SFA's Orchestra of the Pines to perform popular classical music
November 11, 2013
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Stephen F. Austin State University Orchestra of the Pines will present "A Few of My Favorite Things" at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 19, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.
The November concert program is one that the Orchestra of the Pines normally takes on tour, playing for thousands of high school and middle school students in an effort to recruit students to attend SFA, according to Dr. Gene H. Moon, director of orchestras.
"For this year, I decided to program popular works that would be familiar to not only high school age students but also everyone who enjoys classical music," Moon said.
The concert is a joint presentation of the SFA College of Fine Arts and School of Music, and it will feature Dr. Christina Guenther, associate professor of flute, as guest performer and Dr. David Campo, associate director of bands, as guest conductor.
Guenther will join the orchestra in a performance of Johann Sebastian Bach's Second Orchestral Suite. The multi-movement work includes a popular last movement called the Badinerie, which is "a work that many young musicians perform in their careers," Moon explained.
"The modern day flute is one made of metal," he said. "However, in the Baroque period, when Bach wrote the suite, the flute then was made of wood. These rare Baroque instruments are a treat to hear. Dr. Guenther will perform the suite with her wood flute, which brings a unique and exciting timbre and sound to the orchestra."
Campo will join the orchestra as a guest conductor and lead the orchestra in Jean Sibelius' "Finlandia."
"It is a work of prominent place in Finnish music and that which exudes a proud sense of nationalism for the composer's home," Moon said.
The orchestra will also perform the overture from Richard Wagner's "Rienzi," which Moon described as "a powerful work that embodies the rich sonorities of Romanticism," and the concert will include a performance of Arturo Marquez's Danzon No. 2.
"Latin music has become popular with its danceable melodies and riveting rhythms," Moon said. "Arturo Marquez's Danzon No. 2 has become a staple piece of literature in this vein, and the Orchestra of the Pines is excited to perform the work."
Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students. For tickets or more information, visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu or call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 486-6407.