This semester I had to take a required class in Gaylord. It is Media Writing and Storytelling, which is a class that is hard to maintain an A in.
It sucked because every assignment I turned in was 60% of my grade. So, one mistake could affect my grade drastically. Here is an example for my last project for 2033. We had to pick an organization that I was apart of, and interview people. My organization was OU Civic Orchestra. I interviewed two people who were a part of the orchestra, and two who were went to the concert. So, here is my In-Depth Story.
OU Civic Orchestra Brings Everyone Together for a Night of Music
OU Civic Orchestra had its first concert of the semester, and of the year. The group is consisted of OU students and the Norman community. They meet every Tuesday after the first day of classes. They have a concert towards the end of the semester, and it is held in Paul F. Sharp Concert Hall in Catlett Music Center.
The 98-member ensemble is a joint venture between the OU School of Music and the College of Continuing Education. They rehearse for two and a half hours once a week according to an article, “OU Civic Orchestra offers practical music experience.”
The OU Civic Orchestra had its venue on November 8, 2022. Many families and friends go to support their students, or faculty and staff who work for OU, not just in the School of Music.
Dr. Jonathan Shames, professor of Orchestral Conducting and OU’s Opera Theater Artistic Director, picks either a doctoral student, or bring someone who is from outside of America.
This year, Dr. Shames chose a doctoral student, Katie Noelker. Dr. Shames selects one Doctor of Musical Art (DMA) Conducting Student, and they always lead the OU Civic Orchestra.
Katie Noelker, who studied Piano at Eastern Kentucky University and Master’s of Music in Conducting from the same university talks about what it’s like working under the direction of Dr. Shames.
“He is fantastic. I emailed Dr. Shames, and he agreed to meet with me. I could tell right away that he was really the kind of teacher who didn’t tell you something, but presented a lot of ideas allowing me to make decisions. He was more guiding instead of telling. That was something that I was really looking for in a continued degree, and someone who I can learn a lot from. He is someone that you learn from. Everything that he wants to say, I want to write down everything that fascinated me,” Noelker said.
The pieces she chose were “Bal Masqué” by Amy Beach, Franz Schubert’s, “Symphony No.8 in B Minor, D. 759 ‘Unfinished,’” Maurice Ravel’s “Pavane pour une infante défunte” (Pavane for a Dead Princess), and “L’Arlésienne Suite No. 2” by Georges Bizet.
“Each of them is completely different. The Schubert, I love. Cellists love Schubert. In general, I’ve been attracted to those melodic lines from the ‘Unfinished’ Symphony. Coming in, I was wanting to give us a program that we could really feel good about. I was ready to challenge the orchestra with a bigger symphony,” Noelker said.
Noelker also mentions that the “Unfinished” Symphony by Schubert felt like a perfect introduction to the orchestra, and herself to get to know each other. She also adds on that the “Pavane” was like a foil to everything else.
“We have this romantic, classical symphony, and then there’s the Bizet’s ‘L’Arlésienne Suite No. 2,’ which is exciting and programmatic. It’s also full of drama, and not to say the ‘Pavane’ wasn’t either. It’s completely different in a dramatic way,” Noelker said.
Noelker also mentions that Amy Beach was a composer that stuck out to her during her undergraduate degree and became interested in through her Victorian’s Women’s class.
“I wanted to bring back pieces that didn’t get played for years,” Noelker said.
Some people always ask, how do conductors react at the end of the concert? Noelker then gave her point of view from that concert night.
“I was really proud of everyone and excited. Everyone had that tangible feeling that we did something really cool. We got wonderful reactions from people about the concert. I was ready to start something new,” Noelker said.
People always ask the question of how players in the orchestra are when practicing during rehearsals, the concert, and playing with other people.
Kennedy Patrick, an assistant for the Dean’s at Gaylord College, has been a part of the OU Civic Orchestra for three semesters. She got her bachelor’s in Music Education from the School of Music. She is also first chair for the cello section in the orchestra.
“When I was a senior in high school, the School of Music offered this opportunity called, ‘A Day in the Life,’ where high school students could go to OU, and see what a day in a life of a music major is like. That opportunity really prompted me to really want a music education degree. Specifically, we were paired up with current music education major students. We were taken through their classes and see what it like for them. It was really cool, and the panel they had, where high school students could ask OU students any questions they had,” Patrick said.
Patrick also mentions why everyone should join the Civic Orchestra if they have music background in the past.
“It’s a low-commitment and a low-stress performance opportunity where no matter the experience we play some repertoire pieces. Even pieces that the OU Symphony does. Last semester, we played ‘Schumann’s Symphony No. 4’ and this semester we see that group perform the same piece. It is such a great opportunity. It doesn’t take a lot of time out of your week, it’s one night a week. Also, to get some music experience, and make yourself a better player, too,” Patrick said.
Patrick’s also mentions that the piece that she loved playing during the concert was the “Unfinished” Symphony by Franz Schubert.
Now, students who are a part of OU Civic Orchestra sometimes are not majoring in music. There are times when students will announce their concert dates to professors, classes and social media.
Nadine Sikora, a Ph.D. student in Health Promotion, got the announcement from a student in her Introductory Nutrition class she teaches. Her student, Luis Alfaro, gave her the information she needed for the event after a lecture in October. She also brought one of her classmates, Idris Bamigbayan, to the concert.
“I haven’t been to a good quality concert since I’ve moved to this country. When Luis mentioned that there was a concert, at that point, my ears shut off, and I was like, ‘let’s go. I don’t care. I don’t know what the music is, I don’t care.’ When I got there, putting the pieces together that it was this kind of music, I was even more happy,” Sikora said.
Sikora also mentions that she has not been to an orchestra concert in 11 years. She also says that it’s important for people to expose themselves to this type of music.
“It was a great opportunity to see one of my students play their music as well listen to music I’ve heard before. Maybe music I haven’t heard before, but to watch other people’s talent right in front of me,” Sikora said. “Emotions I felt was honestly some pride. My student was performing! How cool is that. I also felt very excited for Luis. Anxious was another feeling, but anxiety isn’t always bad. I was anxious to hear the next song. Excited anxiety all the way.”
From Sikora’s background, she has never had any musical experience at all. She mentions how a student should be involved in OU Civic Orchestra if they have a music background in the past.
“I see that students are stretched too thin; they’re highly stressed out about their coursework; they’re stressed out about their social life, finances, everything is super stressful. Giving the opportunity to have a conversation with a student about a passion like music and they’ve expressed any sort of interest in continuing that. I would try and foster that feeling in them and encourage them. Be in your passion and be able to separate yourself from your education that’s stressing you out. Go towards something that gives you peace,” Sikora said.
Many students go to support their friends who are a part of the orchestra. Hannah Teifke, a sophomore in Public Relations at Gaylord and part of Gamma Phi Beta, went to see the concert.
“I’m happy that I went to support. In a sense, it felt nostalgic going to a concert since I haven’t been to an orchestra function since high school. It was really nice,” said Teifke. “I liked the Bizet’s ‘L’Arlésienne Suite No. 2’ and Schubert’s ‘Unfinished Symphony.’”
Teifke also mentions about being a cellist and loving fast-paced energetic music. She also says she tends to gravitate more towards anything that is ‘exciting.’”
OU Civic Orchestra concerts are always free to the Norman community, and OU students. If there wasn’t an orchestra for the community and students, then no one would be able to engage with people who have love for music. A famous quote from Ella Fitzgerald, an American jazz singer, once said, “music is the universal language… it brings people closer together.”