At 8 p.m. Nov. 5, the Cal Poly Pomona community came together to enjoy classical music put on by CPP Philharmonic as the ensemble performed its first concert of the semester, “Kaleidoscope.”
The concert hall quickly became a full house, leaving the audience eager to hear what the ensemble had to perform.
According to The Philharmonic website, these students dedicate their time to music as an outlet, and as an opportunity to obtain their passion for music as they are in the pursuit to gain their college degrees.
“We recognize the importance of continuing to play after high school, to keep balance in a person’s life.”
Daniela Avila | The Poly Post
The concert began with the Opus String Ensemble, a smaller group of students who share a love for music but dedicate a little bit less time than the Philharmonic. They played the songs Concerto “alla Rustica” in G major and “Inferno,” providing a warm opening before the Philharmonic went on stage.
The Philharmonic opened with Concerto for Bass Trombone and Orchestra, featuring Kevin Truong, co-winner of the 2019 CPP Philharmonic Concerto Competition. The song had a slow and soothing beginning with the bass trombone solo, followed by an energetic entrance by the Philharmonic.
According to the program, this song was the “centerpiece” of the performance. “This delightful and energetic excursion truly allows the soloist to demonstrate his skills on the instrument, and I am sure you will be as impressed as the judges were,” the program said.
Followed by this, the ensemble played movement one of “The New World” by Antonin Dvorak. Antonin was a composer from Czechoslovakia, which is now known as the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
He spent a summer in Minnesota where he studied folk music, and this piece is a sort of imitation of the music he explored, Janine Riveire, director of the ensemble, explained.
She also gave her own anecdote on what the piece meant to her.
“For me, even though he didn’t intend to paint a picture, it’s like waking up early in the morning when things are just starting to move around; the birds just start to tweet a little bit, and you’re in a small world.”
The piece was loud and intense, yet in perfect synchrony as the ensemble’s bows swayed up and down.
The group continued by playing “Alacran” by Orlando Otey, and “Selections from Pictures at an Exhibition” by Modeste Mussorgsky.
When the concert was over, there was a loud round of applause from the audience.
If you missed the CPP Philharmonic this time around, its next concert will be held on April 21, 2020 and will feature Jeff Sweede, another co-winner of the 2019 Concerto Competition, as a soloist on Gershwins’ Rhapsody in Blue, according to the program.