The Laredo Philharmonic Orchestra’s “Symphonic Evolution” concert at the Center for the Fine and Performing Arts on April 1 received a standing ovation from an apparently mesmerized audience.
More than 500 individuals rose from their seats to applaud the LPO and Director Brendan Townsend, after the two hour concert.
“It’s a beautiful sound. Brendan is doing a fabulous job at conducting and giving direction, and LPO is a very good orchestra,” Dr. Boris Hellmann, a Laredo Community College instructor, observed during the show’s intermission.
The concert began with symphonies by Jiri Antonin Bende and Mozart and included the participation of two guest soloists: Yu-Mei Huang, assistant professor of upper strings, on violin and Luis Enrique Casal, a violin/viola instructor at LCC, on the viola.
“They were phenomenal,” Townsend said. “They are not regular soloists, and they handled it magnificently. There wasn’t a single note out of place, and I was very proud of them.”
More than 150 performers took the stage for the concert’s second half, as the university’s Philharmonic Chorale, the Coro Espiritu Santo, United High School’s Longhorn Choir, Vidal M. Trevino School of Communication and Fine Arts, and Laredo Community College’s Mixed Choir were incorporated to the orchestra.
“I think having different schools and different groups singing together is very good,” Beatriz Vazquez, a parent of one of the high school performers, said.
The concert explored the evolution of the symphony. During the 1700s, music was moved from only being associated with dance and taken to the concert halls, and the early symphony was created. The concert explored the story of how symphonies went from these early versions to the more complex, modern versions in approximately 250 years, Townsend said.
Audiences received a deeper insight into the music being performed through “Music by Numbers,” a tool designed to help the audience follow along with the music. Number displays on two screens next to the stage told audience members what number to read in the program they received at the entrance. The numbers gave an interpretation of the music and, at times, told them try to focus on a specific instrument.
“It tells you exactly what’s happening as its happening,” Townsend said. ‘It’s like getting a play-by-play in basketball or football where the commentators are telling you what’s going on as it’s going on.”
The idea was adapted from similar technology being used in other places, such as Houston, Townsend said.
The LPO’s last concert of the season, “American Influences,” will be held May 6 at LCC’s Guadalupe and Lilia Martinez Fine Arts Center and will include music and much more.
“The concert will be a great multimedia display,” Townsend observed. “It will be quite something special.”