Phoenix Symphony Orchestra offers outstanding performance
By Mary AllanReporter, The Voice
What a beautiful gift. The Phoenix Symphony String Orchestra was at Glendale Community College (GCC) and performed some of the most beautiful classical music written, and it was free.
Conductor Lawrence Golan led Arizona’s only full-time, professional orchestra. The twenty plus musicians were dressed in black and white, their mahogany colored instruments shone. The sound filled the room.Even though the show was opened to the public, there were less than fifty audience members scattered around the room. The audience was small but enthusiastic.
In partnership with Maricopa Community College Honors Program, Symphony Connections presented four free concerts with the Symphony String Orchestra on community college campuses. These concerts are part of the Phoenix Symphony’s Education & Engagement Program. Conductor Lawrence Golan delved into 150 years of music highlighting the Baroque, Classical and Romantic periods. The performances are educational, between the pieces Golan gave some brief lessons on the type of music being played. It was interactive; about a dozen audience members were invited to sit amongst the musicians as they played.Towards the end of the night Golan gave a quiz on what he had discussed and two lucky members of the audience were awarded free symphony tickets.
The variety of music on the program includes selections from Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, Mozart’s Divertimento in B-flat and Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings. The Brandenburg Concerto is an instantly recognizable powerful piece; the Divertimento was interesting and complicated. The Serenade for Strings is also recognizable and so achingly beautiful it can bring tears to your eyes.
It is a shame that there were not more people in attendance, they missed an excellent performance. For more information on Symphony Connections or other Education and Community Engagement Programs at The Phoenix Symphony, call 602-495-1117, ext. 311 or by emailing education@phoenixsymphony.org.
