The Andrews University Symphony Orchestra (AUSO) is ready to take you on a trip! On Saturday, Nov. 8, the AUSO will be performing their first solo concert of the 2025-26 season at the Howard Performing Arts Center (HPAC). This concert will feature two giants of the orchestra and violin repertoires: Gustav Holst’s “The Planets” and Jean Sibelius’ Violin Concerto in D minor, with Mailyn Iribar (senior, music performance) as the violin soloist.
The first work on the program, Sibelius’ Violin Concerto, comes to the stage thanks to Iribar, who won this special opportunity through the annual Young Artist Competition in 2024. Winning the competition gave her the chance to perform the totality of the concerto instead of only one movement (part), as is customary for other winners of the competition. Marc Elysee, the director of the AUSO, has highlighted the potential of Mailyn to perform a full concerto, and added that “she's a very sensible musician, which is very important because the concerto by Sebelius is a highly intimate work.”
For Iribar, who has performed as a soloist with the orchestra twice before this concert, it has been a pleasant experience to collaborate with Elysee and the orchestra members to bring her and the composers' ideas to life. As a violinist who loves the freedom and connection with people that the violin gives her, she not only needs to be able to play the instrument, but also to do what she loves more: “telling the stories, and through the violin and the composer’s music I can do that.”
Sibelius’s violin concerto has been regarded by musicians as an emotionally charged, virtuosic work that can only be brought to life properly by mature musicians. Sibelius’ concerto is among the required concertos for international violin competitions, and prominent names in the classical music industry spend several years studying and preparing the piece to achieve the best possible performance. So, for the AUSO to bring this piece to the Andrews’ campus and feature an AU student is a great challenge and privilege.
“The Sibelius Violin Concerto is one of my favorite pieces of the violin repertoire,” says Iribar. She highlights the innovative and complex harmonic textures that bring new, vibrant colors to accompany the violin’s virtuosic melodic line. For her, the second movement of the concerto has “one of the most expressive, dramatic and beautiful moments in the solo violin repertoire.”
It is not the first time the orchestra has played excerpts from “The Planets,” as they embarked on the journey of learning “Jupiter” for their Fall Concert last year, and “Mars” and “Venus” for the Alumni Gala this past September. However, this time they will be performing the full suite, going through the different planets except for the Earth—Mars, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Holst, the composer, drew inspiration from astrology to depict the planets, but he also created a narrative of his own, establishing dualities between the movements, such as “Mars, the bringer of War” versus “Venus, the bringer of Peace.”
For Fabricio Rivera (freshman, electrical engineering), playing this piece with the orchestra is a first and probably a once-in-a-lifetime experience for him, something he appreciates a lot. He saw live performances of the piece before: “Hearing that piece [The Planets] in person was something I've only experienced a handful of times; when the conductor moves the baton and out of the orchestra comes this wonderful epiphany of ineffable sound that etches that particular instant into your memory forever.”
Elysee believes that this musical work is very accessible for the audience, but it demands a lot from the musicians to perform it. “It’s a very demanding piece that actually features some of the finest and hardest techniques for each of the sections,” he said. “So all the instruments are actually playing difficult things, but also very, very beautiful things.” He mentioned that “The Planets” calls for the use of rare instruments, such as the alto flute, in addition to instruments that usually do not appear on the orchestra lineup, including the organ, treble choir (mostly female singers), and two timpani sets instead of one.
The Orchestra extends its invitation for the Andrews community to attend the concert and enjoy two evening musical treats. Elysee mentions that, although the concert requires ticket purchases, contributing and attending is “a way to support the music program and the activities of the Department of Music,” as pulling works like Holst have higher costs than usual. Besides, it is an opportunity to enjoy an awesome program without spending as much as one would if attending a Chicago Symphony Orchestra performance, Elysee adds.
“We [the orchestra] have been putting a lot of hours and energy leading towards the concert this Saturday,” Iribar says, “and I hope that the story I am sharing through my playing can touch someone’s heart.” Rivera shares the excitement, both as a player and a former audience member, saying that “you'll get to have an amazing experience by hearing that beautiful music that transmits emotions words can't express.”
For ticket acquisition and more information about the concert, visit the HPAC website. For more information regarding the Symphony Orchestra and the Department of Music, visit their website here.
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.