The Jefferson City Symphony Orchestra on Tuesday will present a tribute to some of the most memorable and romantic musical hits of the 20th century, with a selection by Russian Composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky added for good measure.
Scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday at Richardson Auditorium, tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for students and can be purchased either at the door the night of the event or by visiting the Jefferson City Concert Association's webpage at thejcca.org.
Tuesday night's selections include:
• a medley "Phantom of the Opera" songs by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
• Several tunes by composer Henry Mancini.
• "Romeo and Juliet" by Tchaikovsky.
• "West Side Story" by American composer Leonard Bernstein.
• A tribute to Frank Sinatra.
Every musical selection is sure to be familiar to the audience, said Symphony Board President Tom Higgins. "It's going to be a nice, family concert," he added. "Everything we play, you'll recognize."
Patrick David Clark, a relative newcomer to the Jefferson City symphony scene, is conducting. Clark is a conductor, composer, teacher and writer who holds a doctor of musical arts degree in composition from Rice University and a master's degree in orchestral conducting from the University of Missouri. Currently he is a visiting instructor at the MU School of Music.
Under Clark's leadership, the symphony has been working especially hard, Higgins noted. Higgins said Clark brings an "unorthodox" style of conducting that has fired up the players.
"He's brought the level of musicianship up, and the symphony really has stepped up to the plate," Higgins said.
Higgins noted the orchestra already had vibrant brass and percussion sections when Clark came on, but because of the new leader's familiarity with strings, that section has been improved, too.
"He can really "speak strings' to our violinists ... he brings a strength in that area," Higgins said.