The Colorado State University Concert Orchestra, under the direction of Leslie Stewart, will present “From the Other Side of the Pond,” a collection of pieces from British composers including Gustav Holst, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and Percy Grainger on Saturday, March 7, at 2 p.m. in the Organ Recital Hall at the University Center for the Arts, located at 1400 Remington St. The concert is free and open to the public.
Though there are many great music selections for the show, perhaps the highlight of the weekend’s performance will be the presentation of Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis by Vaughan Williams. The piece features the Pluto Quartet, one of CSU’s graduate student string quartets, accompanying the orchestra, as well as a second orchestra playing in the balcony of the Organ Recital Hall under the direction of graduate conducting student Noelle Bauman.
“I especially wanted to perform this program in our Organ Recital Hall so that the audience could experience the ‘echo’ effect of having the second orchestra playing above them in the balcony,” says Stewart. “I am always looking for ways to feature our terrific organ department and the magnificent instrument in Organ Recital Hall.”
The program also features the talents of several undergraduates, including Crystal Pelham, who will conduct Holst’s Brook Green Suite. Also on the program is Edward Elgar’s Sospiri, which incorporates parts for organ, performed by CSU piano performance major Brynna Ashton, and harp in accompaniment to the strings of the Concert Orchestra.
About Leslie Stewart
Leslie Stewart is director of string pedagogy at Colorado State University and director of CSU’s summer master of music education degree program with a specialization in conducting for working music educators. In addition, she conducts the CSU Concert Orchestra, teaches violin, coaches chamber music and plays violin in a new faculty ensemble, the Verdoro String Trio. Stewart is a violinist with the Colorado Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra and Cheyenne Symphony, and performs frequently with the Fort Collins Symphony. Read more about Stewart at this website.
Concert Orchestra
The highly collaborative Concert Orchestra is a passionate ensemble of 30 string players who perform with CSU choral, wind, and percussion students and faculty on exciting and rewarding programs. The ensemble, which is also open to CSU faculty and staff, meets on Mondays and Fridays from 1 to 2:30 p.m. and is directed by Leslie Stewart. Read more about the ensemble in this article.
