Summer Philharmonic Features an Orchestral Premiere at Seton Hill

The WSO Academy of Music’s Summer Philharmonic held a free summer concert on Tuesday, July 12, 2022 at 8:00 p.m. at Seton Hill University’s Performing Arts Center, downtown Greensburg. Music Director Morrie Brand conducts the concert that includes Brahms’ Academic Festival Overture, the third movement of Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances and Bernstein’s Music from West Side Story.

 The concert also features the orchestral premiere of Morrie Brand’s Concerto for Flute and Chamber Orchestra featuring flutist Evelyn Markle. “I composed the Flute Concerto during the long days of Covid-19 in 2020. I had been toying with ideas for a flute duet, but then found inspiration in composing the concerto instead,” said Morrie Brand. The music was composed for Westmoreland Youth Symphony Orchestra alum, flutist Evelyn Markle, who studied with Mr. Brand’s spouse and area flute teacher, Michele Boulet. Evelyn was a member of Morrie’s youth orchestra program from 2015-2021. “She was such a determined musician and the first movement reflects her focused energy, while the third movement addresses different manifestations of her joy, given Evelyn’s wonderful capacity for happiness,” said Mr. Brand. In between is a sentimental second movement.

“I’m greatly looking forward to playing the concerto, it’s been so long in the making and with the pandemic, we were not able to debut it for a while. I’ve been working on the piece for so long, it’s so exciting to finally get to play it for an audience with an orchestra,” said Evelyn Markle. “My favorite part of the concerto is its variety of tones and ideas. It has layers to it, and the piece goes through a number of tonal shifts and transformations. My favorite pieces to play have always been the ones that allow me to explore different emotions or concepts all within the same piece, and this concerto certainly allows me to do that,” she said.

The Summer Philharmonic is an educational offering of the WSO’s Academy of Music. The orchestra met for six rehearsals in preparation for this concert. Now in its tenth summer, the group was founded by Mr. Brand, Director of the WSO Academy of Music, to provide a quality orchestra playing experience to area music teachers, other adults along with alumni of the Westmoreland Youth Symphony Program.

 Summer Philharmonic Concert

Tuesday, July 12, 2022 at 8 p.m. – Seton Hill University Performing Arts Center

Program

Brahms Academic Festival Overture
Brand Concerto for Flute and Chamber Orchestra
  featuring Evelyn Markle, flute
Mahler Symphony No. 1—3rd movement
Borodin Polovtsian Dances
Bernstein Music from West Side Story