Symphony orchestra performs for IU Summer Music Festival

Applause filled the Musical Arts Center as a final rush of music filtered through the air.
The symphony orchestra conducted by Cliff Colnot played Brahms’ “Academic Festival Overture” and “Symphony No. 2” Tuesday. The performance was one of several scheduled for this year’s IU Summer Music Festival. More than 40 performances have been scheduled for the festival, which features top conductors and performers from all over the world.

Colnot was the principal conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s MusicNOW series, and is currently the principal conductor of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago.  
Jacob’s School of Music student David Scholl played the bass with the symphony orchestra Tuesday evening.

“(Colnot’s) very good and very thorough,” Scholl said. “He really knows what he wants and he knows how to find it.”

Scholl said the orchestra has been preparing for this concert for more than two weeks.

“Colnot is very generous with his time,” Scholl said. “He leads all of the sectionals on his own and goes out of his way to help us when we need it.”

Joshua Garver is a violin and music education major at IU. Joshua worked with Colnot during the spring 2008 semester.

“If I could use one word to describe Cliff Colnot, I would say ‘efficient,’” Garver said. “We always began right on time, hammering away at any trouble spots.”

In the audience was viola performance major Olivia Chew. Chew worked with Colnot during the 2007 Summer Music Festival.

“Colnot doesn’t settle for mediocrity,” Chew said. “(He)pushes the orchestra to play to its full potential.”

Cliff Colnot is one of a number of guest conductors who will be working this summer with Indiana University music students.

To see the schedule of performances that will be offered, free and ticketed, please visit the IU Summer Music Festival Web site at http://www.music.indiana.edu/publicity/summer_fest/2008.