The U of M’s Orchestral Appearance
My exceptional encounter at the U of M orchestra
BY SYDNEY PESHON WITH ART BY ALEX KOZAK
Besides a brief and unsatisfactory love affair with my clarinet in the sixth and seventh grade, I’ve had little experience with orchestral instruments. I remember toting my pink clarinet case through beige walls in middle school, readying myself for the squeaks of trumpets and dry reeds to be clicked onto woodwinds. My limited involvement in performing in a junior high band didn’t prepare me for the seemingly full body experience the University of Minnesota Orchestra curated—from the moment the first violin sounded its soothing spell, I was immediately entranced.
I had the pleasure of attending a trio of orchestra ensembles presented by the University of Minnesota’s School of Music, which included the Gold Campus Orchestra, the North Star Philharmonia, and the Maroon Campus Orchestra. The Gold Campus Orchestra, a tight band of polished performers performed exclusively using stringed instruments, featuring the elegant, yet festive folk sounds of Bela Bortok’s “Romanian Folk Dances,” followed by Franz Schubert’s “Symphony No. 5,” which is known as “the symphony without trumpets or drums.” Due to my affinity for sweaty mosh pits at punk shows, I had to suppress my urge to clap and yell an obnoxious “yeah!” in between pieces. This calming change of pace from my usual tendencies had me pause for the dazzling performance of the North Star Philharmonia, which included Maurice Ravel’s “For a Dead Princess,” a slow and lamenting piece, followed by Antonin Dvorak’s “Romance in F Minor.” This ensemble was perfectly capable of both amazement and provocation through their use of resonance and melodrama, all brought to the forefront through the immense talent of the soloist Jesus Guzman. The last ensemble, the Maroon Campus Orchestra, closed with Tchaivosky’s “The Second Symphony No. 5,” which allowed the audience to feel like they were straight out of a Disney movie. The Maroon Campus Orchestra included a full-blown symphony set, featuring the oboe, tympani, tuba, bassoon, and French horn, and my old friend, the clarinet.
Luckily, each campus orchestra performs twice a semester, allowing all to experience the can’t-miss symphonic sounds the U of M cultivates. For those unable to attend this concert, each ensemble is hard at work rehearsing their next performance on November 22nd in the Ted Mann Concert Hall, in time for the end of the year holiday festivities–forget the dusty holiday records, as this concert will bring the same tunes with a live energy directly to the audience's ears.