The conductor stepped up to the podium, and the symphony began.
The University Orchestra concert is at 8 p.m. today in the Musical Arts Center.
The University Orchestra was originally comprised of younger students, such as freshmen and sophomores, conductor David Effron said, but it has changed to include advanced musicians in important positions in the ensemble.
“I’m very proud of this orchestra because a lot of these people are first-year students,” Effron said.
Effron, who teaches conducting in the Jacobs School of Music, has conducted symphonies and opera companies throughout the world. He conducted more than 100 operas with the New York City Opera from 1964 to 1982. Before working at the music school, he taught at the University of Rochester.
This is the first concert Effron will be conducting this year after a knee surgery left him unable to conduct for approximately six months, Effron said.
“It’s special for me to get back on the podium, where I feel very much at home,” Effron said. “I love working with students.”
Effron said he wants the concert to be entertaining for the audience and educational for the students.
The concert is audience-friendly, Effron said, because it has music the audience can easily enjoy and recognize.
The program includes Franz Schubert’s “Symphony No. 7 in B Minor, D.759 (‘Unfinished’),” Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s “The Golden Cockerel, suite for orchestra” and Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Leonore Overture No. 3, Op. 72b.”
Schubert typifies beautiful melodies, Effron said.
“The melodies in this symphony are very singable and memorable,” Effron said.
Rimsky-Korsakov’s work is colorful, Effron said, and the piece shows off each instrument. He said the Beethoven piece, an overture to an opera, is dramatic and exciting, and it is a famous piece that will be important for the musicians throughout their careers.
As a conductor, Effron has a responsibility to introduce the students to the classical music repertoire, he said.
One of the challenges of being a musician in the University Orchestra is playing with many different people, Effron said.
“They learn about the wonders of playing with an orchestra, which is very different than playing a solo on stage,” Effron said.
Violinist Jamie Lee, a second-year post-doctoral student, said she likes Effron’s enthusiasm for the music and his work with the orchestra.
“Working with Mr. Effron was a good experience, and I really like the pieces we are playing,” Lee said.
Anish Pandit, a sophomore oboe player, said the concert is free entertainment and the music is emotionally riveting.
“I think non-musicians should come to this concert,” Pandit said. “Effron focuses much more on the emotional aspect of music.”
Timpani player Erich Rieppel, a second-year master’s student, said he likes Effron’s methods of teaching, which raise the musicians to higher levels of performance.
“He doesn’t treat us like a student ensemble,” Rieppel said. “He tries to bring us to his level and his idea of the piece.”
