Masterworks Concert Highlights Orchestra, Choir
The Masterworks Concert, featuring “Gloria” and other French favorites, marks the final performances for the season for the Alma Symphony Orchestra and Alma College Choirs.
The concert takes place at 8 p.m. Saturday, April 9th and 4 p.m. Sunday, April 10th in the Remick Heritage Center, Presbyterian Hall. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for seniors 62 and up, and free for Alma College students, staff, and youth 18 and under. Seating is reserved. For ticket information, call (989) 463-7304.
Alma Symphony Orchestra
“It’s a large orchestra—there will literally be hundreds of performers on the stage,” says Murray Gross, who conducts the ASO. “Energy and excitement on the stage will carry over to the audience. This is a great opportunity for Alma students to see their friends, and for everyone in the community to see the best of our student musicians.”
Ravel’s “Bolero” and Berlioz’s “The Death of Ophelia” and “March to the Scaffold” are featured in the first half of the concert.
“’Death of Ophelia,’ soft and beautifully exquisite, is an excellent piece for women’s choir,” says Gross. “’The March,’ by contrast, shows Berlioz at his wildest. Ravel’s ‘Bolero’ is a more popular piece of classical music, which uses a lot of extremes in color and dynamics.”
The second half of the concert features “Gloria,” a piece intended for a large orchestra and a chorus, which was composed by Francis Poulenc in 1959. Victoria Walker, an instructor of voice and soprano, will perform the solo in the prologue.
“She’s a fantastic soloist with an ideal voice for high, demanding solos,” says Gross. “She has taught at Alma for several years, and I’ve been fortunate to perform with her on a number of occasions.”
This year’s Masterworks Concert takes place during the celebration of Alma College’s 125th anniversary celebration.
“While in the fall we hope to have something that relates a bit more to the 125th celebration, we definitely want the concert to contribute to the celebratory atmosphere of the weekend,” says Gross. “From ‘Bolero’ to ‘Gloria,’ I can guarantee this will be one of the most exciting concerts we’ve ever done.”
Posted: Fri, April 1st, 2011 at 4:13PM
