Skip Snead, director of the School of Music, said the Huxford Orchestra will demonstrate its superior status at Thursday’s performance.
“It has grown substantially in recent years, becoming one of the most recognized university orchestra programs in the Southeast and the only full-time student university symphony in the state of Alabama,” he said. “Their opening concert Thursday evening features an outstanding repertoire and will serve as a wonderful beginning to what will be an outstanding season throughout this academic year.”
The group is mainly composed of music majors ranging from freshmen to doctoral students. The orchestra meets twice a week for two-hour rehearsals.
The pieces slated for performance include what Lindsey South, a sophomore majoring in violin performance, called “two of Johannes Brahms’ finest orchestral works.” She also said the talents of violin professor Jenny Grégoire will be showcased.
“My teacher, Mrs. Jenny Grégoire, is soloing the Sibelius Violin Concerto, which is notoriously difficult and virtuosic,” she said. “It’s an honor to have her solo with us, and it would be a loss not to come and hear her play.”
Blake Richardson, director of orchestral studies, serves as conductor of the group. He said the program will appeal to the general public and serve as an introduction to the high performance level of the Huxford Orchestra.
“The concert will be about two hours long, and it’s all very enjoyable, popular classical music – stuff that I think most people will find accessible and interesting to listen to,” he said. “The orchestra is doing quite well, it plays on a very high level, so I’m excited to here how they do on this concert.”
Haley Funkhouser, a sophomore majoring in horn performance, is a veteran member of the ensemble who said she believes this performance will serve as a strong opening to what should be a good season for the ensemble.
“Our first concert has definitely proven to be a challenge,” she said. “I believe Dr. Richardson sees our potential and is going to hold us up to that standard in the coming concerts as well.
We have all worked hard, and I believe that our first performance is going to set the tone for a very strong season.”
