By Liz Ciocher
Staff Writer
It’s no question that there’s an unbelievable amount of talent at the College — ranging from artistry to areas of science. There’s also a significant amount of showcasing for the students with the talents, including “Scheherazade! Grieg Piano Concerto,” an orchestra's performance, held at 7:30 p.m. on April 21 at the Mildred & Ernest E. Mayo Concert Hall.
The orchestra played for a little over an hour and a half, and with over fifty musicians and seventeen different instruments, there was a chance for everyone in the crowd to hear all of the different contributing sounds.
Senior music performance major Sungryung Kim began the show with a piano solo, a production of the song, “Allegro Molto Moderato.” Though she only played one song, Kim was a huge hit by the crowd and was even brought back on stage for an encore.
“Everyone, including me, would probably say their favorite part was the pianist,” said sophomore and graphic design major Para Wright. “She was gorgeous, her performance was intricate and fluid, when I’d watch her hand movements everything was so precise. It was magical.”
Following Kim’s performance, the orchestra’s director, Uli Speth, spoke to the audience about the upcoming performances and expressed his gratitude for everyone in the crowd.
“Thank you all so much for being here,” he said. “I really look forward to being a part of this. Buckle your seatbelts, here we go.”
His warm introduction filled the crowd with excitement as the symphony of “The Sea and Sinbad’s Ship” began to erupt from the musicians and their instruments.
At the beginning of the show, there was an announcement prohibiting photo and video and requesting all guests to leave their cell phones off during the performance. Looking around, there were so many people gathered without technology, completely focused on the talent around them.
“It’s always great,” said freshman psychology major Mary Ziminski. “The talent is literally incredible here.”
Three songs followed, including “The Story of the Kalendar Prince,” “The Young Prince and the Young Princess” and “Festival at Baghdad. The Sea. The Ship Breaks against a Cliff Surmounted by a Bronze Horseman.”
The turnout for the orchestra was large, nearly filling the entire Mildred & Ernest E. Mayo Concert Hall. Students, families and friends filled the stands to watch the performance.
Though there was a large number of people in the audience, Wright believes the show deserves more recognition.
“I think the whole college should advertise these shows more because these students are too talented to go unrecognized,” Wright said. “It sucks that I always go to these fabulous events that are not advertised in my circles.”
While Wright expressed a justifiable concern, there were some students in the crowd who attended the show due to their intrigue.
“I saw some posters and advertisements around campus, and I just decided to go for fun,” Zimisnki said. “I like going to concerts.”
Zimiski had attended more than one orchestra concert before and admired this College performance.
Based on the roaring applause and comments from the crowd, the show was positively received,
with high praise directed toward both the musicians and the director.
“I really enjoyed it,” said sophomore fine arts major Jasmine Delgado. “I really liked the percussion.”
While there was a small entry fee to access the concert hall, the program pamphlet stated a portion of the ticket sales go directly to music student scholarships at the College.
