Beginning this winter, Heartland Symphony Orchestra and Brainerd High School Orchestra will work together each year on a program for the Winter Concert.
The Brainerd High School Orchestra Program is made up of three string ensembles and involves more than 100 students. All students who wish to begin or continue their development on violin, viola, cello, and bass are encouraged to participate. The most advanced orchestra at Brainerd High School, the Chamber Orchestra, participated this year in a side-by-side concert with the Heartland Symphony Orchestra for its Winter Concert. The collaboration between the HSO and BHS Orchestra is mutually beneficial; student musicians are exposed to new music from the standard repertoire, experience playing with a full orchestra, and the HSO string section is strengthened by an additional 20-30 string players.
This year, as part of the collaboration, the Brainerd High School Chamber Orchestra performed “Star Wars” by John Williams at the Heartland Symphony Orchestra concert on December 4, 2016 at Tornstrom Auditorium. BHS Chamber Orchestra members rehearsed this piece for full orchestra in the weeks leading up to the performance. The student musicians also attended a side-by-side rehearsal to meet their new HSO stand partners and to experience playing in a full orchestra with winds, brass, and percussion.
Heartland Symphony Orchestra presents three concert series each year in Fall, Winter and Spring. For more information visit www.HeartlandSymphony.com.
For more information on the Brainerd High School Orchestra Program contact Spencer Frie, Orchestra Director at [email protected].