When someone says “concert” in a college town, a night at the symphony might not be the first thing that comes to mind. However, The Huxford Symphony Orchestra hopes that will change tonight at 7:30 in the Moody Concert Hall.
Demondrae Thurman, orchestra conductor and associate professor of euphonium and tuba, urges students to come see the orchestra, especially if they’ve never been to a symphony show before.
“It’s great to expose people who have never seen orchestra through this music and great to reconnect people who have been to a symphony to their past experiences,” Thurman said.
The Huxford Symphony Orchestra is the University’s 60-member student symphony instrumental ensemble. It was renamed in 2000 for Camilla Huxford, a UA graduate who presented the group with a large endowment.
Cody Jones, a senior majoring in political science, said although he has never seen a symphony live, he is glad to see their presence on campus.
“I think it’s great that the students and the University have an orchestra,” Jones said. “Added cultural and artistic expression is always a good thing.”
Charlotte Lawson, a junior majoring in criminal justice and political science, agreed with Jones.
“I think it’s great that UA would pursue artistic endeavors alongside its usual emphasis on sports and academics,” she said.
The upcoming concert will feature music from Spain, Italy and surrounding countries. The first half of the show is titled “Prelude to the Afternoon of a Fawn” by French composer Claude Debussy. Music from the second half will feature “Fountains of Rome” by Ottorini Respighi, an Italian composer.
Thurman said the concert will be a “normal symphony,” meaning there are no special soloist performances.
Despite this, Thurman said nearly all the instruments will be heard in some type of soloist capacity. This will give viewers an opportunity to experience all sections of a traditional symphony orchestra.
The Huxford Symphony Orchestra has already performed four concerts this school year, making April 16 the last show before summer. The Orchestra recently put on a concerto/aria concert in February. It also gave two holiday performances of “Hilaritas.”
Concert tickets are free, and the show is open to the general public. For more information about The Huxford Symphony Orchestra and its shows, visit music.ua.edu/ensembles/instrumental or look up “Huxford Symphony Orchestra” on Facebook.
