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Lafayette’s orchestra, directed by Stephani Bell and featuring guest soloist Frank M. Flandorffer on guitar, will give a concert of Baroque, Classical, and 20th century works 7 p.m. Sunday at the Williams Center for the Arts.
The free event is sponsored by the music department.
The program will be Divertimento III by Mozart (1756-1791), “Waltz” from Serenade for Stringsby Tschaikowsky (1840-1893), Gymnopédie No. 1 by Erik Satie (1866-1925), and Concerto Grosso IV by Handel (1685-1759).
The orchestra:
violin I: Elizabeth Dethoff ’05, Corinne Casey ’07, Teruhisa Haruguchi ’07, Amanda Pikarsky ’07, Nancy Frederick, and Megan Escobar;
violin II: Kim Moore ’05, David Shellhamer ’07, Susie Gay, and Virginia Melin;
viola: Greg Cole, Lauren Bogar ’04, and Harry Gilliland;
cello: Lori Astheimer ’05;
bass: Emily Green ’04 and Andrew LaCroix ’06.
“It has been a pleasure for me to get to know and work with the students at Lafayette this semester,” says Bell. “I find the students to be positive and committed to excellence. What I have found most enjoyable and challenging is working to make music come alive with the students and others involved in Lafayette’s orchestra. The string orchestra is made up of some community amateurs, professionals, a few students from local schools, and, of course, the college students. Their spirit and dedication can be witnessed by all this Sunday.”
Bell has found it exciting to see how far the students have progressed since the beginning of the semester.
“They have worked very hard to get the sound I was looking for in the Mozart, to use the right kind of bow distribution in the Handel to support their soli sections, to create the mood of the Satie, and to feel like they are waltzing in the Tschaikowsky,” she explains. “I am very proud to have been a part of their process. My experience at Lafayette has been very rewarding in that I have learned so much from all of them! I wish them all a great concert and hope many others in the Lafayette community will come out and support them on Sunday.”
A former member of the Rochester Philharmonic, Bell went on to pursue her violin career in the New York metropolitan area, performing with groups such as the Brooklyn Philharmonic, American Composer’s Orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony, and the New York Pops. As a chamber musician, she has performed recently with the Satori Ensemble and Classicopia at Dartmouth College. Recently, she won a section position with the New Hampshire Symphony in Manchester.
Bell earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Eastman School of Music and is an alumna of the Juilliard School. She also attended Northwestern University, where she held a graduate teaching fellowship. Her teachers include Sally Thomas, Zvi Zeitlin, Gerardo Ribiero, Joyce Robbins, and Richard Simon.
Flandorffer, visiting part-time instructor of guitar at Lafayette, performed at the Williams Center March 24 with the Pennsylvania Guitar Quintet. He teaches all styles of guitar — Segovia method, fingerstyle, advanced jazz guitar, and improvisation/arranging. He also directs the student Guitar Ensemble. He is an extremely versatile performer with credits that include studio work for PBS and performances with Tom Jones, Sonny and Cher, Bob Hope, and the Carpenters.
Other upcoming music department concerts at the Williams Center include the Jazz Combo, 8 p.m. Monday, April 26, directed by Neal Kirkwood; Concert Choirs, 8 p.m. Saturday, May 1, and 3 p.m. Sunday, May 2, directed by Nina Gilbert; and Jazz Ensemble, 8 p.m. Friday, May 7, directed by Ken Brader.
In addition, the Performance Class will give a recital 6 p.m. Monday, May 3, in Interfaith Chapel, Hogg Hall, featuring string, wind chamber, guitar, and brass ensembles.
The student Wind Chamber Ensembles and Concert Band gave a concert April 19.