Posted 8:43 a.m. Monday, May 11, 2015
UW-L Orchestra is one of only eight music groups throughout the state to perform at the annual fall WSMA Conference in Madison in October.
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The UW-La Crosse Orchestra has been invited to perform at this fall’s Wisconsin State Music Association Conference in Madison.[/caption]
The UW-La Crosse Orchestra has been invited to perform at the state’s top conference for music professionals.
The ensemble is one of only eight music groups from throughout the state selected to perform at the annual fall Wisconsin State Music Association Conference (WSMA) in Madison in October.
“This is the first time the orchestra has been selected for a conference in our history,” says Orchestra Conductor Tom Seddon. “The students in the orchestra have worked very hard to raise the performance level to achieve this honor.”
Seddon says he sent in an application that included representative pieces of this year’s performances. A WSMA panel then screened recordings from more than 50 groups before selecting the eight ensembles to perform.
The UW-L Orchestra has toured in Europe during its history, but “this is an opportunity to perform for all of the music educators in the state of Wisconsin and some guests from around the country,” notes Seddon.
The 55-member orchestra includes mainly college students with a variety of majors, along with several musicians from the community. Brass and woodwind players audition to get into the group; all performers audition for seating placement.
The orchestra performs four concerts each academic year, along with the Festival of Carols in December and Creative Imperatives in spring. The group performs a wide variety of music from the Baroque era to the present. Performances in area churches, Central High School and the Viterbo Fine Arts Center include guest and faculty soloists, as well as a student concerto competition winner.
Seddon took over conducting the group after arriving on campus four years ago when the ensemble’s numbers had dwindled and its future was questioned. He says Assistant Director David Phipps was one of the key players in the ensemble’s successful turnover.
“With the orchestra’s recent uncertain history, this is a major accomplishment for the ensemble and the department,” says Seddon.
The UW-La Crosse Orchestra has been invited to perform at this fall’s Wisconsin State Music Association Conference in Madison.[/caption]
The UW-La Crosse Orchestra has been invited to perform at the state’s top conference for music professionals.
The ensemble is one of only eight music groups from throughout the state selected to perform at the annual fall Wisconsin State Music Association Conference (WSMA) in Madison in October.
“This is the first time the orchestra has been selected for a conference in our history,” says Orchestra Conductor Tom Seddon. “The students in the orchestra have worked very hard to raise the performance level to achieve this honor.”
Seddon says he sent in an application that included representative pieces of this year’s performances. A WSMA panel then screened recordings from more than 50 groups before selecting the eight ensembles to perform.
The UW-L Orchestra has toured in Europe during its history, but “this is an opportunity to perform for all of the music educators in the state of Wisconsin and some guests from around the country,” notes Seddon.
The 55-member orchestra includes mainly college students with a variety of majors, along with several musicians from the community. Brass and woodwind players audition to get into the group; all performers audition for seating placement.
The orchestra performs four concerts each academic year, along with the Festival of Carols in December and Creative Imperatives in spring. The group performs a wide variety of music from the Baroque era to the present. Performances in area churches, Central High School and the Viterbo Fine Arts Center include guest and faculty soloists, as well as a student concerto competition winner.
Seddon took over conducting the group after arriving on campus four years ago when the ensemble’s numbers had dwindled and its future was questioned. He says Assistant Director David Phipps was one of the key players in the ensemble’s successful turnover.
“With the orchestra’s recent uncertain history, this is a major accomplishment for the ensemble and the department,” says Seddon.