MSMS Students Perform with Starkville Symphony Orchestra

Junior Lillian Fulgham and senior Katelyn Jackson prepare for this Friday’s Strings Symposium.

Joy Carino, Copy Editor
September 17, 2015

Though students at MSMS have busy schedules studying math and science, they also have opportunities to enjoy the arts through live orchestras on MUW campus. The Starkville Symphony Orchestra (SSO) will hold its annual Strings Symposium at tonight (Sept. 18) at 7:30 in Rent Auditorium. The SSO will play three pieces, and one will be accompanied by MUW faculty Dr. Valentin Bogdan and Dr. Julia Mortyakova. The orchestra will be directed by Dr. Michael Brown, and the event is free.

In addition, MSMS students Angella Osinde, Lillian Fulgham, and Katelyn Jackson will be playing with the SSO. Since the beginning of the semester, they have attended weekly practices in Starkville with the MSU Philharmonia Orchestra on Tuesdays and Thursdays. These rehearsals also count towards an MSMS elective credit.

Osinde, a junior, is excited for the concert but has acknowledged the challenges in practicing off campus and budgeting time between MSU orchestra and MSMS classwork.

Jackson, a senior, is grateful for the opportunity to rehearse with and learn from college students in the Philharmonia. She stated, “Playing with MSU Philharmonia has improved my skills not only as a violinist, but also as a flutist and guitarist. I feel as if I have become a much better musician all around.”

The Strings Symposium is an all day event. The SSO and several other orchestras will begin rehearsals at 9 a.m. and end at 5:00 p.m. all in preparation for the concert at 7:30 p.m.

The program promises a unique set of pieces from classical Mozart to the unique sounds of Saint-Saens Carnival of the Animals, which Osinde said is “not your typical orchestra piece.” MSMS students are invited and encouraged (with extra credit for Ms. Heintz’s or Mr. Funderburk’s classes) to attend and listen to the hard work of the SSO and three MSMS students.

Program (courtesy of http://www.starkvillesymphony.org/project/string-symposium/)