Sponsored by the Department of Fine and Performing Arts, the Southeastern Chamber Orchestra performed a collection of pieces from the classical period last Thursday, March 28 at the Columbia Theatre.
The orchestra was conducted by violin instructor and director of the Chamber Orchestra Yakov Voldman.


“Producing an orchestral concert is a major undertaking, and would not have been possible without the help of many people,” Voldman said in his conductor notes on the back of the program. “I want to thank all the students in the orchestra for a great job they did in preparing for this performance.”


The orchestra’s repertoire for the evening included German composers Max Bruch, Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven as well as Austrian composer Joseph Haydn. The work of the first American composer to acquire worldwide acclaim, Leonard Bernstein, was also recited during the performance. 


The orchestra personnel contained over fifty students and five soloists: Iuliia Alyeksyeyeva of Kherson, Ukraine on viola, graduate student Dana Hudson on flute, Miroslav Hristov of Bulgaria on violin, Vladimir Valjarevic on piano and sophomore Se Ryung Chung of Seoul, South Korea on cello.  
The first soloist of the night, Alyeksyeyeva, worked very hard for her performance and with the support of the whole orchestra behind her, it made the experience that much more rewarding.

“I think the most rewarding part of it all is the team work,” said Alyeksyeyeva. “We have been practicing really hard to make this performance a success, and all the students put a huge effort. The audience was great and supportive as well.”


Music is an emotional experience, and for Alyeksyeyeva the end of the concert was instant gratification. All of the hard work and long hours put into making the performance perfect had paid off. 
”When you play, you are trying to show all your feelings and emotions through your performance and as soon as the piece is ending and you hear the applause from the people, that is the biggest reward,” said Alyeksyeyeva. 


Upcoming events for the Department of Fine and Performing arts include the Southeastern Wind Symphony with guest Ivan Rutherford on Thursday, April 25 at 7:30 p.m. at the Columbia Theatre, and the Northshore Choral Society on Tuesday, April 30 at 7:30 p.m. also at the Columbia Theatre. Both events are free for students with the Southeastern I.D. and general admission is $10. Southeastern faculty, alumni and staff tickets are priced $5. 
For more information on upcoming events contact the Department of Fine and Performing Arts at (985)549-2184.