Unconventional orchestra

The Mississippi Valley Orchestra is not the most normal of orchestras, but what it lacks in extravagance it makes up for in people and art.

By Dominic Dunn, Joey Vigil

Orion Kim, a high school senior donning a black tuxedo, walks on stage into the mellow theater light accompanied by his parents. His dad, Kyu-Young Kim, carries a violin and bow in his right hand, and his mom, Pitnarry Shin, carries a cello with both. As the applause dies down, they take their places in front of the Mississippi Valley Orchestra.

As the orchestra commences its performance, the Kim family weaves into the piece.

Since 1976, the Mississippi Valley Orchestra has been a group dedicated to performance. Whether that be through their artists, their directors or their commitment to accessibility, their goal is to share the experience of classical music with everyone.

“The events themselves aren’t the usual fancy dress-up concerts. But the music is always amazing, and that’s what really counts.” –Peter Rowe

Sunday at Bethel University’s Benson Great Hall, those familiar with orchestral concerts may have been a little put-off by the lack of an entry fee, the fudge sale before the performance or the amount of T-shirts in place of collars, but these differences are exactly what it means for the show to be accessible.

“The events themselves aren’t the usual fancy dress-up concerts,” said Peter Rowe, a patron of MVO. “But the music is always amazing, and that’s what really counts.”

The event began with a little-known piece, “Overture for Orchestra,” written by Irish composer Ina Boyle. The piece actually premiered in the United States only the day before, and Sunday was its first showing in Minnesota. A standard orchestral overture, it allowed each part of the group to showcase some of their talents and abilities.

“It was such a beautiful piece,” attendee Sheryl Wright said. “And to think that it was only the intro.”

Wright didn’t have to wait long to see what else the orchestra had to offer. Next was the main event: the headlining “Beethoven’s Triple Concerto” featuring three soloists. A flurry of call-and-response-esque measures with equal parts stifling speed and intensity, calm pensiveness and majestic soundscapes.

The three soloists all added to the piece in their own way, layering on top of and adding more complexities to the piece. During the piece, the emotion with which they play is evident in every movement of their head, the expressions in their eyes and the looks they exchange while “talking” to each other through the music.

Kyu-Young Kim is described by MVO as “one of the most versatile and accomplished musicians of his generation.” He performs two roles at the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, acting as both its artistic director and principal violinist, being the first ever to do so in a major American orchestra.

Pitnarry Shin is a Korean-born cellist whose career has taken her to venues such as the Edinburgh Festival in England and as remote as the East Pyongyang Grand Theatre in North Korea. She has honed her craft at Yale University Music School and at Stony Brook University Music School.

Orion Kim, a senior at St. Paul Academy, has won multiple state and national awards and recognitions. Kim has performed with multiple other orchestras, including the University of Minnesota Chamber Orchestra and the Kenwood Symphony Orchestra. He balances his piano career with being the co-editor in chief of his school’s newspaper and playing soccer.

The song eventually ends and the soloists take their bows. The audience is quick to give a standing ovation.

After a short intermission, the orchestra brought the audience back to end the concert with a symphony that was a journey in and of itself. This 7-section piece composed by Camille Saint-Saëns began slowly, but worked its way up to a grandiose finale that truly made every minute of the build up worth it.

The lobby echoed with the murmurs of the audience leaving the auditorium, most of whom were discussing the spectacle they had just witnessed.

“I honestly came ’cause the tickets were free,” said Joel Strauch, a local resident. “I never thought it would be as good as it was.”