Last night was a very big night for the Philharmonic - the annual ritual of the first rehearsal of the season. It is an event that I anticipate with eagerness, some nervousness, and a lot of excitement. Because of the nature of the EPO, with a substantial number of our players still pursuing musical studies (most often graduate and post graduate instrumentalists at the IU School of Music), we have a larger than average turnover of personnel each season. As I explained in the previous post about our auditions, this season had even more open positions than most years. While I was confident that we had assembled a fine pool of new players from those auditions, one never really knows how it will all gel until the first rehearsal, with our returning and new players together for the first time.
Well, our first rehearsal more than confirmed that we have a terrific orchestra this season! Truly, from the downbeat of the Beethoven 7th Symphony, there was a cohesive sound, and an excitement to the playing that is at least what I (and I think my colleagues) recall from last season -- quite possibly, discernibly better. Time will answer that question for sure -- but if last night's initial rehearsal was any indication, I think all of you in our audience can expect some great things from the Evansville Philharmonic this season. We spent nearly the entire rehearsal on the Beethoven 7th Symphony -- hard work, but without doubt a labor of love. There's nothing like putting together the Classics, specifically the Beethoven symphonies, and I anticipate this will be an exciting and fulfilling journey for orchestra and audience alike!
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