2008 Woodie Awards
Orchestra harmonizes at Coffee Concert
Adam Asmar
Issue date: 10/8/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
In the lobby of the Performance Hall, members of the Abilene Philharmonic Orchestra performed their rendition of "The Beethoven Triple Concerto" Sept. 26. Students and faculty were invited to relax and enjoy an afternoon of classical music and free coffee.
The music was composed in 1803 by Ludwig van Beethoven and was comprised of violin, cello and piano. It was divided into three classical pieces assembled together with different speeds and styles.
The ensemble featured Andrew Irvin on violin, Natasha Farney on cello, Bob Goodwin on piano and Brookhaven professor Gustavo Tolosa on piano.
Tolosa said this was his first performance with the ensemble. He said he practiced one time with the other soloist musicians hired by the Abilene Philharmonic.
Many aspiring student musicians attended the concert. Charles Goodrum, Brookhaven music major, said he doesn't go to a lot of performances like this, but he said he thought the performers were really good.
The performers said they have been playing music since childhood. Irvin said he started playing the piano at age four.Tolosa said practice was the best way for students to become better musicians and compete in the growing music world.
"There are so many good musicians out there today and if they are not practicing six hours a day, it will be hard for them to make it," Tolosa said. "It is discipline, and it's hard."
Tolosa said it takes dedication to become good with music and he sees a lot of Brookhaven music students making that kind of effort.
The performers discussed issues such as having seams in their instruments open up in varying degrees of humidity. The musicians said they have special ways of dealing with their instruments.
Irvin said he typically changes his strings once every two to three months and takes his violin to a music shop for general maintenance once or twice a year, depending on the amount he plays.
Travel can become tedious and expensive for some of the musicians. Farney, who is from New York, described events where she purchased a separate airplane ticket for her cello.
"The instruments are very temperamental," Farney said.
Other times she actually convinced the pilot of the aircraft to let her stow the cello in the cockpit for the duration of the flight.
The music was composed in 1803 by Ludwig van Beethoven and was comprised of violin, cello and piano. It was divided into three classical pieces assembled together with different speeds and styles.
The ensemble featured Andrew Irvin on violin, Natasha Farney on cello, Bob Goodwin on piano and Brookhaven professor Gustavo Tolosa on piano.
Tolosa said this was his first performance with the ensemble. He said he practiced one time with the other soloist musicians hired by the Abilene Philharmonic.
Many aspiring student musicians attended the concert. Charles Goodrum, Brookhaven music major, said he doesn't go to a lot of performances like this, but he said he thought the performers were really good.
The performers said they have been playing music since childhood. Irvin said he started playing the piano at age four.Tolosa said practice was the best way for students to become better musicians and compete in the growing music world.
"There are so many good musicians out there today and if they are not practicing six hours a day, it will be hard for them to make it," Tolosa said. "It is discipline, and it's hard."
Tolosa said it takes dedication to become good with music and he sees a lot of Brookhaven music students making that kind of effort.
The performers discussed issues such as having seams in their instruments open up in varying degrees of humidity. The musicians said they have special ways of dealing with their instruments.
Irvin said he typically changes his strings once every two to three months and takes his violin to a music shop for general maintenance once or twice a year, depending on the amount he plays.
Travel can become tedious and expensive for some of the musicians. Farney, who is from New York, described events where she purchased a separate airplane ticket for her cello.
"The instruments are very temperamental," Farney said.
Other times she actually convinced the pilot of the aircraft to let her stow the cello in the cockpit for the duration of the flight.
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