Southeast Missouri State University student publication

Orchestra concert presents star talent

Tuesday, March 3, 2015
The Southeast Missouri Symphony Orchestra's "Symphonic Stars!" concert will be held at 7:30 p.m. March 10 in the Donald C. Bedell Performance Hall at the River Campus. File photo

Dr. Sara Edgerton, artistic director and conductor of the Southeast Missouri Symphony Orchestra, has had students ask for years to perform John Williams' compositions for "Star Wars," and she finally found the right time.

The "Symphonic Stars!" concert will feature Southeast's Symphony Orchestra and just like the sound of the title, favors an intergalactic theme. Music from Episode I and Episode VI as well as the main title theme will be included as a part of the "Star Wars" component. Two movements from Gustav Holst's "Planets" -- "Mars" and "Jupiter" -- are also in the program. According to Edgerton, professional orchestras often combine the two works.

"It's like hot fudge on top of vanilla ice cream," Edgerton said, laughing.

The first half of the concert will begin with Richard Wagner's "Introduction to Act III of Lohengrin," following that same outer space-like idea.

The main part of the event, however, is to highlight "star" talent. Winners of the Rising Star and Concerto and Aria Competition will also feature their work accompanied by the orchestra.

The Rising Star Competition is held at the high school level, while the Concerto and Aria Competition is specific to Southeast students.

"So we have this notion of kind of star talent on the first half of the program and then pieces actually about stars on the second half," Edgerton said.

Edgerton said the Rising Star Competition was in its fifth year and has had entries from all across the Midwest. Those who enter send in a recording of their playing, from which finalists are chosen to perform at Southeast in front of a panel of judges for a top winner. Edgerton said there were a total of eight finalists this year. The winner is awarded a solo part with Southeast's orchestra and a $750 cash award. Violinist Marie Sanderson from Bloomington, Indiana, will play as a part of the first movement of Camille Saint-Saens' "Violin Concerto No. 3" at "Symphonic Stars!"

Southeast's 23rd annual Concerto and Aria Competition ended with two winners -- Marie Meunier and Brittany Graham. Meunier is in her last semester and said she had always wanted to enter into the competition but never found the time.

"You are competing with them to get an opportunity to perform with the Symphony Orchestra, which is a really great opportunity," Meunier said. "It's not something that we get to do that often."

Meunier will sing an aria from "La Sonnambula," or "The Sleepwalker," by Italian opera composer Vincenzo Bellini at the event. She knows the piece well. She said she had picked the piece for her recital, so she knew it matched well for her voice.

"Really, you only get to work on a piece once. You want to showcase it as much as you can once you work it up," Meunier said.

Edgerton said paired high school and collegiate level concerts have become increasingly popular in recent years. But more than that, she said the students gain something from the experience, too.

"I think they kind of inspire each other," Edgerton said. "I know that with stringed instruments, in any case, students get quite advanced in their high school years, they can get quite advanced, so it's neat for them to be on a college stage."

On the other hand, Edgerton pointed out that seeing budding future performers can be a helpful reminder to college students of why they started. It speaks to drive and passion for craft.

"Our college students kind of see these young, up-and-coming talents, and they think, 'Oh, I need to step up to the plate," Edgerton said. "So to show them [high school students] what we can do."

Competition aside, it's about learning from one another and holding a common love for music.

"I hope they'll [the audience] take away from it the enthusiasm and the enjoyment that we all have had with these pieces," Edgerton said. "... We always say music can transform you beyond your everyday world, so we want everyone to kind of just be able to step away for a while."

"Symphonic Stars!" will begin at 7:30 p.m. March 10 in the Donald C. Bedell Performance Hall at the River Campus. General admission tickets range from $14 to $17. To purchase tickets contact the River Campus Box Office, open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., call (573) 651-2265 or go online to RiverCampusEvents.com.

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