Orchesta concert tonight

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Tonight at 8 p.m., the Hillsdale College Symphony Orchestra will give its first concert of the semester. The performance will feature winners of the 2015 Student Concerto/Aria Competition.

Tickets have already sold out, but James Holleman, chair of the music department and conductor of the orchestra, says not to worry.

“If students who haven’t gotten to reserve tickets show up the night of the performance, as long as they are patient and polite, they usually will get everybody seated,” Holleman said.

Students will be playing pieces by Rimsky-Korsakov, Mozart, Catalani, Martin, and Beethoven.

According to Holleman, choosing the music is one of the most important parts of his job as conductor. Factors in choosing music, he said, include the strengths and weaknesses of the orchestra, the educational value of the musical pieces, the variety of audience members, how recently the works have been played by the orchestra, and the instrumentation.

“Everyone is at a different part in their journey, so we have to make sure that we pick music that corresponds with a student’s personal journey,” Holleman said. “There’s so much repertoire, which means there’s a lot to choose from. I see this just like the Great Books class. Just like there are certain books that every student should get a chance to read, so there are certain musical pieces that every musician should get a chance to play. It’s a huge privilege, and in our world, it’s also a huge responsibility.”

Students in the orchestra spend hours practicing before each performance beyond scheduled rehearsals. Sophomore Rachel Elliott, who plays the piccolo, said that most students underestimate the effort that goes into the symphony concert.

“The rehearsals are more work than people think they are, but it’s so worth it at the very end,” said Elliott. “No one really thinks about the time outside of rehearsals that the students also devote to practice.”

Elliott relates many of the elements in orchestra practice to skills needed for life.

“We always say practice is when you learn your part, rehearsal is when you learn others’ parts,” Elliot said. “This works with music, and also in real life. In life, you have to learn how to take care of yourself, but after that, you need to learn how to live in community with other people.”

Two weeks before the concert, the orchestra welcomed three more musicians to their rehearsals. These three students, a pianist, a flautist, and a singer, are some of the winners of the Concerto/Aria competition, and each will perform a solo with the orchestra tonight. Sophomore cellist Tucker Phillips said that this has definitely made the rehearsals more challenging.

“Rehearsal weeks are always hectic,” Phillips said. “Adding these musicians in, however, has been stressful. Putting in new parts, even if it’s only three, is a lot for the orchestra to adjust to.”

Despite these challenges, Holleman is confident that the orchestra will put on a grand performance.

“The group this year has been great,” said Holleman. “There’s not much distractive talking, they are very responsive, and they have a good sense of retention.”