Performance highlights DPAC’s 20th anniversary year
The DeBartolo Performing Arts Center (DPAC) hosted the London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) on October 16, marking the world-renowned orchestra’s first performance at Notre Dame since 2006. The concert—packed with students and professors alike—was part of DPAC’s 20th anniversary celebration this year and was held in Leighton Concert Hall.
Founded in 1932, the LPO is recognized as one of the world’s finest orchestras, and alongside their popular concerts, they have also recorded music for television, radio, and movie soundtracks.
Mark Vines, LPO’s President and Co-Principal Horn, commented to the Rover, “It was such a privilege for the LPO to perform at the beautiful Notre Dame campus in October. There was a palpable sense of enthusiasm coming from the young audience, which in turn gave the orchestra a welcome boost of energy in the middle of a long concert tour.”
Ted Barron, Executive Director of DPAC, told the Rover, “We make it a priority to host a range of artists at the Center, some of whom are at the early stages of their career and others who are more established. The [LPO] would fall into the latter category, which helps us to realize the original vision for the Center which was to give members of the Notre Dame community and the greater South Bend region access to premier performers in the performing arts.”
Barron continued, “We were very pleased to see so many students come out for this performance, much higher than we typically see for a classical music event. We worked with the Notre Dame Symphony Orchestra for a large group of their members to attend the performance, but many other students attended as well, which reassures us that the arts are still central to student life.”
Vines echoed this emphasis on students: “Live music is a two way experience, and in a world full of competing forms of entertainment, it is so important for us to demonstrate to the next generation just how inspiring classical music can be.”
Vines concluded, “Hopefully we will have won over many new listeners who will go to more orchestral concerts and maybe even come to see us perform in London one day. Above all, I hope that we did your motto proud and ‘played like champions’ for you!”
The concert hall was packed with students, professors, and South Bend residents, all of whom shared their appreciation for the performance with the Rover.
Daniel Stowe, Director of Notre Dame’s Symphony Orchestra and assistant teaching professor of music, described the experience as “rewarding” for students. He told the Rover, “For student participants, music provides a whole-brain experience that enhances intellectual and emotional growth.”
“Certainly hosting events like these dovetails well with our efforts to provide a full range of arts education offerings on campus, both for participants in student arts organizations and for others who would support them by attending performances,” Stowe continued. “I was very happy to see a packed house there.”
The orchestra’s conductor was Edward Gardner, and the performance repertoire featured Tania León’s “Raíces (Origins),” Sibelius’ Symphony No. 5, and Barber’s Violin Concerto with Randall Goosby as soloist. Although the evening’s program originally featured Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1 with violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja, DPAC notified the audience on the morning of the concert that Kopatchinskaja was unable to perform due to illness, and thus the Barber concerto was played in place of Shostakovich’s.
Despite the last-minute change, Mayleen Liu, senior violinist in the Notre Dame orchestra, praised the updated repertoire. “I especially enjoyed watching Randall perform the Barber concerto,” Liu told the Rover. “His lyrical and expressive playing demonstrated the dedication and skill required to bring music to life at such a high level.”
Other members of the student orchestra also enjoyed the concert.
Senior violinist Hannah Edwards said to the Rover, “It was the first professional symphony concert that some of my friends saw, and it was so special to be able to experience that with them! I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to see such a world-renowned ensemble on campus.”
Junior violinist Mary Elizabeth Balof viewed the performance in light of the broader cultural tension between contemporary arts and “traditional art form[s].” Balof explained, “There is a lot of pressure these days to focus on the more modern and ‘controversial’ forms of art, but I think that oldies are oldies for a reason, and I loved to see Notre Dame continuing to expose its students to such a developed and traditional art form, especially as it is one that I hold particularly dear.”
Notre Dame students and professors were not the only ones to praise the concert.
Brian Strayer, professor emeritus of history at nearby Andrews University, is a frequent attendee of concerts at Notre Dame. Strayer expressed his appreciation for his past experiences, and the “superb” LPO concert was no exception. “I particularly liked the Sibelius number,” Strayer told the Rover, “but was intellectually challenged by the León and Barber pieces as we don’t often hear their music played at the Howard Performing Arts Center at Andrews University.”
Strayer continued, “As a Christian, I believe that God created us to appreciate beauty in whatever form it takes—nature, art, architecture, music, literature, etc. Attending musical concerts feeds my soul; it inspires me and helps me appreciate the creative spirit implanted in human nature.”
For the next DPAC performance, the Glee Club will have their annual fall concert at 8 p.m. on November 8. Tickets can be found online at the DPAC website.
Michael Canady is a junior classics major from Falls Church, Virginia. Although he is convinced that he had the natural ability to play oboe for the LPO, his older brothers bullied him too much for sounding like a “dying duck,” and his talent was wasted. Condolences can be sent to mcanady2@nd.edu.
Photo Credit: DeBartolo Performing Arts Center
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