Ballet students to join College-Community Orchestra members in concert

Members of SUNY Oswego's College-Community Orchestra will perform pieces by Bach, Vivaldi, Mendelssohn and Mozart in a free concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 27, in Sheldon Hall ballroom, joined by students from the college's "Intermediate Ballet Technique" class and others from the Oswego Ballet Academy.

The orchestra, under the direction of SUNY Oswego's Dr. Juan F. La Manna, will perform pieces including Bach’s famous "Concerto for Two Violins in D minor," featuring college freshmen violinists Clara Tribunella and Kaitlyn Lardeo; Vivaldi’s "Concerto for Two Oboes," featuring students Lisa Viviano, Faith Strohm, Molly Bacon and Evelyn Vidal; and Mozart’s popular "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik." Closing out the program, La Manna said, will be the first movement of Mendelssohn’s beautiful "Scottish Symphony," conducted by SUNY Oswego senior Kevan Spencer.

“I wanted to give our local dancers a chance to perform to live music once again, after the success of our Tchaikovsky’s 'Sleeping Beauty Waltz' collaboration in December," said La Manna, who has much experience conducting for ballet.

Dancers from ages 5 to 21 have worked hard perfecting the movements, said instructor and choreographer Dr. Ligia R. Pinheiro, who has choreographed two of the pieces in the concert.

"It is truly a special opportunity to be able to perform to live music," she said. "Live music really makes dancers respond to the sound and you can feel the energy and passion of it, whereas recorded music is predictable. On the one hand, it is easier to perform to recorded music, but on the other, to feel the music so close makes dancing much more enjoyable -- it becomes a collaboration in the moment.”

For all of the dancers involved, this is a privilege -- a unique and valuable experience, Pinheiro said.