March 31, 2019

Symphony Orchestra, Symphonic Band to perform April 8

The concert suite from Georges Bizet’s opera “Carmen” and multiple guest artists will highlight the program when Northwest Missouri State University’s Symphony Orchestra and Symphonic Band perform their spring concert.

The concert, which is free and open to the public, begins at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 8, in the Charles Johnson Theatre at the Olive DeLuce Fine Arts Building.

Dr. Robert Pippin, an assistant professor of music, directs the Northwest Symphony Orchestra, and Dr. Katy Strickland, an assistant professor of music, directs the Symphonic Band.

The concert will feature Northwest music faculty Dr. William Richardson and Joseph Tomasso as well as Mitchell Martinez, a senior music education major from Orrick, Missouri, who is the winner of the 2019 Northwest Symphony Concerto/Aria Contest. The Symphonic Band also will feature two Northwest student guest-conductors. 

“This concert is an excellent showcase of student and faculty talent at Northwest,” Pippin said.

The Northwest Symphony Orchestra is a full orchestra consisting of woodwinds, brass, percussion and strings. It performs concerts during the fall and spring semesters. The ensemble is open to all students on campus, regardless of major. Musical selections range from the Baroque to the Modern periods, with a mixture of styles.

The Symphonic Band, which is active during the spring semester, performs two concerts on the Northwest campus and participates in a high school band invitational concert series. The group performs a broad range of music literature, including transcriptions, modern wind compositions and light pop selections. The band is open to all interested students, including non-music majors.