The Augustana Symphony Orchestra will perform for the first time this year, presenting songs by Wolfgang Mozart and Zoltan Kodaly.
The orchestra will perform on Saturday in Centennial Hall at 8 p.m. Director Daniel Culver said the performance will include a variety of sounds.
“‘The Galanta Dances’ by Kodaly are a direct sound from gypsy times,” Culver said. “Kodaly is from hungary and he took gypsy tunes and suites with a lively set of dances.”
Senior and clarinetist, Scott Reynolds will perform a solo during “The Galanta Dances,” the only soloist in the concert.
“It’s one of those solos that all clarinetists auditioning for orchestras are going to know,” Reynolds said. “It’s a standard excerpt for the instrument, but a lot of fun to play. It’s very dramatic, and almost evokes scenes of old Hungary.”
Reynolds and Culver said the other piece to be performed at the concert is Mozart’s “Symphony No. 41,” or “Jupiter.” It was Mozart’s last completed symphony, and one of the most difficult to perform, according to Culver.
“I always discover something new when playing Mozart,” Culver said. “It’s always a challenge for any orchestra.”
Culver said this year’s Augustana Symphony Orchestra is up to and meeting that challenge.
“Music presents its own challenges, but it’s a gratifying challenge,” Culver said. “When a group of people finds a common goal, fulfilling that is a way to make one’s way through this life.”
Culver said the orchestra will have future performances in the upcoming months and during Christmas.
The concert on Saturday is free and open to the public.