NATCHITOCHES – The Natchitoches-Northwestern Symphony Orchestra will perform on Wednesday, Jan. 15 at 7:30 p.m. in Magale Recital Hall. Tickets are $16.50 if purchased online at https://nnssla.org/ticket-sales or $15 at the door. The concert was originally scheduled for Jan. 16.
Dr. Douglas Bakenhus is musical director of the Natchitoches-Northwestern Symphony Orchestra. Syll-Young Olson is assistant director and Sofiko Tchetchelashvili is instructor.
The program will be “Academic Festival Overture” by Johannes Brahms, “Symphony No. 1” by Beethoven, “Hungarian March” by Hector Berlioz directed by Olson and “Finlandia” by Jean Sibelius. The orchestra will perform the same program on Jan. 17 at the annual conference of the Louisiana Music Educators Association in New Orleans.
Olson was born in Seoul, Korea. She earned her bachelor’s degree in composition from the Seoul National University and the final diploma from the “Hochschule der Kuenste” in Berlin (University of Arts in Berlin). Since 1992, she has been on the faculty of Natchitoches Central High School, teaching instrumental talented students and conducting the school’s orchestra. Throughout her teaching career, Olson remained active as a guest conductor, adjudicator and clinician of numerous honor orchestras and festivals. She was named 2002/2003 Teacher of the Year by the Natchitoches Parish School Board and the Louisiana, Mississippi, West Tennessee District Kiwanis International. Olson was a recipient of the Mayor’s Award in Natchitoches. She was inducted into the Louisiana Music Educators Association Hall of Fame in 2022.
