Symphony Orchestra opens in Aalfs Auditorium, ‘speaks one language’ on stage

Lights shimmered, whispers commenced and audience members filed into Aalfs Auditorium while the orchestra prepared to begin their opening performance on Friday night.

The orchestra, who put in weeks of practice leading up to their first performance of the semester opened with “The Planets” by Gustav Holst, robust with the warmth of the viola, the shrill of the cello and the liveliness of the violin.

Orchestra conductor Luiz Viquez said his students prepared for the performance intensely and were excited to showcase what they’ve been working on.

“The students have prepared very well and very hard and I just think it’s very impressive that we can put together all the difficult pieces into a very exciting concert,” Viquez said.

The Symphony Orchestra puts in hours of work weekly to develop their talents and put on a show for the community. 

Senior organ performance major Teresa Kramer said she appreciates seeing students and community members attending the orchestra concerts.

“The students work super hard for multiple weeks and put in a ton of time and it’s good to come and support all of us,” Kramer said.

The USD Symphony Orchestra dates back to the 19th century and has established a legacy of providing the South Dakota area with musical performances. What makes USD’s Symphony Orchestra unique, Viquez said, is how they allow guest soloists, community members and students to premiere musical works. 

“We have students, we have faculty and we have community members so it’s a big mixture of people but it’s amazing how we all speak one language when we’re on the stage which is music,” Viquez said. 

The hours of hard work from the orchestra proved to pay off when the audience gave an ovation after the first of four pieces from the performance. 

“The audience welcomed the performance in a very enthusiastic way,” Viquez said. “Many people have given me very positive comments praising the high level of our performance.” 

The Symphony Orchestra is set to perform three more times this semester. Their next performance will be Dec. 6 in Aalfs Auditorium. They will be performing Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker and premiering a brand new piece by Stephen Yarbrough.