Concert with flutist draws nearly 300

A near-capacity crowd of almost 300 turned out at Old St. Vincent's Church on Sunday for the Southeast Missouri Chamber Orchestra's second Subscription Series concert.

The "Mostly Mozart" program featured the orchestra performing some of the composer's most famous works, along with numbers from Antonio Vivaldi. The concert's main attraction was Mark Sparks, principal flutist of the St. Louis Symphony, who was praised by audience members for his virtuosity.

"It was excellent," said Mike Kelley of Cape Girardeau, "particularly the flutist. It's a great thing for Cape Girardeau. It was a great performance in an acoustically perfect place."

The orchestra turned in an exceptional performance as well, said Larry Havelok Jackson, also of Cape Girardeau. "They had great confidence and professionalism," he said. "It was a very interesting program."

The concert was made possible by financial assistance from Southeast Missouri State University President Ken Dobbins, said Gary Miller, chairman of Southeast's music department. And it was the efforts of two Southeast music professors, Sara Edgerton, director of the concert, and Paul Thompson, that brought Sparks to Cape Girardeau.

"They went to the St. Louis Symphony and asked Sparks to play, and he readily agreed," Miller said.

Sparks' list of accomplishments includes solo performances at major venues across the country and in Japan. He has been featured as a soloist at Carnegie Hall and has played with the New York Philharmonic, the Detroit Symphony and the Baltimore Symphony. Sparks was also featured recently in Windplayer Magazine as one of the top 10 flutists in the United States.

"His finger dexterity and breath control are just amazing," said Judy Cureton of Cape Girardeau. "This is one of the best concerts they've done."

The orchestra only rehearsed with Sparks for two weekends, said Miller. Sparks also agreed to instruct a master class last weekend with five flutists ranging from ninth grade to a recent SEMO graduate, he said.

Judging from the audience's reaction, the lack of rehearsal time didn't adversely affect the performance, which lasted about an hour and 15 minutes. At the concert's conclusion, Sparks and the orchestra received a lengthy standing ovation.

"I give it a four-plus rating," Kelley said.

msanders@semissourian.com

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