The curtains are set to close on the USU Symphony Orchestra's season with a grand finale that bridges musical disciplines. In a performance slated for April 22 at 7:30 p.m. in the Chase Fine Arts Center's Daines Concert Hall, the orchestra is teaming up with university choirs and soloists to present Beethoven's "Choral Fantasy." This ambitious collaboration, according to USU Today, is a rare treat, featuring a piece that channels the spirit of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, complete with its uplifting "Ode to Joy."
Conductor Daniel Alfred Wachs, gearing up for his final concert before departing to Vienna, expressed his vision for this concert as a way to showcase the talents of the students. He reached for inclusion, noting, "For my final concert, I wanted to include as many of our wonderful students across disciplines as possible, which is why I reached out to our choir program," Wachs said, as per USU Today. The concert will feature six vocal soloists from USU, and a pianist, the identity of whom Wachs intriguingly decided to keep under wraps until the performance.
With five concerts to their name this season, the USU Symphony Orchestra has been rehearsing the program since just before spring break. Although it's not common practice for the orchestra and university choirs to collaborate, the blend this time around signifies the university's biggest concert of the year. The interdisciplinary nature of this event, Wachs emphasizes, not only serves to unite students and faculty, but it also allows for larger, more thrilling works to be presented.
