by Kelli Raines
Powerful chords and crisp scales echoed throughout the auditorium. The musicians quickly changed notes as they crescendoed into the last note. The conductor’s hands fell and the audience broke into applause. The Whitworth Wind Symphony stood up and took a bow.
The Whitworth Wind Symphony performed its fall concert on Nov. 13 at 3 p.m. in Cowles Auditorium. The concert was open to Whitworth students and the Spokane community. The selection of music included John Mackey’s “Aurora Awakes,” Gustav Holst’s “Second Suite in F, op. 28 no. 2” and Scott McAllister’s “Popcopy.”
Anneliese Dailey, sophomore music major, came out to the concert on Sunday to support her friends and receive recital credit.
“I enjoy listening to modern works,” Dailey said. “I like being able to see my friends work together and making beautiful music.
Senior Lauren Major was one of the performing musicians. He said he was pleased with the concert.
“I felt like we meshed really well,” Major said. “There are always moments during rehearsal that it doesn’t feel like it’ll happen. Today is was more than just notes. I kind of felt the power of the music.”
Cowles Auditorium will once again be filled with music this Saturday Nov. 19, as the Whitworth Symphony Orchestra performs.
“I go to the orchestra concerts every semester and they play outstanding music, so I’m excited to see what they have in store this semester,” Major said.
Senior music major Naomi Flaherty is a member of the Symphony Orchestra and will be playing this Saturday.
Flaherty has been playing the violin since she was 5 years old, and said that music has the ability to communicate on a level deeper than words.
During her time at Whitworth she has had the opportunity to reach out to people with music. She said the orchestra went on their tour last year to Hawaii. It was during this trip when the orchestra played a Hawaiian Hymn as an encore at a church. The orchestra had received and played this hymn as a thank-you at a previous church.
“It created such a deep connection,” Flaherty said. “It was great being able to reach across and say ‘give me a piece of your culture’ and then to give it back to them.”
The members of the church all stood up during the hymn and the pastor was deeply touched.
“Ultimately, at the end of the day, people matter more than the art, so the way it allowed us to connect with the people makes it one of my fondest memories,” Flaherty said.
This Saturday, the concert will provide music from America’s culture and heritage.
“We are playing music that is truly historical to our country,” Flaherty said.
There will be a piece arranged specifically for the Whitworth orchestra by Brent Edstrom called “Hymn to Freedom.
The orchestra will also be playing Aaron Copland’s “Lincoln Portrait.” Flaherty said this piece of music was a commissioned piece to commemorate a great American after the bombing of Pearl Harbor to raise American morale. Leonard Oakland will be reciting parts of Abraham Lincoln’s speeches during this song.
In addition to these pieces, the concert will include “Fanfare for the Common Man,” by Copland, “Hoe Down from Rodeo,” by Copland and “Symphony No. 9, ‘From the New World,’” by Antonín Leopold Dvořák.
The Whitworth Symphony Orchestra Fall Concert will be this Saturday, Nov. 19, in Cowles Auditorium. The concert will start at 7 p.m. Admission for students and seniors is free and general admission is $5.