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School of Music

Chamber Orchestra takes Italy, Slovenia, Hungary and Turkey by storm

After a night of thunder and hail, orchestra members awoke to a beautiful, fresh morning with the sun shining, a perfect day for a tour of the alpine setting of Logatec, a city of 14,000. In preparation for the evening's benefit concert, the mayor met with orchestra members expressing gratitude for raising funds to help the city recover from January's devastating ice storm and the flood that followed. (The ice storm created a weight of more than 80 kilograms per meter of electrical wire. One could see the majority of trees in the area's forests with the tops of the trees severed off and other broken branches all around.) Members of the orchestra were surprised to see the flood lines on houses that were well up the hill. In the evening a large paying crowd filled a good portion of the city sports hall. After several local musical numbers--and remarks from the fire chief and mayor--the orchestra followed. Before the finale, director Kory Katseanes, said through a translator, 'Our final number is titled Appalachian Spring. After touring your beautiful city of Logatec on this spring day, I'm convinced that this music could have been called Logatec Spring. ' The audience gave an emotional applause of appreciation.

On a nonconcert day, orchestra members were forced 'underground' by the rain. Fortunately in Slovenia, the Postojna Cave, a massive underground labyrinth of more than 20 kilometers, provided the needed shelter. The group explored this mysterious underground kingdom of tens of thousands of cave formations. As the orchestra bid farewell to their beautiful Slovenia, feeling blessed to get to know what was to most of them an 'undiscovered country. '

One could sense the next concert was going to be special. It seemed one that Shakespeare might call a 'on such a full sea we are now afloat' moments. The surroundings, the acoustics of the Liszt Academy Grand Hall, the guest piano soloist, the energy of the students and the conductor, and an appreciative audience of more than 850 made a concert that Kory Katseanes described as 'one of those rare musical moments that happen a few times in one's life.' Director Katseanes also told the orchestra after the two encores, 'I could tell from the first note that you were 'in the zone.' I hope you can always remember this day.'

Backed by generous donors, the benefit concert provided 10 patient-warming units for local Hungarian hospitals. Just a day after the concert, a premature baby was the first beneficiary of one of the units.

The day of the Gyor concert, with strong winds and drenching rain, the staff of the concert hall worried that no one would come to the concert. But an energized audience showed up and even demanded two encores.

The finale of Budapest was Sunday evening to a packed audience at the local LDS chapel. Some orchestra members mingled and demonstrated their instruments to the many children there. After the rich cultural experience of Budapest, the orchestra members prepared for their final two cities in Ankara and Istanbul, Turkey.

For a more full report and additional Mark Philbrick photos, visit the BYU Chamber Orchestra Facebook page.

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