SFA Symphony Orchestra to perform works by Tchaikovsky, Milhaud

NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The Stephen F. Austin State University Symphony Orchestra’s virtual performance on Tuesday, Oct. 20, will feature music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Darius Milhaud.

Beginning at 7:30 p.m. and accessible through live streaming free of charge at music.sfasu.edu, the concert’s main feature is Tchaikovsky’s “Serenade for Strings,” according to Dr. Gregory Grabowski, the orchestra’s conductor.

“The Tchaikovsky (piece) is one of the biggest standards of string repertoire,” Grabowski said.

The concert also includes French composer Milhaud’s “La Creation du Monde.”

“The Milhaud was composed in the 1920s and was very much influenced by early jazz,” Grabowski said. “Apparently, when he heard his first American jazz band perform in London, Milhaud was so captivated he went to New York City to visit Harlem, go to jazz clubs and mingle with jazz musicians.

“Interestingly – and honestly accidentally – both pieces fit at home in the ballet,” Grabowski added. “The Milhaud was originally composed as a ballet, and George Balanchine (ballet choreographer) brought the Tchaikovsky into the ballet repertoire.”

The concert will be live-streamed only with a rebroadcast at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, on the SFA Symphony Orchestra YouTube page. For additional information, contact the School of Music at (936) 468-4602.