Music is an art form that many people enjoy, and they have done so for centuries. Gustavus Adolphus College upholds this tradition, and this year’s Gustavus Philharmonic Orchestra Fall Concert on Friday, Nov. 13 at 7:30 p.m. in the Bjorling Recital Hall is one way to share in that tradition.

“[Attending the fall concert] is a good way to support your peers and listen to some cool, classical music,” Senior Health Fitness Major Natalie Peters said. Peters has been playing for the Gustavus Philharmonic Orchestra since last spring. In comparison with the music typically played in the spring, which last year featured pops music, “The Baroque pieces are a lot more challenging,” she said.

“Traditionally, I’ve chosen to do a little more Baroque music for [the fall] concert,” Gustavus Philharmonic Orchestra Conductor Brian Buckstead said.
Baroque music, which includes composers like Vivaldi, Handel and Johann Sebastian Bach, is not the only music to be performed at the concert this year. Pieces from classical and twentieth-century artists—namely Mozart and Holst—are also on the set list.

“I will be play[ing] the Vivaldi D Major Concerto, and the Capriccio by Goltermann,” Fall Concert Soloist and Cello Instructor Sharon Mautner-Rodgers said.

Not only does the music that the Philharmonic Orchestra plays stem from varied musical styles, but the musicians themselves also come from different backgrounds. With majors ranging from health fitness to sociology and anthropology, the orchestra displays a lot of diversity. This diverse group works hard to execute the versatile and stylistically challenging compositions handed to them.

“Music is always an enriching thing,” Buckstead said.  “It should keep [the students] intrigued.”

The devotion of the musicians has impressed Mautner-Rodgers. “The students are doing a nice job under Dr. Buckstead’s leadership,” she said. “I love how [music] just transforms you. There is an amazing feeling that overtakes you when you are involved in playing music; it’s like nothing else in the world. It’s like you go somewhere else where you can be completely immersed in the emotion of the music.”

The efforts of the musicians are sure to translate into this year’s fall concert, where a unique ensemble of wind instruments awaits listeners.