Simpson College Community Orchestra Concert
The Simpson College Community Orchestra (SCCO) will present its fall concert on Sunday, November 24th, at 7:30 pm in the Blank Performing Arts Center (BPAC). A dessert reception will follow the performance.
The free, hour-long concert is family friendly. Children are welcome and encouraged to attend, especially if they are thinking about starting instruction on an instrument or currently play an instrument. In BPAC, there are sightlines that allow all audience members to see every musician in the orchestra as he/she performs; the venue is a perfect space for children to see and hear the role of each instrument in the ensemble. The orchestra invites community members who have never attended an orchestra concert to feel comfortable to do so. Because the concert is only an hour in length, features literature that has been chosen for its variety and accessibility, and has been planned to appeal to musician and non-musician audience members alike, an SCCO concert is an easy first orchestra concert to attend. Additionally, there will be the reward of dessert at the reception following the performance. Come for the music; stay for the sweets.
The orchestra will herald the coming of the Christmas season with a performance of the Fantasia on "We Three Kings", by Brian Balmages. The piece includes a beautiful rendering of the familiar theme while introducing exotic harmonies. "What Child Is This" is included as a second melody in the middle of the piece.
The program includes two pieces by women composers. Dochas, which means "Hope" in Scottish Gaelic, is a slow fanfare by Laura Pettigrew to be performed by the full orchestra. The string orchestra will perform the first movement of Libby Croad's Suite for String Orchestra, an ensemble favorite because of its playful fugal melodies and its interplay of pizzicato and arco passages.
The audience pleaser may prove to be the Danzon #2, a Cuban dance piece by Arturo Marquez, featuring syncopated rhythms, a lively tempo, and assorted percussion instruments. Audience members may find it difficult to keep their feet and hips still!
Please call 515-961-1637, the phone number for the Simpson Music Office, with any questions regarding the performance. BPAC has a step-free entrance on the south end of the building. Cars may pull up to the south doors to drop off passengers before parking in the lot. Additional parking is located in two lots to the north of the performance venue.
Event Links
Website: https://go.evvnt.com/2755251-0
