The sounds of strings draw an audience at Fall orchestra concert

Works composed by Warlock, Mozart, Bach and Britten came alive as musicians finger’s danced along the strings of their instruments during the orchestra’s Fall concert Monday, Oct. 18 in Magnolia Ballroom.

The spotlight focused on stage, audiences settled in their seats and first chair violinist Esther Kim began leading the orchestra in tuning.

“I grew up playing music since I was in elementary school, playing piano,” junior music therapy major and six-year violinist Kim said. “But one of my friends introduced me to the violin. I just fell in love with the sound of the violin and string instruments and I love it.”

The orchestra spent about two months preparing for the concert which featured four classical pieces chosen for their excellence in music literature.

The first piece, “Capriol Suite for String Orchestra, Basse-Danse” by Peter Warlock is the first part of a set of dances in the Renaissance style and pleasantly set the tone for rest of the 30-minute concert with bold accents and lively eight-note tunes.

“Eine Kleine Nachtmusik,” a familiar Mozart piece, followed Warlock and captivated audiences with elegant solos and strong dynamics.

After a brief intermission, the orchestra played another familiar piece, “Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, Allegro” by Johann Sebastian Bach which featured concertino, a small group of soloists, and ripieno, the full ensemble, parts for violinist and violists.

Finally, the orchestra concluded with the energetic “Simple Symphony for String Orchestra, IV. Frolicsome Finale” by Benjamin Britten full of rich melodic movement.

Throughout the concert, instrumentalist’s engaged in sectional solos, highlighting the ability and diversity of orchestra members.

One member, Evan Sova, stands out not only as the single male cellist in orchestra, but also as the only chemistry major minoring in music.

“I like participating in orchestra because it gives me something that I can do besides chemistry,” sophomore cellist and chemistry major Evan Sova said. “It’s good to get out of it and express myself through music as opposed to just sitting there writing out equations and doing all these complicated math problems.”

The performance was the premier GCSU concert of Dr. Auerbach, an alumnus of the prestigious Julliard School.

Auerbach selected the classical pieces so students could experience playing first rate music.

“They were all masterpieces,” accomplished violinist and assistant professor of music Auerbach said. “For instance, “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” is one of the most famous masterpieces in music literature. The Bach “Brandenburg’s” are considered the apex of the literature. The Britten “Simple Symphony” is a wonderful piece.”

The Kanzanetti String Orchestra joined the 14 GCSU students adding a fuller sound to the group. The orchestra was also supported by the community with a full house.

Auerbach notes the job well done of the orchestra, especially in light of the various majors represented within the group.

“The students are doing extra special work because they’re not performance majors and they’re not undertaking a bachelor’s of music performance,” Auerbach said. “So for them to come together for a concert such as this and not having majored in performance is also quite impressive for them. Plus, so many of (the students) are undergrad, first year or second year and they’re already tackling difficult pieces. They’re right off to a good start.”

The next orchestra concert will be during the Holiday season and is certain to be longer with more difficult pieces.

For Sova, playing an instrument is not entertaining an audience, but for expressing another part of being.

“I feel like playing an instrument, it just becomes a part of you,” said Sova. “You’ve got a way of expressing yourself through a different voice. You’ve got a different instrument with a different tone. You can use that instrument that’s different from your own voice and you can express yourself almost by a different language and it’s really cool.”