The Collegian

Issue date: 2/5/09 Section: Arts

Media Credit: William Clayton Senior Tim Cook and junior Ben Newman practice violin for the upcoming Hillsdale College & Community Symphony Orchestra concert on Feb 8.

Media Credit: William Clayton

Media Credit: William Clayton

Media Credit: William Clayton

In a concert featuring only its string and brass sections, the Hillsdale College and Community Symphony Orchestra will perform at 3 p.m. at St. Paul's Lutheran Church Feb. 8.

The brass ensemble will perform a suite of three pieces, called canzones, by Giovanni Gabrielle and a fanfare by Richard Strauss. The string ensemble will play Tchaikovsky's "Serenade for Strings" and Bach's "Double Violin Concerto," which will feature six solo student performances.

Sophomore Nathan Sarver, who plays viola, said string players are excited, particularly for the Tchaikovsky piece.

"It's a strings piece, so the winds can't steal melody," Sarver joked.

Sophomore violinist Ike Anderson added, "It has some really beautiful melodies, too."

Music department faculty have discussed a sectional concert for a while as a way to showcase the growth of student musicians - now up to 50 string and 16 brass players - and give them the opportunity to study standard repertoire, Associate Professor of Music James Holleman said.

"I think our strings section is the envy of most small schools in the country, and our brass is very deep, more than before," Holleman said, adding that the ensemble's size meant "trying to do this in a regular concert didn't work."

Holleman said he selected St. Paul's for the concert because the architecture, along with an upper balcony, lends itself well to the brass section's antiphonal, or divided, music.

But Anderson said playing at a new off-campus location instead of the Howard Music Hall might limit the size of the crowd.

"I think there'll be a lot less people because you can't walk over there," he said.

Still, Sarver said the new surroundings would present the ensembles with an opportunity to step out of their comfort zone by playing in a venue with unfamiliar acoustics.

"I'm really interested to see how the group reacts to the new environment," he said.

St. Paul's is located at 2551 W. Bacon Road. Admission is free and no tickets or reservations are required.

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