The UTC Symphony Orchestra will present its annual spring concert at 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 21, in the UTC Fine Arts Center’s Roland Hayes Concert Hall. The concert is free and open to the public.
The 55-member college/community orchestra, led by UTC Symphony Orchestra conductor Sandy Morris, includes University music majors and non-majors, UTC music faculty, area music educators and other amateur and professional musicians from the region.
One of the highlights of the concert program is the premiere of a three-movement work, “The Empress of Ireland,” composed by UTC music composition/instrumental music education major Tyler West.
West, a junior and graduate of Ridgeland High School in Rossville, Georgia, also plays trumpet in the orchestra.
“We are very proud to premiere a new orchestral work by one of our own players,” Morris said. “I first met Tyler as a member of my youth orchestra a few years ago, and when he approached me about premiering his new orchestral work, I was delighted.
“One of my goals as a conductor has been to perform music by living composers. What better chance to help bring a work to life than with the composer in attendance each week to give feedback and answer questions from the orchestra and me? This is an incredible opportunity for the orchestra to experience the evolution of a new piece of music.”
The UTCSO performance also includes dances from “The Nutcracker Suite” by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and “Danzon No. 2” by Arturo Márquez.
“The other pieces on our program are well-loved works requested by our graduating seniors,” Morris said. “Even though it’s springtime, the ‘Nutcracker’ dances are timeless, and it’s good for these students to experience this work before graduating and possibly playing it later as professional musicians. ‘Danzon No. 2’ by Mexican composer Arturo Márquez is an exciting work that combines soulful solos with lively Latin dance rhythms.”
To learn more about UTC concerts, recitals and performances, visit the UTC Department of Music events page.
The UTC Fine Arts Center is at the intersection of Dr. Roland Carter Street (formerly known as Vine Street) and Palmetto Street on the UTC campus. Free parking is available in the adjacent Lupton Hall parking garage. Both the parking garage and the Roland Hayes Concert Hall are handicap accessible.