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First Time to a Concert?
Expect to enjoy yourself. Open up to this new sensory experience. Let the music trigger your emotions. Feel the rhythm, the ebb and flow of the compositions. Feel and hear how the music can be surging and powerful, then delicate and ephemeral, and everything in between. Focus on the music and the orchestra and you will have a marvelous time.
What is a symphony orchestra?
An orchestra is made up of musicians who play instruments of four basic types in sections. The instruments featured in each section include:
- Strings: Violins (smallest and highest in pitch), violas, cellos, basses (largest and lowest in pitch). These players sit in a semi-circle directly in front of the conductor and make up more then half the orchestra.
- Woodwinds: Flutes, oboes, English horns, clarinets, bassoons. These players sit a few rows back from the conductor in the center of the orchestra.
- Brass: Horns, trumpets, trombones, tubas, and other similar instruments. These instruments are the loudest, so you’ll see them at the back of the orchestra.
- Percussion: Timpani, harp, xylophone, drums, bells, piano (yes, piano), and other fascinating instruments that are struck plucked, rubbed, and so on. The percussion section is also found at the back of the orchestra.
What does the Concertmaster do?
The concertmaster sits in the first chair of the first violins. Our Concertmaster is Carlos Elias. He is the leader of that section and also plays a leadership role with the orchestra as a whole. He is the last musician to enter the stage before a concert and cues the oboe to “tune” the orchestra. Carlos has been an Assistant Professor of Music at Mesa State since 2000.
Fretting about what to wear?
Forget such worries; anything you feel comfortable in is fine. Most people will be wearing business clothes or dressy casual clothing – you’ll see everything from khakis to cocktail dresses. Some people enjoy dressing up for concerts, but evening gowns and tuxedos are generally worn to our annual Gala – the Symphony of Stars Gala, on November 11 at the Two Rivers Convention Center complete with dinner and dancing to the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra.
Please, go easy on the cologne or perfume, which can distract others near you or, if they are allergic or sensitive, can cause them to sneeze, distracting you and the rest of the audience.
To Clap or Not to Clap…
At the beginning of the concert, the GJSO concertmaster Carlos Elias will walk on stage. The audience applauds as a welcome and as a sign of appreciation to all the musicians. After the orchestra tunes, the conductor (and possibly a soloist) will walk on stage. Everyone applauds to welcome them
In most classical concerts – unlike jazz or pop – the audience does not applaud during the music. Wait until the end of the piece, and then applaud with gusto. This can be a little tricky, because many pieces seem to end several times – in other words, they have several parts, called movements. The audience does not applaud between movements. These are listed in your program.
In general, musicians and your fellow listeners prefer not to hear applause during the pauses between movements. Symphonies and concertos have a momentum that builds from beginning to end and movement to movement. Applause can “break the mood” especially when a movement ends quietly.
Sometimes the audience just can’t restrain themselves and you’ll hear a smattering of applause – or a lot – during the quiet pause between movements. It’s perfectly okay to join in if you enjoyed the music too. Or as Maestro Gustafson is often heard to say: “If you have to sit on your hands to keep from clapping, by all means raise your hands in loud applause!”
If anyone “shushes” you for applauding between movements, simply ignore them. Only in the last 50 years or so have audiences quit applauding between movements. So you have music history in your side!
Can I bring my children to a concert?
Our Classics Series concerts are inappropriate for children under the age of about seven because the performances require an attention span that can be difficult for young children to maintain and most concerts are held in the evenings – stretching beyond “bedtime” for most children.
However, every season we have concerts and music education programs designed specifically for children. The Children’s Concerts are wonderful introductions to the symphony. You are encouraged to bring your children to this season’s Children’s Concert: First Trip to the Symphony, Saturday, February 10 at the Grand Junction High School Auditorium.
Will I recognize any of the music?
Odds are you will recognize far more than you realize. Classical music is all around us — as background music for commercials (Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, United Airlines); in movie soundtracks (selections from the Mozart opera Cosi fan Tutte in the movie Closer); television themes (Rossini’s William Tell Overture in the Lone Ranger); cartoons (Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries in the Bugs Bunny cartoon “What’s Opera Doc?”) and many more. While you’re listening to a piece that you may think you’ve never heard before, a tune you’ve actually heard a hundred times may jump out and surprise you!
What if I can’t attend the concert but have tickets?
If you are unable to attend the concert that you have tickets for, please be sure to contact the Symphony office at (970) 243-6787 to release your seats or give your tickets to friends, colleagues, or anyone interested in attending. Since the tickets will be resold, the purchase price of your seats will be counted as a contribution to the Symphony and you will receive notice of your contribution.
How can I purchase additional tickets?
Additional tickets may be purchased through the Symphony Office, located in the Alpine Bank Building at 225 N. 5th St., downtown Grand Junction, by phone (970) 243-6787, or click here.
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