Orchestra and kids: constant commotion!

Lincoln's Symphony Orchestra (LSO) performed their fall Family Concert this afternoon at O'Donnell Auditorium on the Wesleyan Campus. Maestro Polochick became a lovable father figure of the orchestra as they went about introducing the instrument families to the lost dog, "Treble," actor T. Adam Goos.

For those who've never attended a Family Concert, it's preceded by crafts, photo booth, and instrument "petting zoo" (where kids can take turns playing different instruments). As you head in for the concert, kids receive their programs and a pack of crayons--they can color the picture on their programs and turn it in at the end of the concert for a chance to win a prize!

The concert never lasts more than an hour and yet it's full of a variety of classics and the fun interactions between the orchestra and the actor.

This performance kept the kids moving and learning rhythm, dynamics, conducting, low/high, and all the sections of the orchestra! Each section took turns introducing itself and playing "Linus and Lucy"--strings, brass, woodwinds, and percussion!

A perfect introduction to the orchestra and the world of music and fun for all ages. Save the date for the next Family Concert with LSO on March 4th, 2018.

LMTA presents "Taking Flight" - the 2014 Extravaganza

On Sunday, Jan. 12, LMTA will present the 2014 Extravaganza. The event will be held at the O'Donnell Auditorium on the Nebraska Wesleyan campus at 3:00pm on Sunday. Tickets may be purchased at the door for $5 for adult and $3 for ages 16 and under.

What is an Extravaganza?

According to Charlotte Heermann who is co-chairing this year's Extravaganza, "This is a special opportunity for students to play in an ensemble if they haven't done so previously: follow a conductor and listen to others playing to be sure they are together. These things help form their understanding and musicianship, but perhaps just as important, they have a chance to have fun with music and make new friends."

The 2011 Extravaganza - see all the pianos on stage?!
Photo courtesy of Jo Karl

15 digital keyboards, provided by Dietze Music House, will be on stage. 30 pianists will take the stage at a time -- two per piano -- and play a duet under the baton of Del Whitman. Thirteen groups at varying levels will play duets and a brief narration will be read between each group by Joe Skare of B107.3. The narration, written by this LincolnCMN writer, will give insight into the musical ideas to listen for in each piece. Photographs of wildlife will be projected on a screen during each piece. These photographs are courtesy of Steve Zechmann and Joe Wicks.

As you can imagine from the above description, a lot of work has gone into brining this event together. Heermann shared some insight into the process:

"Some of the tasks required to put this event together include securing a venue, a performance date, keyboards, a conductor, a narrator, selection of music, chairmen and committees to work on specific aspects of the production.

We are deeply indebted to Nebraska Wesleyan University for hosting us on January 12, and Keith Heckman of Dietze Music House for providing the Clavinova keyboards for the performance. At least 17 committees have or are working on various aspects of the Extravaganza, and we have been working on this since August 2012."

This is LMTA's tenth Extravaganza, besides the pianos on stage, several groups of violins and other strings will take the stage to perform together as well. Since 1983, LMTA has been providing this experience of ensemble playing for young musicians.

Besides the committees and sponsors, the teachers, parents, and students have also put in a great deal of time and effort--and Sunday will be a wonderful time to enjoy the fruits of their labors as the young musicians "take flight" and the audience listens...

...for bees, balloons, and butterflies, kites and clouds, phantoms, and fire-breathing dragons!

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'The Four Seasons' was wild and stunning

The audience as it eagerly awaited the performance "The Four Seasons" at the Lied Center

Amy Flamminio

Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra wowed the audience again with their second concert of the season, The Four Seasons. As Conductor Edward Polochick explained to the audience, the idea for this evening’s performance came to him several years ago. At the time, Polochick conducted the premiere of César Olguin’s arrangement of Astor Piazzolla’s Las Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas. At last, for a Lincoln audience, Polochick’s inspiration came to life—a program featuring both Vivaldi’s and Piazzolla’s Four Seasons.

Piazzolla

“Remember,” the Maestro told the audience, “we really have eight different seasons here because Piazzolla is writing about seasons in the southern hemisphere, and Vivaldi is writing from sunny Italy in the northern hemisphere.”

The Chiara String Quartet took the stage with a string orchestra and piano, and the beginning of Piazzolla opened with what could have been Vivaldi, but suddenly broke into tango rhythms. The audience couldn’t contain itself and broke into spontaneous applause after hearing “Summer.”

“Autumn” could be described as wild. That is, wild and fast, wild and dissonant, and wild and lonely during Jonah Sirota’s achingly beautiful viola solo during this piece. “Winter” had a beautiful and peaceful ending that could have left you wondering what century it was written in because of it’s timeless harmonies. Closing with “Spring,” LSO and the Chiara String Quartet played with unabated energy, wild southern springtime rhythms.

Vivaldi

After Piazzolla, the audience was left wondering how Vivaldi’s Four Seasons could follow such a work. But as Rachel Barton Pine took the stage and described the story told by Vivaldi’s work, the audience were wrapped up in the music. Without ever mentioning a technical term, Pine described the motives, or musical ideas, that would be present in each movement. She described the trilling birds, flowing stream, and light thunderstorm in first movement of “Spring.” The second movement, she told the story of a napping shephered, “That’s me!” she grinned, and told how the violins are rustling leaves, the violas are a barking hound, what she declared was “Vivaldi’s version of an 18th century viola joke!” as the audience laughed.

Without throwing terms like “concerto grosso, ripieno, motives, or programmatic music,” Pine made Vivaldi’s music engaging for everyone, and her virtuosic performance was spectacular without drawing attention to itself. It may best be summed with her description of the first movement of “Autumn,” “I represent a particularly drunken guy, stumbling around, and basically making a fool of himself...” This comical account won the audience’s attention to the story told by the music, almost forgetting the brilliance and vivacity with which Pine’s violin played the virtuosic passages of the “drunken fool.”

Another wonderful part of the performance was Polochick at the harpsichord performing as harpsichordist and as conductor. Just to hear the harpsichord on stage gave a vital and delightful authenticity to the performance.

After a thoroughly engaging and flawless performance of the Four Seasons, Pine was called back on stage by a standing ovation and gave an encore from her latest CD. Fittingly, she chose to play Piazzolla’s Liberetude in closing, and give us a taste of the wild tango rhythms and an exciting finish to a stunning concert.