Laredo Philharmonic Orchestra Honors Heroes and Heroines

The string, brass, and percussion sounds of the Laredo Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) soared throughout the Fine and Performing Arts Recital Hall on Sunday, Sept. 28.Under the direction of Maestro Brendan Townsend, Sunday’s event marked the beginning of the LPO’s 29th season, “Heroes and Heroines.”Including Sunday’s concert, the LPO 2008/2009 concert series is comprised of five performances, each featuring music in honor of heroes of all forms.The first concert of the season, subtitled “Ordinary Heroes Who Answered the Call,” featured the music of Richard Wagner, Samuel Adler, Jessica Locke, and Sir Edward Elger. Now while the event featured the work of renowned composers, the concert had a special guest: Dr. David Eaton. An organist and instructor of organ and harpsichord at the University of Texas at San Antonio, Eaton performed Adler’s Lux Perpetua for organ and orchestra. During intermission, Eaton, in a question and answer session with Townsend, explained the difficulty of learning Adler’s composition. “It took six weeks. Every spare moment [was spent] learning this piece,” Eaton said. However, the main piece of the concert was Locke’s Reading the Names. Before conducting the work, Townsend said the piece was inspired by the events of Sept. 11, 2001.This is a “tribute to those who died on that tragic day,” said Townsend. The piece also featured the Laredo Philharmonic Chorale, who read the names of the firefighters who died on that day.”I liked how the names were used in the piece. It sounded like the names were actual notes on the piece,” said LCC freshman Juan Pablo Martinez.In addition to honoring the heroes of 9/11, the concert also honored another type of hero: teachers.During a break between performances, Carlos Luna, LPO Board President, asked all teachers in the audience to stand and be honored.They are “the most valuable heroes, our educators,” Luna said. The debut performance of the season proved exciting and popular among some members of the audience.”The songs were interesting, full of emotions. The [Dorabella] section of [Elger’s Variations on an original theme …] was moving,” said TAMIU Sophomore Antonio Lopez. The music wasn’t the only part of the show that excited the audience. “I like how [Townsend] conducted the orchestra. He gets into it, and I think that gets the musicians even more into their performance,” said Martinez. The performance “was very musical […] the level of the musicianship was very high,” added Luna. Overall, it appears the message of the first show of the season came across. The concert “was real good. It had a message-appreciation of life, courage, and sacrifice. [I think] more students should attend [the concerts],” said Student Government President James Cortez. The remainder of the LPO season will feature the works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Leonard Bernstein, Ludwig Beethoven, John Williams, Igor Stravinsky, and many others. The next concert, “Heroes of Stage and Screen,” will take place at the LCC Guadalupe and Lila Martinez Fine Arts Center on Oct. 26 at 3:00 p.m. For ticket information, please contact Townsend at 326-3039 or btownsend@tamiu.edu.