Symphony concert to be Tuesday at River Campus

Vocal and instrumental talents will be highlighted Tuesday night at the Southeast Missouri Symphony Orchestra concert "Five Mystical Songs" in Bedell Performance Hall on the River Campus.

Along with the orchestra, the concert will feature the University Choir, Choral Union and Cape Girardeau student Elizabeth Ansberry, winner of the Southeast Missouri State University Music Department's Rising Star competition.

Orchestra conductor Sara Edgerton said that in the three years the university and music department have hosted the competition, open to all high school string players, Ansberry was the first local winner.

"Our first winner was from Ohio and our second winner from Indiana," Edgerton said. "We started this competition to let more students know about our River Campus and music department, but still, it's nice to be performing with a local student."

Ansberry, a 15-year-old home schooled student, said the concert would be unlike any other performance in her past.

"I'm really excited but at the same time really nervous," she said. "The opportunity is very thrilling."

Ansberry will be a featured soloist accompanied by the orchestra. She will perform the finale to Bruch's "Violin Concerto," a piece she described as "joyful."

Edgerton said the entire concert will feature pieces that will set the scene for spring.

"This concert primarily features English music, which is very serene and peaceful," Edgerton said. "This is the type of music for anyone looking forward to that nice spring weather."

The concert also will feature Southeast students Megan Statler and Jace Walz, winners of the Southeast Symphony's Concerto and Aria Competition. Statler, soprano, will perform with the orchestra, followed by Walz's flute solo. Timothy Schmidt, a Southeast Department of Music faculty member, will perform in the final piece, which combines orchestra and choir, as a bass-baritone soloist.

"We have a lot of variety and diversity in this concert," Edgerton said. "The combination of instruments and voices is always beautiful."

The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets may be purchased by contacting the River Campus box office at 651-2265 or by visiting rivercampusevents.com.

srinehart@semissourian.com

388-3641

Pertinent address:

518 S. Fountain St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.