Musical works written by Rachmaninoff have been performed countless times by symphonies all around the world and tonight, the UNC Symphony Orchestra will tackle one of his famous pieces at their Scholarship Benefit Concert.
The orchestra will be accompanied by UNC assistant professor Clara Yang on the piano. The concert will take place at Memorial Hall and all proceeds will go towards the Music Department’s General Scholarship Fund.
Conductor and UNC professor Tonu Kalam said the Rachmaninoff piece, entitled “Symphony No. 1 in E minor, Op. 39,” is not only reasonable in difficulty level for young musicians, but is also well received by classical music lovers.
“It’s an enormously popular piece with audiences. It’s a piece that concert-goers love and recognize,” he said.
“So, it’s got a little bit of everything — it’s good for the soloist, good for the orchestra and good for the audience.”
Kalam said he enjoys the energy and enthusiasm his symphony orchestra musicians have, especially when they are given the opportunity to perform a new piece.
“I like introducing them to music they haven’t heard before or haven’t played before, kind of expanding their musical horizons,” Kalam said.
“There’s that kind of freshness to an orchestra like this with a repertoire that allows me to enjoy it more because they’ve got such a great attitude.”
Yang said she also enjoys performing with the students and other young musicians.
“Its always really great to collaborate with students. I interact mostly with piano students and some other music majors as well in my classes, but it’s a different story when you perform with them,” she said.
“It basically adds a different layer of collaboration.”
The orchestra has been preparing for the concert for about six weeks.
“It’s a lot of work for everybody, especially the students to work on one concert,” Yang said.
“So the more people come the more support they get I think it will help our orchestra to grow for the future especially.”
Vincent Povazsay, a senior music major and percussionist for the orchestra, is especially excited for the concert, he said audience members are in for a treat.
“It’s fantastic music played at a very high level by college musicians,” Povazsay said.
“It’s going to be a great high-level, high-quality and high-energy performance for a very low price.”
Erin Lunsford, a junior music major and bassoon player, said she hopes more UNC students will come to the orchestra's concerts in the future.
“I would love for more non-music students to come to these concerts and dip their toes into the classical world, and see what it’s like and realize that it’s not as elitist or far-off or irrelevant as they might think,” she said.
“Classical music can be such a great medium in so many ways.”
For Povazsay, tonight's concert will be his last. He is excited to end the year and his UNC career with such an energetic and popular piece.
“It’s really a great program that’s going to end the year with a bang," he said. "It is a fun and interesting program, definitely the most fun program we’ve had this year. It’s a great way to end the school year.”
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