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There is new symphony
orchestra at the College, and its forty musicians are all MHC
students. The orchestra's members hail from around the globe and
boast varied musical backgrounds, but they share a love of playing
music. During the spring semester,
the group has been busy rehearsing four famous works of orchestral
artistry in preparation for its first public performance on April 29.
Lisa Utzinger '02 and Sara
Curtin '02 provided the genesis of the orchestra, deciding to start a
symphony orchestra at Mount Holyoke in November of last year and
providing leadership during its development. Joined by a nucleus of
students who shared their dream, Utzinger and Curtin spent several
months finding a conductor (they selected George Mathew of Boston,
who has conducted orchestras and choruses at a variety of colleges),
organizing auditions, registering the group, and securing funding. The creation of the orchestra
has been a community effort. Just about every member of the music
department faculty pitched in--working with student musicians,
helping with the conductor search, playing in the orchestra
themselves, and simply offering their support. Joanne Creighton
supported the orchestra through a generous donation from presidential
discretionary funds. Stammel's Stringed Instruments of Amherst
donated the folders that the group uses to store its music. The new orchestra has
afforded its members the opportunity to play classical, romantic, and
contemporary works in a large orchestra on campus, complementing
Euridice, the College's orchestral group, that specializes in
Baroque/classical works. It is the hope of the orchestra's founders
that the symphony orchestra will endure long after they graduate, and
that the College will add a symphony orchestra to its exciting list
of musical opportunities. On Saturday, April 29, at 3
pm in Chapin Auditorium, the orchestra will perform Beethoven's First
Symphony, Faure's Pavane, Mascagni's intermezzo
Sinfonico, and Copland's A Lincoln Portrait (narrated by
Rochelle Calhoun, associate dean of the College. Barring rain, the
group will have a Tanglewood-style dress rehearsal from 6 to 10 pm on
Friday, April 28, in Gettell Amphitheater. The concert and dress
rehearsal are free and open to the public.
photos by Fred
LeBlanc
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