Natchitoches-Northwestern Symphony Orchestra will present “The Thrill of the Orchestra” in two concerts Monday, Feb. 25 in Magale Recital Hall. A Young Person’s Concert for area schoolchildren will be presented at 9:30 a.m., and a concert as part of the regular symphony schedule will begin at 7:30 p.m. Dr. Douglas Bakenhus will conduct the orchestra.

Admission to the Young Person’s Concert is free. To make reservations, contact Bakenhus at (318) 357-5792 or at bakenhusd@nsula.edu. Tickets for the evening performance are $10. Northwestern State University, BPCC@NSU and Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts students are admitted free with a current student I.D.

The concerts will feature the winners of the annual NSU Concerto Competition, violinist Roman Carranza, flutist Chris Cox and cellist Milovan Paz. During the Young Person’s Concert, they will briefly describe the rewards playing music at the highest level brings.

“We hope to convey that it is possible to become an accomplished musician by becoming dedicated to performing,” said Bakenhus. “We also want to show them the connections between what someone feels and how it is expressed through music.”

The orchestra will perform the finale to Mozart’s “Symphony No. 41” and “The Thrill of the Orchestra.”

“The Thrill of the Orchestra” is a demonstration piece with a narrator that explores the four families of musical instruments: strings, brass, woodwinds and percussion.

According to Bakenhus, “It has pop and jazz elements and is fun to listen to and play. We normally play this piece for the Young Person’s Concert and I believe our evening audience will enjoy it as well.”