Symphony in spring

Adalia Garza | THE RIDER

The UTRGV Symphony Orchestra is rehearsing two pieces that will be streamed virtually this semester.

The orchestra has faced new adjustments, such as the implementation of virtual auditions, rehearsals, and even a new director for the ensemble. 

Norman Gamboa, music lecturer and director of orchestral activities, said the symphony mostly worked remotely last semester.

“Students were only able to study excerpts from repertoire that otherwise the orchestra would have played, so that was not an ideal situation,” Gamboa said.

The program has partially returned to campus and separated the orchestra into four small groups to ensure students feel safe and abide by safety protocols.

Orchestra manager and music senior Raul Lara said the return to campus feels nostalgic.

“We have the entire orchestra room to ourselves, with only 10 people allowed at a time, including [Gamboa],” Lara said. “We’re all 12 feet apart. I think a lot more people go to these rehearsals because we’ve been so far away from each other, so these little groups bring back the nostalgia of feeling like we’re in a big group, playing with more people. That feeling is very heartwarming.”

Music freshman Marifer Guerrero started at UTRGV amid the pandemic.

“Coming in from high school to college was a big step,” Guerrero said. “I wanted to experience actual college, not just online studying in front of a screen, and that was pretty tough.”

She said she was becoming discouraged by virtual instruction, but she is now motivated by in-person rehearsals and the upcoming virtual performance.

“Dr. Gamboa said we are recording [the performance] to show people out there that we are doing something through the pandemic, and we’re trying to move forward with this challenge that has been put upon us,” Guerrero said. “So, that’s something that has been motivating me.”

Under the direction of Gamboa, the UTRGV Symphony Orchestra will be recording two animal-themed pieces. “The Carnival of the Animals” by French composer Camille Saint-Saëns will be accompanied by piano soloists Associate Professor Juan Pablo Andrade and Professor Kenneth Saxon, along with an original poem narration written by Gamboa; the second piece is Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 83, popularly known as “The Hen.”

Gamboa said the date for the performances will be announced once the recording and editing process is complete.

“The orchestra will put this together with the pianists, so as you can imagine, it’s a really large project, with a lot of moving pieces that we are excited about,” he said. “The date will be announced as soon as we can, after we have done all of the editing and bringing all the pieces together.”

The UTRGV Symphony Orchestra intends to perform two concerts per semester, beginning Fall 2021. 

“My goal is to grow the program and make it prestigious–put it out there,” Gamboa said. “For now, the orchestra needs to grow to where every student feels comfortable with each other to create a core sound that is going to be very identifiable if we go and perform at different venues. So, [other people] know, ‘Oh, that’s the UTRGV orchestra that is playing.’”