group ’ s undying passion for musical excellence remains as bold and brilliant as the sound of a finely-tuned violin .
An Overture of Inspiration
Eleva ’ s Founder , Willie Docto , gravitated towards music at an early age . Docto recalls : “ I grew up in Tulsa , and I started to play music in the sixth grade . One day , a teacher came into my school . He gave us cards and told us to bring them home to our parents if we were interested in playing music . I brought home the card and told my parents that I wanted to play the flute . My parents said , ‘ You have asthma — you should play the violin instead .’” After honing his violin skills for several years , Docto began taking lessons with a private teacher . He went on to play in the Tulsa Youth Symphony , and eventually earned a music scholarship at Oral Roberts University . Upon arriving at Oral Roberts University , Docto decided that he wanted to change paths and pursue a different career . “ I knew that I wasn ’ t going to make a living as a professional musician . I transferred to Georgetown University in Washington , DC and changed my major , but I still brought my violin with me .”
Docto continued to play the violin , and he seized critical opportunities to grow his musical network . “ I was able to get gigs playing at receptions and weddings in Washington , DC ,” says Docto . “ I formed a little quartet with three other students , and we performed at the National Theatre after they did a major renovation for their grand reopening .” Event attendants included Hollywood and Broadway impresarios , as well as famed politicians , such as Ronald and Nancy Reagan . Even though Docto never intended to become a professional musician , he was still able to help pay for his college expenses by playing the violin .
Docto ’ s experiences during his college years paved a path for his entry into the field of Arts Management and Orchestra Management . He elaborates : “ After I graduated from Georgetown , I ended up working as the Manager of the Georgetown Symphony and the Virginia Chamber Orchestra , which is a professional orchestra . At the same time , I worked for an organization that is now called the League of American Orchestras . I was absorbing a lot of data and working with people who were leaders in the orchestra world .” During the years that he worked with those orchestras , Docto gained crucial management skills that served him well when he decided to create the Eleva Chamber Players . “ I had experience as an event planner , a concert planner , a businessperson , and as a musician , so when I had the opportunity to form Eleva , it was fairly easy for me to bring it all together . I knew that it was something that I could manage .”
After moving to Vermont in 1996 with his husband , Greg Trulson , Docto began to make forays into Central Vermont ’ s classical music scene . In 2000 , he started to play in a small orchestra at the Our Lady of the Snows Church in Woodstock , which hosts the annual “ Messiah ” concert during Woodstock ’ s “ Wassail Weekend .” “ It ’ s a big traditional winter event ,” says Docto . “ I got to play with a group of seven incredibly talented musicians at that event . After the performance , I was talking with a friend who drove down there with me . I looked over at my friend and said , ‘ Wow ! These guys are really good . I ’ d love to play with them more often ’.” With every passing year that Docto played in Woodstock , his desire to play with some of Vermont and New England ’ s most talented musicians grew exponentially stronger . “ One day , we decided , ‘ Why not ask these people if they want to play more often ?’ That ’ s when we decided to form Eleva . Some of the original musicians have transitioned since then , but all of Eleva ’ s original principal players came from that orchestra , including our Concertmaster , John Lindsay , who is retiring this year .”
Docto adds that John Lindsay ’ s contributions to the Eleva Chamber Players will be honored with special celebratory performances on November 12 at the Waterbury
Congregational Church and November 13 at the Inn at Round Barn Farm . “ John had a tremendous impact on the organization ,” says Docto . “ He has a way of getting a unique sound on his violin that I truly appreciate . The Concertmaster is a critical leader in any orchestra , and he has certainly been essential in creating our sound .” The tribute concert will feature a spirited performance of “ Winter ” from Vivaldi ’ s Four Seasons , with a virtuosic violin solo from John Lindsay .
As Docto ’ s vision for the chamber ensemble began to gradually manifest , he enlisted the services of several additional musicians . “ We had a principal violist from Boston , Scott Woolweaver , a principal cellist from the eastern side of Vermont , Linda Galvin , and a bass player , Lou Kosma , who played bass for many years at The Metropolitan Opera . He conducts the Vermont Philharmonic , so he had many connections in Vermont . When they all said , ‘ Yes ’ to the proposition , we realized that we had a real orchestra here .” From there , Docto continued to call additional people that he knew to recruit them into the Eleva ensemble , including a husband-and-wife duo of talented violinists from Manila ’ s Clarion Chamber Ensemble , Olga and Reginald Pineda , who now reside in New England .
Once Eleva ’ s principal musicians were in place , the real groundwork began . “ It ’ s difficult to pay professional musicians when you ’ re just starting out as a nonprofit organization ,” notes Docto . “ To that end , one of our board members suggested that we hold a house concert in the Summer of 2006 . It was a very fun event . There was food , drinks , and music , and everyone had a good time .” Over the next several years , the Eleva Chamber Ensemble replicated similar events in different locations across the United States , including a series of house concerts around Vermont , and additional concerts in Dallas , Tulsa , St . Paul , Chicago , and Washington , DC . “ It worked out really well ,” says Docto . “ We still do house concerts to this day – but only here at the Moose Meadow Lodge . We ’ ve gotten a fairly large following , and people look for it every year . It ’ s become
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