The Natchitoches-Northwestern Symphony Orchestra will present its annual Pops Concert Thursday, Oct. 5 at 7:30 p.m. in Magale Recital Hall. Tickets 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.
Dr. Douglas Bakenhus is music director of the Natchitoches-Northwestern Symphony. Guest conductors will be graduate assistant Jolie Gonzalez Masmela and graduate instructor Milovan Paz. Four NSU faculty, sopranos D’Nissa Hester, Dr. Marcy McKee and Terrie Sanders and baritone Dr. Corey Trahan will be featured along with baritone Michael Martin of Pineville, a sophomore music major at NSU. Martin will be the featured soloist on the premiere of “Sea Fever” by Northwestern State alumna Nettie Chenevert.
The program will also include “Hornpipe” from “Water Music” by G.F. Handel, “Singin’ in the Rain” with music by Nacio Herb Brown and lyrics by Arthur Freed featuring Trahan, “South Pacific Symphonic Scenario for Orchestra” with music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein, “Barcarolle; O belle nuit d’amour” from “Tales of Hoffman” by Jacques Offenbach featuring McKee and Sanders and “Sea Songs” Quick March by Ralph Vaughn Williams with Paz conducting.
The Orchestra will also perform “The Sea Hawk” by Erich Wolfgang Korngold and arranged by Jerry Brubaker, “Swan Lake Suite” by Tchaikovsky with Masmela conducting, “A Simple Sailor Lowly Born” by Gilbert and Sullivan featuring Hester and selections from “Victory at Sea” by Rodgers and Robert Russell Bennett.
The NSU Chamber Orchestra will perform “The Marriage of Figaro” on Oct. 22-23 at 7:30 p.m. in Magale Recital Hall. On Nov. 13, a preview of the orchestra’s performance at the Louisiana Music Educator’s Association will take place at 7:30 p.m. in Magale Recital Hall. The orchestra will be part of the annual Christmas Gala on Nov. 29-30 at 7 p.m. and Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. in the A.A. Fredericks Auditorium.
Dr. Andrej Kurti on violin and his wife Sofiko Tchetchelashvili on viola will be the guest performers in a concert on Thursday, Feb. 8 at 7:30 p.m. in Magale Recital Hall. Winners of the annual NSU Concerto Competition will be featured in a performance on Thursday, March 13 at 7:30 p.m. in Magale Recital Hall. The orchestra will close the 2017-18 season with a concert along with the NSU Symphony Chorus performing Bach’s “Magnificat” and Faure’s “Requiem” on Tuesday, April 24 at 7:30 p.m. in Magale Recital Hall.
