On Friday Feb. 3, students from the Coastal Bend traded the books for music.
The Corpus Christi Symphony Orchestra (CCSO) performed their semi-annual Pat Furley Education Concert. They performed at the Performing Arts Center at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Two concerts were held, one at 10:00 A.M and one at 12:00 p.m.
The concert was aimed at 4th and 5th graders with the goal of inspiring young students to consider getting involved in music like orchestra and band. The music was centered around space with excerpts from a piece called Planets by British composer, Gustav Holst. In addition to that, there was a slideshow playing with photos and videos of space taken by telescopes. The slideshow played while the symphony performed, making it a multimedia experience. The orchestra even threw in some Star Wars music.
Hector Guzman, conductor of the CCSO, told us that the biggest reward is seeing the students engaged.
“What I want them to take away with them is that music is beautiful, that music is fun. Perhaps one of these days they will pick up an instrument and they will be performing with us,” Guzman said.
Guzman hopes that the students who attended today’s concert will be fascinated by what big orchestras can do. He says they can enhance movies and subjects to make them even greater.
“It is my greatest joy to see the smiles on those kids' faces when they hear that music. We hope that we can keep on doing it,” Guzman said.
The Education Concert was a prelude to Saturday night’s sold out concert held for the community.
