NATCHITOCHES – The world premiere of a composition by former Northwestern State University faculty member Richard Rose will highlight the Natchitoches-Northwestern Symphony Orchestra’s St. Patrick’s Day Pops Concert on Thursday, March 17 at 7:30 p.m. in Magale Recital Hall.
Tickets are $15 and free for Northwestern State, BPCC@NSU and Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts students with a current student I.D. Those attending are asked to wear a mask. A livestream of the concert will be available at capa.nsula.edu/livestream.
Douglas Bakenhus is music director of the Natchitoches-Northwestern Symphony Orchestra. Graduate assistant conductors are Aura Hernandez Canedo, Juan Pablo Paternina Paez, Ramon Sarruf Monroy and Jorge Ojeda Munoz of Cartagena, Colombia.
Rose’s “Irish Medley for Men’s Chorus and Orchestra” will include the NSU Men’s Chorus directed by Ella Castro.
“Mr. Rose’s work captures the entire tapestry of the Irish Spirit,” said Castro, a graduate student in music education from Caloocan, Philippines. “As the piece starts with a really fast ‘Red-Haired Boy,’ it captures its carefree spirit. The next number, ‘Sally Garden,’ features the majesty of the green sceneries, like a pastoral. The next piece in the medley, ‘Danny Boy,’ gives a longing and yearning feeling. And with the last song ‘Drunken Sailor’, the whole piece finishes off in a party vibe of a drinking song, celebrating with a feast and all the simple joys.”
The orchestra will also perform the concert overture “Dublin City” arranged by Thomas Quigley, “Hebrides (Fingal’s Cave) Overture” by Felix Mendelssohn, “Irish Suite – Part 1” and “Irish Suite – Part 2” which includes “The Irish Washerwoman,” “The Minstrel Boy,” “The Rakes of Mallow,” “The Wearing of the Green,” “The Last Rose of Summer” and “The Girl I Left Behind” arranged by Leroy Anderson and edited by D.E. Wagner with Canedo conducting part one and Monroy conducting part two.
Paez will conduct Percy Grainger’s “Mick Morris” inspired by the motto “Always Merry and Bright” featuring dancers Erin Fallis of Pineville and Mary Scott Pourciau of Baton Rouge. The orchestra will also perform a traditional Irish melody “St. Columbia” arranged by Matt Riley with Munoz conducting, an original dance for orchestra, “Un Reel” by Sam Baltzer featuring Pourciau, “An Irish Tune from County Derry” by Grainger and music from “The Lord of the Dance” by Ronan Hardiman and arranged by Larry Moore and featuring Fallis.
