A resonant 25th for N.J. orchestra

Most members of the Philharmonic of Southern New Jersey don't play music for a living. Rather, they live to play music.

Thus a physicist, a pharmacist, a data analyst, and a lawyer or two will be among the performers onstage at the amateur ensemble's 25th anniversary concert.

"This fills a need in my life," says Neil Aaronson, 35, a violist who lives in Mays Landing and teaches physics at Stockton University.

"Playing the viola makes me feel whole."

I met Aaronson and others in the respected 95-member Philharmonic during a rehearsal last week for the anniversary concert.

They will be performing Mozart's Symphony No. 25 in G minor and Carl Orff's cantata Carmina Burana - with contributions from three soloists and four choral groups.

The concert is set for Nov. 1 at Eastern Regional High School in Voorhees (for information, visit www.psnj.org).

"We're always challenging ourselves to play better, play bigger, play more deeply," says Matthew Oberstein, the charismatic conductor and music director, who commutes to rehearsals and performances from his Manhattan home.

Except for Oberstein's $12,000 annual stipend, the Philharmonic has no paid staff. Its $94,000 annual budget mostly goes toward rent for the auditorium at Eastern, where it rehearses and presents four concerts a year.

"We're a community orchestra by definition, in that the players don't get paid," Oberstein, 32, says. "But we play as if we are a professional group."

The Philharmonic was founded in 1990 by 15 South Jersey musicians and music lovers, recalls Phil Travaline, a trumpet player and longtime music educator who headed up the effort.

The Mantua resident conducted the ensemble until 2011 and still plays with the group. So does his wife, Bobbie, a cellist.

"When the Philharmonic started, we had nowhere to rehearse, we didn't have music stands, and we didn't have a podium for the conductor," Travaline, 78, says.

"There was a fear of failure. Were we going to become a laughingstock? But there was enthusiasm. There was something special."

There was also plenty of support from the community: More than 100 people had to be turned away from the Philharmonic's sellout debut concert at Haddon Township High School in January 1991.

Since then, the number of annual subscriptions has grown to a stable 650. Individual ticket sales have risen from "an average of between 700 and 900, to between 1,200 to 1,300," says Oberstein.

Residencies for composers, a holiday pops concert, and adventurous programming - including Jake Runestad's choral work in honor of veterans, Dreams of the Fallen, with text by Iraq War vet and poet Brian Turner- have helped grow audiences, says the conductor.

Oberstein's intense but affable presence on and off the podium has won him the affection of concertgoers and players alike.

"He's young, he's effervescent, and he's vibrant," says Karen Hoffman, 72, of Haddon Township, who with her husband, William, has been a supporter of the Philharmonic since its inception. "And he talks to the audience, which they like."

I watched part of the rehearsal, and the rapport between the relaxed, yet vigilant, young conductor and his mostly middle-aged players was palpable.

"Seeing how passionate he is, how could I not play to my best potential?" says bass clarinetist Maritza Sánchez, 48, a hospital pharmacist who lives in Glassboro. "I have to give him back what he's giving us."

Besides offering South Jersey audiences' close-to-home concert options, the Philharmonic also is a chance for accomplished local players to perform music they love with peers whose musicianship they respect.

"Symphony orchestras don't grow on trees. There aren't that many opportunities like this," notes Elura Nanos, 41, of Cherry Hill. A flutist - and a lawyer as well - she joined the Philharmonic in 2006.

"A lot of us work hard during the day," says Karen Kessler, 48, of Mount Laurel, a Philharmonic violist for 24 years and a data analyst with the New Jersey Department of Labor.

"When we come here, it's such a creative outlet," Kessler says. "We cut loose and get to have the giant reward of playing music with our friends. It's an absolute joy."

kriordan@phillynews.com

856-779-3845 @inqkriordan

www.philly.com/blinq