Thursday, April 12th, 2007
The Oskaloosa Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors has announced the names of student soloists selected to perform with the Oskaloosa Symphony’s “Young Performers Concert”, Sunday, April 22nd. The concert will be presented at 3:00 P.M. at the George Daily Community Auditorium. Derek Hessing, trumpet player and senior at Oskaloosa High School will perform the first movement of the Haydn Trumpet Concert in E flat Major. Sophomore cellist, Matt McLellan will perform Allegro Appassionato by Saint-Saens, a single movement work for cello and orchestra. These students were selected by auditioning for Tony Chang, Musical Director and Conductor of the Oskaloosa Symphony. Maestro, Tony Chang is very excited to have both of these excellent music students showcase their exceptional talents by performing at this concert. Although many talented students frequently perform as members of the Oskaloosa Symphony, this concert will also be the first time that local high school students have performed as guest soloists with the orchestra. “This is a wonderful opportunity for these students and it is also an opportunity for the community to experience the very exceptional talents of their local music students”, stated Bob Auld, executive director of The Oskaloosa Symphony Orchestra. Auld said that the orchestra board and conductor Tony Chang hope to make this special concert presentation into an annual event. ” We hope that performing a solo with the symphony orchestra will give our local students a musical goal to strive for”, Auld explained.
In addition to the selections to be performed by the student guest soloists, the orchestra will be performing several other important masterworks for young audiences. One of these selections will be Benjamin Britten’s “Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra”. This very popular work is designed to introduce all of the standard instruments of the symphony orchestra from top to bottom. Britten has written the piece based on a musical theme written by another famous English composer, Henry Purcell. Adult audiences of today still enjoy hearing this composition and it often remains a favorite of their childhood musical memories. The orchestra will also perform selections from Edvard Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite, including “In The Hall Of The Mountain King”. Students and adults will also be treated to some of their favorite movie themes as they listen to musical scores of John Williams, famous for his “Star Wars” “Jurasic Park”, and “ET” music.
Family tickets are available for this concert, which allow students and children family members to attend free of charge if they accompany parents or adult family members who purchase tickets. Blocks of tickets are also available to groups and organizations by contacting George Daily Auditorium Ticket Sales at 672-0799
