The Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra

The concert performed by the Allen High School Symphony Orchestra, which combines the Chamber and Sinfonia Orchestras, was an amazing concert but was not a flawless one. The pieces all sounded quite wonderful on the outside, but by diving deeper into the music and truly listening to and observing the performance with a sharper eye, there were some problems that appeared in a couple different areas, and those problems came mainly from three distinct areas: tone, technique, and musicianship.

On April 11, 2014 The Florida Orchestra performed Wolfgang Mozart’s Symphony No. 28 in C major, K, 200, David Diamond’s Symphony No. 4, and Johannes Brahms Quartet No.1 for Piano and Strings in G minor at the David A. Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Ferguson Hall in Tampa, Florida. Gerard Schwarz, guest conductor, led the Florida Orchestra for each of the compositions. According to The Florida Orchestra Program the list of performers for the violin is Jeffrey Multer, Nancy Chang, Jeffrey Smick, Lei Liu, Sarah Shellman, Lucas Guideri, Valerie Adams, Toula Bonie, Saundra Buscemi, Mary Corbett, Linda Gaines, Oleg Geyer, Cynthia Gregg, Linda Hall, Yan Jiang Lu, Evelyn Pupello, Claudia Rantucci, and Virginia Respess. The list of performers for the viola is Ben Markwell, Kathie Aagaard, Karl Bawel, Lewis Brinin, Alan Gordon, Alison Heydt, Kenneth Kwo, Warren Powell, and Barbara Rizzo. The list of performers for the violoncello is James Connors, Lowell Adams, Rebecca Bialosky, Alfred Gratta, Gretchen Langlitz, Laura McKey Smith, and Merrilee Wallbrunn. The list of performers for the bass is Dee Moses, John DiMura, Roger Funk, Alan Glick, James Petrecca, and Deborah Schmidt. The list for performers for the flute is Clay Ellerbroek, Daphne Soellner, and Lewis Sligh. Lewis Sligh was the only piccolo performer. The list of performers for the oboe is Shawn Welk, Lane Lederer, and Jeffrey Stepehenson. Jeffrey Stephenson also performed during the night playing the English

On Friday, February 12, 2016 at 7:00 p.m., the Division of Music at Bob Jones University presented the Symphonic Wind Band and performed five pieces. The performance in Stratton Hall at Bob Jones University was a highlight of the European Travelogue, directed by Dan Turner. The program included A Moorside Suite by Gustav Holst; Three Revolutionary Marches by Bedrich Smetana; Spring: Overture for Wind Orchestra by Johan de Meij; Galop, from Genevieve de Brabant by Jacques Offenbach; Ile-de-France from Suite Francaise by Darius Milhaud; and Danceries by Kenneth Hesketh. Each piece was concluded with eager applause and praise.

I attended the Baylor University Concert Jazz Ensemble directed by Alex Parker on Tuesday, November 10th. This ensemble consisted of saxes, trombones, trumpets, drums, a piano, and bass. The concert showcased many individual talents by including solo’s or duet’s in every song. The program consisted of seven songs with no intermission. The pieces I selected were “Big Dipper” by Thad Jones and “Undecided” by Frank Mantooth.

I have never attended an orchestral concert. Although my taste ranges between several different types of music, the only concerts I have attended are of the rock and country variety. I was not sure what to expect in attending The Houston Civic Symphony’s performance on Sunday, October 9, 2016. It was held at the Dunham Theater within the Morris Cultural Arts Center at Houston Baptist University. Once inside I saw the beautiful stage with all of the performers warming up and three stories of seating. Many of the patrons were in the age range of 30 and up. I did see some kids and young adults but not many. The HCS marked its 50th year since the very first performance this season. The first performance happened in 1996 when a group of music lovers in Houston came together to play a concert just because they wanted to play and share their love of music with others. From that day they became known as the Houston Civic Symphony. Some of the players I watched in this performance have been with the Symphony for 25 years or more while others are barely reaching their first year if not their first performance; only two of the players have been there since the very first season. Out of the three pieces performed the one that caught my attention the most was the last, it hold a powerful message of fear and desperation for

My bow lifted off of my cello and froze midair after the final chord of Leroy Anderson’s “A Christmas Festival”, and I grinned at my stand partner. The audience rose to their feet, whooping and whistling as the conductor cued the orchestra for the encore.

On Saturday, December 12th, the High School Philharmonic All-Region Orchestra performed a variety of fascinating pieces. They were directed by Professor Edward Kawakami from Carthage College. The region orchestra began the concert with “Pomp and Circumstance March No. 4 op. 39” by Edward Elgar. The next piece that the orchestras performed was “Clair de Lune” by Claude Debussy. The last piece that the High School Philharmonic All-Region Orchestra performed was “Samson and Dalila Dance Bacchanale op. 47” by Camille Saint-Saens.

The second piece that was performed was “St. Louis Blues”, by W.C Handy (1873-1958). The piece was considered the most famous blues composition from the time it was written in 1914 until 1930. According to Handy, he found his inspiration for the song while talking to many people on the streets of St. Louis. Similar to his other pieces, it was composed in a bar Handy visited often in

To think of something that didn’t go my way I don’t have to look back very far. This spring I tried out for the drum major position in the Ohio State University Marching band. I was a member of the band last year and drum major was the next logical step in my journey. I had practiced for months leading up to tryouts. I thought I was ready for anything. During the first of three parts of the tryout process I was twirling down the field and the baton slipped out of my hand during a crucial part in the routine. I was devastated but I thought I still might have a chance. After everyone had tried out we waited for them to announce who had won. Nothing hurt worse than standing there in front of my friends and family and not having my name called.

Founded in 1916, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is the only major American orchestra originally established as a branch of the municipal government. It was later reorganized as a private institution in 1942. The orchestra’s primary venue is the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, with the Music Center at Strathmore in Bethesda as a secondary; making it the nation’s first orchestra with year-round venues in two metropolitan areas. The ensemble performs more than 130 concerts a year and has had 89 world premiere and 42 commissioned works since its founding.

The Masterworks concert I attended at the Colorado Symphony was Watkins Plays Edgar. A formal event with an audience of older more sophisticated adults. Dressed well and already knowing the appropriate etiquette for a symphony was a prepared crowd. The artists were lined up perfectly on the grand stage all dressed in black ready to go, the conductor was standing in front of them all and started the piece moving his hands back and forth up and down. It was beautiful. With selections from The Sleeping Beauty and in-between was a short solo violin piece that was perfection lead us to close the suite is a grand conclusion, the kind that we all recognize when something is coming to an end. Throughout the performance the audience clapped when they were suppose to and the conductor even said a few words about the piece and what inspired it.

There are pops orchestras, there are symphony orchestras – and then there’s the Cleveland Orchestra. While classifying itself as a symphonic group, its musicians nonetheless display a versatility matched by few. Rarely has that been more apparent than this Labor Day weekend, when the orchestra paid tribute to Hollywood composing legend John Williams.

This is the website for the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops. This orchestra was established in 1885, and was designed as a summer job for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, so as to provide year-round employment forthe musicians, who would otherwise be searching for work during the summer months. It was also created as a new series of summer venues. It was designed to resemble summer evening Viennese concerts. They were originally named “Promenade Concerts.” Later, people started calling them “popular concerts.” That name was shortened to “pops,” and that name stuck and was officially adopted in 1900. In 1901, a new hall was created for the Pops. Symphony Hall has amazing acoustics and is designed in a way that the rows may be removed

The first half of the performance was a complete orchestra of woodwinds, strings, drums, brass, excreta and a four part choir. Overall the performance took no longer than thirty minutes to play the three-part Symphony of Psalms. This Symphony was much shorter than I was

The Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Matthew Kraemer, played at the Tilson Music Hall on Indiana State University campus. The orchestra came to Terre Haute as part of the Indiana State University 50th Annual Contemporary Music Festival. To hear the orchestra play was a delight. The pieces that were played were by James A. Beckel, Jr. and Libby Larsen.