OU Music Season Finale Hosts a Celebration of Orchestral and Choral Excellence

At 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 10, Oakland University music students will take part in one of the great highlights of the current performance season. The Oakland Symphony Orchestra (OSO) will join with the Oakland University Symphony Chorus to perform its final concert of the year at Orchestra Hall, home of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO).

The students, professionals, faculty and alumni who make up the orchestra and chorus will perform Lord Nelson Mass by Franz Joseph Haydn and Symphony No. 5 in B flat Major, op. 100 by Serge Prokofiev. The ensembles will be led by Associate Professor of Music and OSO Director and Lead Conductor Gregory Cunningham.

Cunningham calls the orchestra "a community of Oakland musicians" and believes it provides the university's music students with an essential experience that is vital to their musical education.

David Mety, a dual performance and music education senior at Oakland, was in the audience for the Orchestra Hall concert during his freshman year.

"Since then, I've been given several opportunities to perform in the percussion section of the orchestra. I am extremely excited to perform (Haydn's Nelson Mass) in such a leading role in the orchestra," he said.

"It's these kinds of experiences that prepare you for what's to come after graduation, regardless of the major you are pursuing. This is one of the beautiful things about being an education and performance major at OU ... One minute I may be thinking about how to perform my part better, while the next I may think, 'This rehearsal strategy is really useful. I should remember it for later.'"

The result of such passion for learning and dedication to music performance, typical of all members of the OSO, is a concert experience that consistently wins rave reviews from audience members.

Tickets for the upcoming concert, priced at $10 for students and $20 for general admission, are available through Star Tickets at startickets.com or (800) 585-3737, and through the Varner Box Office at (248) 370-3013 or in person from 3-6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. They are also available at the Center for Student Activities Service Window in the Oakland Center during regular opening hours. Complete ticket information is available at oakland.edu/tickets.

Advanced purchase is advised and is available at no extra charge. Any tickets remaining on the day of the concert will be available for purchase at Orchestra Hall one hour prior to the performance.

Orchestra Hall is located at 3711 Woodward Avenue in Midtown Detroit. Parking is available for $7 in the Orchestra Place Parking Structure located on Parsons just south of the building. Directions and parking information are available under the Plan & Discover tab of the DSO website at dso.org.

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