OU Orchestra prepares for performance

The Ottawa University Orchestra is having its first concert Sunday.

Steven McDonald is an assistant professor of music at OU and the conductor of the orchestra.

"The orchestra is made up of OU students and faculty, community members, and guest musicians from area schools of music," he said.

Cody Knapic, a freshman religion major, plays upright bass.

"It's the biggest and lowest instrument in a string orchestra," he said.

Knapic said that the string orchestra, which will be performing on Oct. 25, consists of five

OU students and 20 musicians from the University of Kansas.

"We're a medium sized group," he said. "Not too big, not too small."

Sang Lee, a junior violin major and international student from South Korea, has been a member of the OU orchestra for 2 years. She said that she is excited for the upcoming concert as well as future concerts.

"I think the most interesting concert will be the Christmas concert," she said.

McDonald said the OU orchestra will perform three other concerts this year.

"The orchestra performs four times per year," he said." We do an orchestra concert in the fall, one on Christmas, one in winter, and one in spring."

The Christmas concert also will include the OU choir.

McDonald said that the music department is seeking to recruit more OU students for the orchestra.

"We're right at the beginning of a rebuilding phase for the entire music department," he said.

The concert will be held on Oct. 25, in the University Chapel at 3 PM. It will feature music by British composers Gustav Holst and Ralph Vaughan Williams, and finish with finish the program with symphony 82 by Joseph Haydn.


The Christmas Concert will be held 4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 6 in the OU chapel.