The largest Hillsdale College Symphony Orchestra to date performs their fall concert Oct. 19 and 20 with all the talent and half the nerves. They are playing predominantly the same repertoire as in their single performance at the Rebirth of Liberty and Learning Campaign Gala Concert this past week.
Instead of focusing on one major overture or symphony and complementing it with shorter pieces, as is the orchestra’s general wont, they are performing a variety of shorter, more recognizable works. These include “Festive Orchestra” by Dmitri Shostakovich, “Nimrod” by Edward Elgar, “Navarra” by Pablo de Sarasate, “The Tender Land Suite” by Aaron Copland, “Emperor Waltzes” by Johann Strauss Jr., and “Dance Bacchanale” by Camille Saint-Saëns.
“It’s great to have a performance behind us, and we can really settle down for concert week and polish what we need. It’s definitely different, but I actually really like it,” junior violinist LaRae Ferguson said. “I thought it would be more stressful having to learn two new movements, but it’s actually been really nice because it’s almost more the icing on the cake to add the new movements.”
The pieces are the same as during their performance last week with with addition of the first two movements to the Copland Suite.
“This is somewhat of a classical pops concert: single, more well-known, shorter works that tend to be more familiar,” Conductor and Professor of Music James Holleman said. “Classical pops are standard repertoire that should be recognizable — not like movie music, but more variety and single movements from larger works.”
In the more recent past, the orchestra has focused on larger works as the focal point of each concert, and it has been awhile since they focused on smaller works, he said.
“I like the variety of this concert. It’s kind of a fun and lighter sort of concert — and I’m more of a variety kind of person, so I like that,” Ferguson said. “I thinks it’s fun to play and to listen and a lot of stuff is either fun to listen or fun to play, so I really like that.”
Ferguson and senior Ryne Bessemer are performing a violin duet that forms the center of the Sarasate piece.
“I really enjoy that it is both a solo and a duet. You don’t have the pressure of being ‘the one,’ so you can enjoy the solo and have fun with the orchestra,” she said.
It also allows the pieces to move around the instrument sections fairly noticeably. Along with the featured violins, the cello, oboe, flute, horn, and many other sections have prominent parts of varying length within the concert.
“We’re playing a lot of short pieces instead of one massive overture or symphony, but it makes the concert more accessible,” senior cellist Ellen Roundey said.
The accessibility and variety also allow musicians to play pieces that they already have an affinity for that would not be played as part of a more focalized concert.
“I’m really excited for the Strauss and for the Copland,” Roundey said. “The Copland because I never knew it existed until I got the music, and I have always had a soft spot for Strauss, and I think it’ll be really fun.”
Holleman said he is excited about both the quality and the size of the orchestra this year.
“The winds are fairly constant, but the strings are much larger than one at our sized school normally would be,” he said.
Students and faculty alike show excitement for the rest of the orchestra season, beginning with this weekends concerts.
“We have a really great orchestra this year. I am really excited about the potential we have,” Ferguson said. “Great attitude, great technique—I think it’s going to be a great year.”
