Southern Virginia’s Fall Orchestra Concert: Camerata
By Jacob Adams
At 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 14, Southern Virginia University’s own orchestra held their first concert of the semester titled “Camerata.” They performed for a medley of students, classical music enthusiasts, and parishioners who had all gathered at the Grace Episcopal Church in Lexington, VA.
Director of the Orchestra Dr. Jakob Hofer explains, “Camerata is a small orchestra with flexible instrumentation. This means that sometimes we will play musical selections that involve wind and brass instruments, and sometimes just strings. For instance: our last concert had a piece for strings and organ; a piece for strings, flutes, and trumpet; a piece for strings, oboe, and horns, etc. This is indicative of a Camerata.”
Though the orchestra was small in numbers, the sound was not as they performed four classical pieces.
“The pieces in last night’s concert were selected with great care. Handel’s Music For the Royal Fireworks was the largest selection, both in length and instrumentation. I wanted to use as many winds and brass as possible. That piece was composed to be a celebration, and I thought it was appropriate to celebrate the university’s 25th Anniversary, as well as our joining again with winds and brass after being only strings during the pandemic,” Dr. Hofer says.
Dr. Hofer emphasized that “The Ives” was a perfect example of a piece of music with less-than-traditional instrumentation. He explained that it fit the needs of the orchestra perfectly, and it was a wonderful example of early 20th century American music. Dr. Hofer tries to include a 20th century piece on every concert so that his students have exposure to a variety of styles and time periods in music.
“The Saint-Georges Symphony is a fantastic piece of music that isn’t played enough,” says Dr. Hofer. “In this piece I was able to really highlight the strengths of the strings and the progress they have made with me this last year. And of course, I’m always excited to feature a composition of a composer of color.”
The Albinoni/Giazotto Adagio has been on Dr. Hofer’s radar since he came to Southern Virginia University. He says, “It is a gorgeous piece of music, and I’ve been eagerly awaiting an opportunity to perform it here. When I learned of the new organ at Grace Episcopal church, and the opportunity arose to collaborate with Jonathan Clawson(‘22), I just couldn’t pass up that opportunity. I’m so glad we were able to perform it!”
When the final notes faded, the crowd erupted with a standing ovation. With the devotion of Dr. Hofer’s leadership, Clawson’s organ, and the dedicated musicians of the University’s orchestra, the Camerata Concert was a resounding success.
