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Senior soloists to perform with St. Olaf Orchestra

By Anna Stevens '10
May 2, 2008

In what is one of St. Olaf College's most popular annual musical performances, selected senior singers and instrumentalists will each solo with the St. Olaf Orchestra during a May 9 concert.

Senior Soloists
Senior soloists include (from left) John Groerich and Martha Schwehn, oboe; Lauren Drasler and Maranda Childs, soprano; Kenneth Qian, organ; Luke Varland, bassoon; James McKone, piano; and Laura Wilde, mezzo-soprano.
The performance, directed by St. Olaf Orchestra Conductor Steven Amundson, will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Boe Memorial Chapel. It is free and open to the public and will be streamed and archived online.

Seniors John Groerich and Martha Schwehn will play the oboe; Kenneth Qian, the organ; Luke Varland, the bassoon; and James McKone, the piano. Vocalists Lauren Drasler and Maranda Childs, soprano, and Laura Wilde, mezzo-soprano, will also perform.

The concert will feature the premiere performance of Dervish, a composition by Assistant Professor in Music Theory and Composition Justin Merritt. Childs will sing "Indian Bell Song" from the opera Lakme. Schwehn and Groerich will play the first two movements of Vivaldi's Double Oboe Concerto. Wilde will sing "Un bel di" from the opera Madame Butterfly. McKone will perform the last movement of Saint-Saens' Second Piano Concerto.

On the organ, Qian will perform the first movement of Widor's Symphony for Organ and Orchestra. Varland will then perform the first movement of Mozart's Bassoon Concerto. Drasler will sing "Una voce poco fa" from the opera The Barber of Seville. The St. Olaf Orchestra will then perform Medea's Dance of Vengeance by Samuel Barber.

The ensemble
The St. Olaf Orchestra is perhaps best known for its participation in the annual St. Olaf Christmas Festival, broadcast on PBS and public radio stations nationwide. In addition to performing throughout the United States, and notably as Garrison Keillor's guest on a broadcast of A Prairie Home Companion, the St. Olaf Orchestra has performed internationally throughout Europe. This summer the orchestra will tour Spain.

Conductor Amundson has received numerous honors, including the Hans Haring Prize -- an international conducting competition sponsored by the Mozarteum and National Austrian Radio; Orchestra Educator of the Year by the Minnesota Music Educator's Association; and the Carlo A. Sperati Award for meritorious achievement in music from his alma mater, Luther College. In addition, professional orchestras across the country have performed his compositions.

Contact Kari VanDerVeen at 507-786-3970 or vanderve@stolaf.edu.