Since Ryan Webber took over as musical director of the Heartland Symphony Orchestra, he’s had a few goals for their performances.
He wants them to have a little something for everyone, and to champion new music along with the classics.
Heartland Symphony Orchestra’s fall concerts “Opening Nights” will do just that. They will be world premiere of composer Kyle Brown’s “Radiant," and the orchestra will play classics by Edward Elgar and Ludwig van Beethoven.
There will be two performances: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11, at Charles D. Martin Auditorium at Little Falls High School, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Gichi-ziibi Center for the Arts at Brainerd High School.
Along with Brown’s “Radiant,” they will perform one of Elgar’s pomp and circumstance marches, “Song for Orchestra” by Ruth Gipps, “Video Game Fantasy” arranged by Russ Peterson, Beethoven’s “An Ode to Joy Festival” and “The Lark Ascending” by Ralph Vaughan Williams, featuring a soloist performance from violinist Steve Zander.
Composer and performer
In addition to composing the piece “Radiant,” Brown is also a member of the Heartland Symphony Orchestra as a piccolo player. The idea of him commissioning a piece for the orchestra started out as casual conversations with Webber.
“When we got around to programming for this year, Ryan said, ‘let's make it happen,’" Brown said on Area Voices on the KAXE Morning Show. "So, it was very exciting to write for any group, but it's even more exciting to write [for] a group that I'm familiar with the players.”
Webber said, “It's just a blast. It's such a collaborative process. Kyle is easy to work with ... but what I'm so thankful for with Kyle is his trust in me and the orchestra to do what's best for the group.”
Brown echoed what Webber said. He said he enjoys it when a performer can interpret his music in a truthful way to what is written while also being able to put their own spin on it.
“I know that we're all there for the same goal of making a good quality product that people are going to enjoy," Brown said.
Brown will admit that sometimes it can be tough performing music he composed.
“Rehearsing my own pieces as a performer is always more challenging on my end because there's sort of a disconnect between writing it and playing it," he said. "So, when I get to play my own music, it allows me a greater connection to my own compositional process.”
California to Minnesota
Violinist Zander currently lives in Malibu, California. However, he does have a couple connections to the Brainerd lakes area. His sister and parents live there, and he has performed in the Lakes Area Music Festival for many years.
Zander’s sister is the orchestra teacher for Brainerd Public Schools and suggested he perform in the festival years ago. She also helped him get involved with the Heartland Symphony Orchestra this year.
Webber thought it was good idea to build a connection between Heartland Symphony Orchestra and the Lakes Area Music Festival in hopes fans of one will check out the other.
It was Zander who picked “The Lark Ascending” to play a solo in. He’s never performed the solo before, but the song has left an impression on him ever since he first heard it.
Being in California, he is not able to rehearse with the full orchestra until the week of the performances.
“It's a lot of solitary time," Zander said. "I do have the score in front of me often when I'm practicing just to try to hear the orchestra part, get to know it better, sort of to prepare for what I'm going to be hearing as I play with them.”
Performances
Like all Heartland Symphony Orchestra performances, the concerts are free admission with donations accepted. You can also keep up to date on upcoming performances on their website, Facebook or Instagram.
Webber encouraged people "to come show up, have a good time, and hopefully they will discover a piece that they might not thought they like and walk away enjoying it.”
Tell us about upcoming arts events where you live in Northern Minnesota by emailing psa@kaxe.org.
Area Voices is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.
