Dr. Don Appert’s String Orchestra concert program, comprised of 80 musicians, will perform on March 9 at 7:30 p.m. in the Vancouver School of Arts and Academics Durst Theatre.
Appert is a music director and conductor at Clark. The program presents “Suite from The Three Cornered Hat,” a ballet written in 1919 based on Andalusian folk music, “Der Schwanendreher” written in 1935 by German composer Paul Hindemith and “Espana Rhapsody,” written in 1883 by the French composer Emmanuel Chabrier.
Also, “Fantasy for Viola and String Orchestra,” written by Appert in 2014 featuring guest violist Brett Deubner will be played by 17 former and current Clark students.
The performance is free for the public.
“The concert is a display of artistry and musicianship that combines classroom work at the rehearsals with personal practice and applied lessons,” said program coordinator Shelly Williams. “It is also a dynamic conversation between the players and the audience, which makes live music a unique art form.”
Students from the Music Department are volunteering as cashiers, stage crew and ushers.
The Clark Orchestra performs three times per year. Each concert is the quarter’s “final exam” in each Orchestra, Band, Jazz Band, Concert Choir, Women’s Choir and Chorale class. The concerts are a culmination of classwork, showing students’ progress over the quarter.
“Music has that intangible quality to move us intellectually, emotionally and spiritually all at the same time and each of us in a different way,” Williams said.