Bringing in Russian orchestra benefits students and community

Organizers say bringing a Russian symphony to the River Campus benefits both students and community members.

The Tchaikovsky St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra is set to perform at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Bedell Performance Hall at Southeast Missouri State University's River Campus. The orchestra will be making a stop in Cape Girardeau during its first tour of the United States.

The orchestra was founded in post-World War II Russia and named after one of the country's most famous composers. When the ensemble started performing, it worked in different classical pieces from genres like Renaissance, Baroque, Romantic and more modern pieces.

The River Campus has played host to several other forms of Russian art including ballets, dancing and other music groups.

"It's great when we get to be the venue that hosts performers from around the world," said Bob Cerchio, assistant director for the Holland School of Visual and Performing Arts at Southeast.

"There are few agencies that have affordable performers that fit into the criteria we desire. We have to take the size of our hall into consideration as well as the lasting impression it will have on the students," he said. "As an example, we could have a major U.S. orchestra and it would be great for the students to see, but it would also be five times larger and costlier than what we need."

Cerchio said they try to bring the best orchestras, theatre and dance to serve as a demonstration to the students to see where they could go with their education.

"The intention also works simultaneously as a public service component. It also gives the public the ability to witness something in this area that they normally wouldn't get to see," Cerchio said.

The hall is expected to be full as Roman Leontiev steps up to the podium. He is the music director and chief conductor for the orchestra. The performance will feature pieces including Richard Wagner's "Prelude and Liebestod" from the opera "Tristan und Isolde" and Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 5 in C-Sharp Minor.

Leontiev will share the stage with pianist Alexandre Pirozhenko who will be performing Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-Flat Major, Op. 19. Pirozhenko is a Young Concert Artists International Auditions winner. Young Concert Artists is a New York City-based organization dedicated to discovering and promoting the careers of talented young classical musicians from all over the world.

"The tickets have been selling very well. They are very inexpensive for an amazing orchestra with such talented and influential musicians," Cerchio said.

Tickets are $39 and $45 at the River Campus box office, by phone 573-651-2265 or at www.RiverCampusEvents.com.