By Melissa Tarbox
FARMINGTON – Violinist and conductor Trond Saeverud will direct and join the UMF Community Orchestra as soloist in their winter concert on Sunday, Dec. 7. In the program which includes Dvorak’s Ninth Symphony, “The New World” and Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, Saeverud will both conduct and perform as soloist in the Beethoven.
|
|
When inquired about the difficulties of both performing and conducting a piece, Saeverud said, “[it is] intensely difficult but exciting,” and “[the orchestra members] are doing a great job.” He also observed that the hardest sections to play with little conducting are the slow parts of a piece, because “every note feels to be floating on its own, [as opposed to] when you play fast, you feel the connections.”
The UMF Community Orchestra consists of community members from all over western Maine, many who have played in the orchestra for a long time, “so the orchestra has a real soul” according to Saeverud. UMF students also join the orchestra, creating a varied age group. Saeverud noted that the orchestra is “open to anyone who’d like to give it a try…it is very inclusive.”
Asked about his connection with the UMF Community Orchestra, Saeverud responded that he enjoys the community spirit, the dedication and enthusiasm personified in the ensemble. He added, “we are playing pieces that normally have more than twice as many players…so it’s very impressive that they can do it.”
Saeverud was born in Norway and completed his doctorate at the University of Kansas. He has performed as soloist with major orchestras in Europe and in the U.S., including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s at Lincoln Center in New York City. He has produced solo CDs on the Simax, Grappa and BIS labels as soloist with Danish and Norwegian orchestras. His recital CD “HIKA” was chosen as “Strad Selection” in the May 2002 issue of Strad Magazine. Saeverud has created a school outreach program in Maine, and is currently the concertmaster of the Bangor Symphony.
The UMF Community Orchestra winter concert will be held on Sunday, Dec. 7 at 3 p.m. in Nordica Auditorium at the University of Maine at Farmington. The concert is open to public and is the opening event of the Winter Arts Week, presented by the UMF Department of Visual and Performing Arts and the Ministry of Experimental Arts. Tickets are $6 adults, $5 senior citizens, and free for UMF students with IDs and are available at the door. For more information, please contact the UMF Department of Visual and Performing Arts at 778-7072.
