Orchestra pleases

By Jill Mackie

The university orchestra has sprung back to life again, marking a renewed emphasis on practical work for music at Victoria.

At the request of Professor Page of the Music Department, Mr. Dobbs Franks is conducting the new student orchestra, and he is pleased at the response already made by interested players.

Mr. Franks feels that a university orchestra should be integrated with student life, and composition students, singers, choirs and aspiring concerto soloists within the university can look forward to being able to work with the orchestra.

We should be hearing the orchestra in concert well before the end of the year; as well, it will accompany the University Choir when they perform, with soloists, the Vivaldi "Gloria" in Wellington and at the Auckland Arts Festival in August.

A chamber music rather than fully symphony orchestra, it consists at the moment of 35-40 members, whose enthusiasm doesn't even seem to waver at the thought of the eight-o'clock start on Tuesday morning practices!

Although Mozart and Beethoven are at present being worked on (not unkindly meant), Mr. Franks is very interested in having contemporary music performed, and this year's concert programme will probably include a composition of New Zealand's Jenny McLeod.

In case you just don't believe that students can sound energetic and musical first thing in the morning (few lecturers ever do), go along to a practice yourself, and be impressed.