Junior Rachelle Ferguson will perform Henri Vieuxtemps’ Violin Concerto No. 5, and Sophomore Gregory Farison will perform the second movement of Camille Saint-Saens’ Cello Concerto No. 2, at this weekend’s orchestra concerts.
~Compiled by Laura Williamson
Rachelle Ferguson:
What is your major?
I’m an English and classics double major.
How many years have you played the violin?
I started taking lessons when I was 4, so about 16 years. I can’t remember a time without it. It’s part of my life.
Do you play any other instruments?
I play piano and I sing. I take lessons for those here as well.
What is your favorite piece that you’ve played or one that has spoken to you the most?
One of my favorite composers and pieces that I’ve played is by Samuel Barber. The Barber Violin Concerto is just one of my favorites.
Do you have any other hobbies?
I love to write. I’m on the Tower Light board, so I do a lot of creative writing and things like that. I spend a lot of time reading and writing.
What is your fondest musical memory?
This is sort of a bigger thing and not really a specific memory. In high school, I was in the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra, which was a really fantastic experience. We played fun music and it was really special to be involved with a group of other young people that were so serious and had such a love for music, like myself.
Gregory Farison:
What is your major?
Economics with a music minor.
How many years have you played the cello?
Roughly 13 years.
Do you play any other instruments?
No, I’ve only studied the cello.
What is your favorite piece that you’ve played or one that has spoken to you the most?
That’d be one of my absolute favorite cello pieces, Victor Herbert’s Cello Concerto No. 2.
Do you have any other hobbies?
Music is certainly my main hobby, though I also greatly enjoy reading novels.
What is your fondest musical memory?
Going to a Goat Rodeo concert with my friends and geeking over Yo-Yo Ma and Chris Thile’s playing.
