Southeast Missouri Symphony Orchestra to give preview of upcoming concert season

Fans of the Southeast Missouri Symphony Orchestra will once again get a chance to catch a sneak peek of the upcoming concert season before it begins.

On Sunday a small chamber orchestra made up of members from the larger ensemble will deliver a free performance to preview the season in the third annual Symphony Preview concert.

Symphony orchestra artistic director Dr. Sara Edgerton said the idea first came from the orchestra's volunteer board of directors as a way to reach out to the community and generate interest before the season begins.

Many large orchestras schedule an entire week of preview concerts before their season begins, Edgerton said. This concert is timed to coincide with the start of advance ticket sales that began on Saturday.

The concert will be "a microcosm of some of the pieces and some of the composers that will be featured this coming year," said Edgerton.

Edgerton said the chamber ensemble will play a movement from the "Peer Gynt Suite" by Edvard Grieg. The movement is composed for a small ensemble, where the rest of the piece calls for a larger orchestra.

A piece by Ralph Vaughn Williams that features the folk tune "Greensleeves" and Scott Joplin compositions will round out the concert.

Also featured will be a composition by Rhonda Larson, a Grammy award-winning flutist and composer who will be the featured guest performer for the orchestra's first concert of the season Oct. 3.

Bringing in a performer of Larson's fame is a first for the orchestra. Larson performs and writes pieces that blend classical, Celtic, jazz and other ethnic styles.

"I'm really interested in bringing someone of that level here," Edgerton said. "We want to attract those kind of people when we move down to the River Campus."

The performing arts at Southeast Missouri State University will be housed at the River Campus when facilities are ready. The expected date is August 2007.

msanders@semissourian.com

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