The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of SIU at Carbondale. Except during vacations and exam weeks, The Daily Egyptian is published Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and TWThF during the summer semester."

Raising the Bar

Jamie Estes, a junior Radio-Television major from Alton, loves music. A flutist of 11 years, Estes tried to give up playing to focus on her studies, but found herself at a loss.

"It's such a big part of me that I had to figure out a way I could play, so I decided to join civic orchestra," she said. "It fit my time well, and I was able to go in there and to play and just have fun - and that's what I wanted."

The Southern Illinois Civic Orchestra, a mix of community members, college students and high school students, provides an outlet for those who want to continue playing without the time required by other ensembles. It also trains younger students for musical groups such as the Southern Illinois Symphony Orchestra.

After 10 weeks of preparation, the civic orchestra will present its fall concert at 7:30 p.m. Wed., Nov. 3, in Shryock Auditorium. Tickets are $2 for students and $3 for the general public.

The orchestra's pieces, taken from a number of major composers, feature numerous instrumental solos. One piece, Johann Sebastian Bach's Concerto in D Minor for Two Violins, highlights two of the string section's soloists. Lenz said he is also working on putting together a surprise selection.

Other works include "Hungarian Dance No. 5" by Johannes Brahms, movement one of Antonin Dvorak's Symphony Number 9 in E Minor "From the New World," "Dance of the Tumblers" from the opera "Snow Maiden" by Nikolai Rimski-Korsakov, and the second movement of Joseph Haydn's "Symphony No. 94 in G Major," commonly called the "Surprise Symphony."

Director Eric Lenz, assistant professor of cello for the School of Music, said he chose music that provided a balance between easily learned pieces and ones that would challenge the orchestra the entire semester. He said the pieces are more advanced than in the performance last spring, which was his first semester with the orchestra. Lenz said although there is never enough time to fully ready selections, he believes the performance will sound good.

"The group goes beyond the level of each individual," he said.

Megan Malcolm, Lenz's assistant and undecided sophomore cellist, said the wide variety of music should appeal to the college population. She said while some students are indifferent about classical music, the differing styles would keep any audience entertained.

Despite the demanding musical selections, Malcolm said she feels the orchestra sounds better than before. She credits Lenz with the change.

"Eric has really put a new emphasis on it," Malcolm said. "He'll go over things and make sure that it's right before we go on to something else. And that definitely helps the sound of the orchestra a lot."

When she joined the civic orchestra last fall, Malcolm said she never really felt the orchestra performed the music to the best of its ability. She said she continued with the orchestra because she heard Lenz would be the conductor. He did not disappoint her, and she expects this semester's concert to sound terrific.

Estes, a three-semester veteran, said she has also noticed a difference. When she first began civic orchestra, Estes said it was less disciplined and seemed suitable for high school students, which has made some think the orchestra is not as talented or experienced as other ensembles.

Now she said the music's difficulty has raised the bar and put the orchestra on a whole new level. Estes said Lenz's selections showcase the orchestra's different parts and demonstrate how well the sections work together.

"He's just one of the best conductors I've ever had in my entire life," she said. "He pushes us really hard, and I think that's really, really important. He doesn't make rehearsal seem like work."

And that is exactly what Estes said she was looking for when she joined civic orchestra - to have fun while expressing herself through her love of music. And she said teaching the joy of music is what the orchestra is all about.

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