DEANSBORO — The Half Moon Orchestra performs its Country Road Concert of classical and country music from 4-6 p.m. Sunday, May 21, at MKJ Farm, 6844 West Hughes Road.

Conductor Michael DiMeo said there will be classical pieces with a country theme like music from “The Magnificent Seven” film intermixed with country hits like “Country Roads,” “Life is a Highway,” “Jolene” and many more. “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” will be a concert highlight, DiMeo intimated, as it features a great singer and “smoking” violinist.

The concert celebrates the group’s one year anniversary. he said. The usual band complement of 14-16 members will expand to a 35-piece full orchestra for this special show, DiMeo added.

DiMeo said the group was looking for a place to hold their spring concert event and found the beautiful, renovated barn venue of MKJ Farm. And once it was decided to play the concert in a barn, they agreed a country music-themed concert would be perfect for the setting, DiMeo noted.

This is the first time they have performed a country-themed concert, he added. The afternoon of family-friendly entertainment will also feature the Mötley Chëw food truck, a 50/50 raffle and a variety of local vendors.

Pre-sale tickets are $12 online or $15 at the door.

Based in Oriskany, the Half Moon Orchestra is a not-for-profit chamber ensemble founded in 2022 to “fill the void” of orchestral performances in the area, DiMeo explained. The group is sponsored by Giotto Enterprises.

DiMeo said their Half Moon Orchestra logo shows the dark and light sides of the moon — the dark is the classical side of their music, and the light is the pop side.

Their mission is to provide the Utica-Rome area with a variety of modern, engaging, and well-known music to inspire the appreciation of instrumental music and public interest in orchestral and chamber music.

With a group membership that includes students up to septuagenarians, they play music from Vivaldi to Radiohead and everything in between, DiMeo said,

“That keeps the interest of the young people playing in the group and the audience as well,” he said. “The musicians are very enthusiastic and love performing and doing the work and are very concerned with making the audiences happy.”

The group is actively recruiting advanced skill level string players. Anyone interested in becoming a part of the group can email them at halfmoonorchestra@gmail.com or contact them through their website.

For more information, visit www.halfmoonorchestra.com.