The School of Music is hosting its annual Scholarship Concert on Thursday and Friday. The evening will feature performances by the Utah Philharmonia, the University Singers and the A Cappella Choir.
The Scholarship Concert is a fundraiser and a means of honoring those individuals who have donated their time and money to the School of Music. It’s also a great way to show off the hard work the students put into their music and the different ensembles coming together to showcase their talents.
“I just think it’s great that we get to showcase orchestra and choir together because it can produce a wonderful sound, and I’m very excited to work with Dr. (Robert) Baldwin and the orchestra,” said Olivia Woolley, a sophomore in vocal performance in the music school.
Fellow student Jennifer Smith agrees.
“The Scholarship Concert’s actually a pretty huge deal for the School of Music,” Smith said. “A lot of our donors come, everyone comes together and puts on a really great show. It’s a really grand concert, with lots of climactic numbers.”
The climactic numbers are definitely climactic. Holst’s The Planets, which everyone has heard some variation of (even if they don’t know it), and Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy, the big ending number, are just two of the pieces that will be presented.
“I love it! It is very Ninth Symphony-esque,” Woolley said. “It actually influenced that writing of Beethoven, so it’s very joyful and uplifting, and the text actually speaks of the joys that music can bring.”
The Choral Fantasy, composed in 1808, was Beethoven’s first marriage of choral music with instrumental. Despite a somewhat disastrous first performance
at its premiere (the orchestra had to stop halfway through and start over), the Choral Fantasy has lasted 200 years and is still going strong. Beethoven did eventually return to it as a basis for his Ninth Symphony; the themes are the same, and the joy in it is palpable. The University Singers are in prime position to perform well, too.
“The great thing about the Singers is the number, and Dr. (Brady) Allred’s ability to make us sound like four voices, or one voice, at times,” Smith said. “I love how much I’ve learned in the choir. I learned a lot from the director, that’s for sure.”
The concert will also showcase the Utah Philharmonia, the U’s own symphony orchestra. Its piece de resistance is Holst’s The Planets, and is not in any way lacking talent.
The Planets was composed during World War I and premiered in 1918. Based on astrology, it draws on mythology to tell the story of each planet: Mars the Bringer of War, Venus the Bringer of Peace, etc. All of the planets in the solar system are included, and pieces from each movement have made their way into movies (“Wallace and Gromit”), rock music (Iron Maiden, System of a Down), and video games (too many to list).
“They tried to get everyone in the School of Music8212;every ensemble8212;to participate,” Smith said. That’s the great thing about the Scholarship Concert.
The Scholarship Concert takes place at the School of Music on Thursday and Friday at 7:30 p.m. in Libby Gardner Hall. Tickets are $7 for general audience and $3 for students. All proceeds will go toward scholarships for the School of Music. They deserve it. As Woolley said, the best thing about the Singers and the School of Music in general is, “Our commitment to the music, to our director, and to each other.”
