With music ranging from Mendelssohn’s “Elijah” to a medley of Duke Ellington songs, the Andrews University Symphony Orchestra concert on Thursday, March 5, at 7 p.m., at the Howard Performing Arts Center (HPAC) was not one to miss. The concert, while open to anyone, was specifically performed for the 100 high school students attending the Department of Music’s Band and Keyboard Festivals, according to an announcement before the start of the concert by the chair of the music department, Max Keller.
The evening opened with a performance of selections from Mendelssohn’s “Elijah,” sung by Charles Reid. Though Reid has a tenor voice, for this concert, he sang selections of both the tenor and baritone parts. The baritone part of this oratorio represents Elijah from the Bible story found in 1 and 2 Kings.
“My favorite experience was getting to actually step into the shoes of Elijah, because I never actually get to,” Reid said. “I sing the two tenor arias, but I never get to sing the baritone. So that was really special.”
This was also Reid’s first time singing Charles Gounod’s “O Divine Redeemer” with an orchestral accompaniment. As the orchestra will bring this piece with them on their tour to California for spring break, Reid expressed that he is “...Looking forward to seeing how it changes as we’re doing the tour. We’ll have more time with it, and it’ll become more organic for everyone!”
This was the last performance of the orchestra before their tour. Before the concert, cellist Michelle Atuti (freshman, aviation) said, “In my mind, it's kind of like a dress rehearsal for the tour. And I feel a little nervous!” Because the orchestra has been focused on preparing for their upcoming tour, the evening’s program had many similarities to the fundraising concert that the orchestra performed just two weeks prior to this concert on Feb. 19. After a brief “commercial break” to advertise the tour, according to AUSO conductor Marc Élysée, the orchestra performed for a second time this season the pieces “Curtain Up!” arranged by Bob Krogstad, “Gabriel’s Oboe” arranged by Ennio Morricone, “Duke Ellington Medley” arranged by Calvin Custer, and “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace” arranged by Jerry Brubaker.
These popular tunes in the second half of the program were the fan-favorites of the evening. In an interview prior to the concert, tubist Oscar Flores (freshman, music education) stated that he was most excited to play the jazzy pieces, which, in his opinion, are the most fun for the brass. Many of these jazzy pieces in the second half of the program featured Fabri Rivera Perez (freshman, electrical engineering) on drumset, setting a beat for the orchestra to play with. Especially during these jazzy and popular tunes, you could hear the audience members humming along to the music, audibly enjoying themselves.
The orchestra played a total of nine pieces. Though they were short, each piece required a different expression of musicality from the players. Though the sheer amount of repertoire performed was challenging for the musicians, it was also enjoyable.
“I like a lot of the music we're playing. I think this is really good,” Atuti said. “The last time I liked the music this much was when we played ‘The Planets.’ So I'm really excited for this.”
After the concert, the lobby was buzzing with the sounds of high school students enjoying the refreshments and talking about the concert. One student, Maria Thom, from Crawford Adventist Academy, commented, “I liked how the instruments complemented each other. It fit together like a puzzle; it didn't fight against each other. It was really nice to hear something like this tonight, because I've never really heard something like this.”
Another student, Daniel Sadjak, from Great Lakes Adventist Academy, said, “I liked the variety. I wasn’t a big fan of the opera, but it had a little of all genres.” There was something for everyone at this concert.
Élysée, reflecting on the concert, said: “The repertoire that I chose is designed to illustrate a true reflection of what is happening on campus—the values we care for, a shared faith, and also excellence in what we do, both technically and academically.” The orchestra looks forward to performing this music once again on their upcoming California tour.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.