that some audience members may find the iPods distracting, she said she thinks it's worth a try to see if others enjoy them.

"We feel like we owe it to our audience to explore different avenues and options," she said.

Depending on audience response on surveys after the concert, the orchestra will decide whether to continue with the iPods.

The Dvorák piece that features the audio commentary premièred in 1889 and reflects the composer's love for his native Czech culture. The Fauré, first performed in 1898, is from an opera centering on a mystical fairy tale set in medieval times.

Written in 1959, the violin concerto is inspired by a ninth-century legend called the Chinese "Romeo and Juliet." It's about two lovers who aren't allowed to marry. One dies and the other jumps into the tomb. Soon afterward, a pair of butterflies emerge and fly away.

"It's something very different -- we never do something like that," said Lee, who just turned 26. "Most of the music we play is from Western folk tunes -- Hungarian, Czech, Viennese style and French, which is great. We rarely, rarely get to play anything by Asian composers that reflect the Eastern influences."

A Korean-American who was born in Virginia, Lee has been playing violin since age 3. Now a resident of New York, she won first prize in the 2005 Concert Artists Guild International Competition.

She said she has never heard of another orchestra offering iPod commentary but thinks it sounds like a great idea. She would like to try it herself.

"I do a lot of outreach with children and with university students, as well as with adults," she said. "It's very interesting to think of how someone who is not exposed to music all the time, what would be a great way to help them see what makes it so interesting to us."