First Fall Happenings

GTCYS had its 38th annual Fall Festival Sunday, November 8, at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis. The crowd was rapt with attention and vigorous in its applause, from Philharmonia, our entry-level strings group, leading the way with a polished performance of “Seashore Festival” by Edmund Siennicki, through Symphony, our premiere ensemble, capping things off with a rousing rendition of Berlioz’s “Roman Carnival.”

We are lucky to have audiences that are not just enthusiastic, but truly interested in the music they’re hearing—they want to share in its expressive depths. Our conductors are dedicated to bringing the most out of the six orchestras, and the students understand that we’re trying to get to the root of the music, so that they can speak as facilely with their instruments as with their tongues. That kind of approach allows everyone in the room, whether playing or listening, to connect, both with a lesser-known work like Del Borgo’s “Aboriginal Rituals,” and with the familiar spookiness of Mussorgsky’s “Night on Bald Mountain,” a piece which entertains but also chills with its glimpse at a heart of darkness.

By the way, a week and a half before the concert, the author of these words got married. So it’s been a great fall in the Twin Cities!