Aubrey McCord, senior secondary English education major, rehearses Tuesday afternoon in Heath Recital Hall. The ESU Chamber Orchestra will hold a concert on Friday, October 23, 7:30pm at heath Recital Hall. Jennifer Baldwin/The Bulletin

Emporia State’s Chamber Orchestra will play at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow at Heath Recital Hall in Beach Hall. Tickets are $4 for students and $5 for general admission.

Jeremy Starr, director of orchestras, conducts two orchestras at ESU, the Symphony Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra.

“The Chamber orchestra is more of an intimate group,” Starr said. “If you’re a ‘chamber’ anything it usually means a small group ensemble. There are 18 players and it is a string only orchestra.”

Because of its size, the Chamber Orchestra brings a sense of familiarity to its members.

“I like the intimacy of playing in a smaller group,” said Joshua East, junior music education major and the Chamber Orchestra’s concertmaster. “String quartets and small string orchestras allow for that type of playing.  I also enjoy playing the repertoire that is written for string orchestras.”
A string orchestra consists of four different instruments: violin, viola, cello and bass. Starr plans to add a few wind and brass instruments for the next concert

“Symphonies are generally a full orchestra and have wind, brass and percussion with 65 people,” Starr said. “It’s a mixture of ESU students and community members from Emporia.”

The Chamber Orchestra will perform four works during the concert, including pieces by Gustav Holst, Felix Mendelssohn and Mozart.

“We’re playing a work that was originally written for voice and piano that was transcribed for a string orchestra,” Starr said. “It’s a really nice arrangement. We follow that with a suite, three different pieces by Gustav Holst. After that we’re playing the third string symphony by Felix Mendelssohn. Then we end the concert with a piece by Mozart.”

Starr says that the group rehearses four days a week Monday through Thursday from 2 p.m. to 2:50 p.m. It consists of people who have very little experience playing and people who have more. Starr said the director plays a very particular role.

“A director is there to help everyone play,” Starr said. “The conductor is just a guide that will get everyone thinking in a way they don’t normally think about the music. They are there to serve the orchestra, not to commandeer it.”

Hannah Belton, sophomore elementary education major, could not remember if she had even heard of the Chamber Orchestra performance. But after a moment of thought, she remembered that she had.

“I heard about it in my theater class,” Belton said. “Everyone was leaving and a guy in the class told (us) to go.”

She said that she might go.

“I think people need to come and hear the orchestra,” Starr said. “I don’t think a lot of people even know there even is such an event. Something about hearing live string instruments play that you can’t get from anything else.”

Felix Ceradsky/The Bulletin

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