Monday, July 17, 2023

You are invited to a musical adventure with your orchestra

Season tickets now available at https://www.myosu.org/ So much great music coming your way including "Carnival of Animals", "Reformation Symphony", new commission by Marshall McDonald, and a fun Christmas music concert Nov. 30. Yes, we are also performing Handel's "Messiah". Thanks to everyone involved in your local symphony orchestra.

The Children's Jubilee is a fun family afternoon with music, art and science on Saturday, Oct. 21, in the Heritage Theatre, 105 N. 100 East, Cedar City.  The activities are from 12 noon to 2 p.m.  The "Carnival of the Animals" with a full symphony orchestra concert, is at 2 p.m. Tickets at https://www.myosu.org/ or at the door. $5 per person, babies free. One free admission with three cans of food for Iron County Care and Share.


Activities from 12 noon to 2 p.m. Concert with "Carnival of the Animals" at 2 p.m.

Preview "Carnival of the Animals" (complete)
Individual pieces: 
00:00 Introduction 00:33 I. Lions Royal March 02:16 II. Hens and roosters 03:05 III. Swift Animals (Pianists)  03:39 IV. Tortoises 05:40 V. The Elephant 07:09 VI. Kangaroos 08:05 VII. Aquarium 10:34 VIII. Personages with long ears 11:21 IX. The Cuckoo in the deep woods 13:38 X. Aviary 14:46 XI. Pianists 16:13 XII. Fossils 17:29 XIII. The Swan 20:29 XIV. Finale

Evening concert adds "Africa" and "October" 
Preview with 2014 performance of "Africa"
Preview "October"

Carnegie Hall Kids has music sing-a-longs and other resources: https://www.youtube.com/@carnegiehallkids



Looking back at our first Children's Jubilee in 2004 that featured "Carnival of the Animals" and was recognized nationally by the League of American Orchestras.







First Children's Carnival, now renamed Jubilee.


Thursday, March 23, 2023

Listening Links for the Roy L. Halversen 2023 Concert: Treasure the Moment

 Four Young Soloists will perform with the Orchestra of Southern Utah for the April 6, 2023 concert. Start listening now to enhance your enjoyment of the concert. Video links in color. Tickets at myosu.org


(Poster design by Rollan Fell of the Print Shoppe)

Mackenzie Williams, soprano, will sing the popular aria from La Boheme by Puccini
Donde Lieta aria, vocal Maria Callas - Donde Lieta Uscì

Bubba Akins will play the third movement of a Tuba Concerto at about 9:40 on video link:
Vaughan Williams Tuba Concerto in F minor, James Gourlay 

Adelle Clarke will play the third movement of the
Kabalevsky Violin Concerto in C major at about 10:30
Complete Kabalevsky Violin Concerto


Tyler Neilson will perform the Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1, first movement
Complete Piano Concerto


The orchestra will also play the wonderful third Brandenburg Concerto which has three parts for violins, violas, and celli. The interplay between the lines makes it a very exciting piece.

 
In addition, the orchestra plays the popular Academic Festival Overture by Johannes Brahms.

Saturday, January 14, 2023

Rock Gold Preview Listening



You are invited to the upcoming Rock Gold concert on Feb. 9 in Cedar City. Your orchestra is bringing you timeless music complete with singers, guitars, drums, chorus, and dancers. 

Full concert article and soloist information: Click Here for More Concert Information

Preview the music through videos of the original rock bands plus symphonic versions below
Parents will want to choose appropriate videos and help skip ads on the YouTubes:


Rock videos go for the spectacle as well as the music, so you will have fun contrasting the rock band videos with the orchestral arrangements.

"Michael Jackson's short film for "Thriller" in 2015 became the first ever album to be awarded triple diamond status (i.e.: sales in excess of 30 million) by the RIAA for US sales alone."

Michael Jackson - Thriller  Horror movie with song starting at 9:46

Thriller by Michael Jackson, arranged for orchestra by Matt Smith.

Eleanor Rigby by the Beatles 

Orchestra version of Eleanor Rigby

Orchestra version we are using on the concert.

Instrumental version of Eleanor Rigby with choir

Led Zeppelin performance of Kashmir

Kashmir symphonic version with cello soloist

"Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns N' Roses

Sweet Child of Mine symphonic version

Coldplay performs Viva la Vida

Viva la Vida arranged for orchestra by Larry Moore

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Under The Bridge

Under the Bridge (Orchestral) | Red Hot Chili Peppers | Arr. Jem Talaroc

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For by U2

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For arranged for orchestra and featuring saxophone performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Royal Philharmonic in performance of the same U2 song with a totally different arrangement

Another Brick in the Wall by Pink Floyd

Another Brick in the Wall with student orchestra, vocalist and choir

I Don't Want to Miss a Thing by Aerosmith

Orchestral version of I Don't Want to Miss a Thing with vocal

String Quartet version of I Don't Want to Miss a Thing by Aerosmith

Elvis Presley sings Burning Love 

Elvis singing with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in 2015

Bring Me to Life by Evanescence

Viola solo with Orchestra on Bring Me to Life

I Will Survive with Gloria Gaynor

Orchestra version on synthesizer with score of I Will Survive

The orchestra will be playing a medley of Bon Jovi hits arranged by Jacob Lee including:

Livin' on a Prayer performed by Bon Jovi

Like a Shot Through the Heart with Bon Jovi


The Southern Utah String Quartet will be playing music in the lobby before the concert. 

These are some of the pieces in the original and with orchestral versions.

Queen remastered performance of Bohemian Rhapsody

Viola soloist with orchestra for Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen

Led Zeppelin - Stairway To Heaven (Live at Earls Court 1975)

Violinist David Garrett plays Stairway to Heaven with orchestra



Wednesday, November 2, 2022

Nov. Concert Preview and Music Education Resources, 2022

Nov. 10 Orchestra of Southern Utah “Traditions Concert” at 7:30 p.m. in the Heritage Theatre featuring a bassoon concerto and a pipa concerto plus Swedish Rhapsody and Capriccio Espagnole. This concert is part of the Cedar City Birthday Celebration. Tickets online at https://www.myosu.org

Preview the Music: 

Bernhard Crusell: Bassoon Concertino (1829) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6UH-HrxevY

N. Rimsky-Korsakov - Capriccio Espagnol Score (Audio + Score) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RY2Bt0TppKw This piece celebrates the rhythms and style of Spanish music.

Hugo Alfvén - Swedish Rhapsody No. 1 "Midsommarvaka", Op. 19 (1903)
This piece represents midsummer night festivities in Sweden.

Pipa soloist Celia Yu Liu lives in Los Angeles. This is a performance on the pipa with guhzenz.
These are traditional Chinese instruments.
She will be playing a pipa concerto with the Orchestra of Southern Utah that tells a story complete with battles and drama called "King Chu Doffs His Armour" 



Music Resources for school and home from Carnegie Hall:  

Sunday, April 3, 2022

Celebrate Young Composers at the Thursday OSU Finale Concert Plus Music by Sibelius and Haydn


Concerts are more engaging if you have heard the music in advance. These links will let you preview the music for the Orchestra of Southern Utah concert featuring two young composers as well as music by Haydn and Sibelius.

The epic finale to the Siblieus Symphony No 2 on is the concert next Thursday, April 7, 7:30 pm at the Heritage Theatre: https://youtu.be/YXGxOa682Uc. The fourth movement starts at 30.57

Zane Lowry's Adventuum is on the program for Thursday's concert. Link:  Electronic version of music with score

Looking forward to sharing this memorable Haydn symphony at next week’s concert. OSU will play the 2nd and 4th movements for the spring concert. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gbf1LVE4UKM&vl=en
00:00 1. Adagio – Vivace assai (G major) 08:25 2. Andante (C major) 14:12 3. Menuetto: Allegro molto (G major) 19:44 4. Finale: Allegro molto (G major)

Composer and guest violinist BekaLara Willey Larrucea has performed extensively. This is a radio program on the Willey Family Strings and she plays both violin and viola. Link: Radio program with music from the Willey family  BekaLara will be teaching for the Vivace Family Camp this summer. August music camp link

BekaLara with Korngold Violin Concerto at ASTA convention: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDyRh4LhNYs at 16:50

BekaLara with Utah Valley Symphony playing the Carmen Fantasie in 2013: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CH1kDuFLbgM

Link: April 7 concert article. Concert tickets at www.myosu.org

The Young Composers Concert is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Hal Campbell.



Sunday, January 30, 2022

A Celebration of Great Classics

 




Poster design by Rollan Fell, Print Shoppe


Rossini's La Gazza Ladra Overture (1817)
This opera also known as the Thieving Magpie. The melodrama is about a magpie that steals a silver spoon and a coin that creates great drama in the opera, but all ends well. The overture opens with snare drums setting a sombre tone, but then moves to a charming and happy melody with a lot of energy.
 Preview the Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWz_5V1k8D8&t=1sOSU is preparing the great Mozart Symphony #40 for our Feb. 10 concert. Thanks to Xun Sun for finding this exceptional performance. 


The absolutely gorgeous Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus by Ralph Vaughan Williams is also on the program. This piece features the strings and includes English and Irish folk music which you will also recognize as the melody for How Great Thou Art.


(Children over six welcome with adult supervision. No babies please because the concert is being recorded.)