Orchestrating Celebration and Community
Date Posted: Sep 06, 2022
The Pensacola Symphony Orchestra will be putting its passion for music and community on display at Foo Foo Festival
The Pensacola Symphony Orchestra has kept the music going in the coastal town for decades, and this year it will continue on with a spectacular celebration of music during Foo Foo Festival. Courtney Dell of the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra shares what patrons can expect this year and why the events should definitely be on the calendar.
Q: Congratulations on being one of the 12 grant recipients for the Foo Foo Festival! Is the organization excited to once again play a part in Foo Foo?
A: Foo Foo Festival has been such an exciting development in Pensacola and a truly great way to bring people together to experience the arts and our great community. It’s always a great time to be in Pensacola, and we’re excited because our mission is to have people in our community experience memorable music. There are so many opportunities to do that, especially during Foo Foo, and we’re excited to be part of it.
Q: What can we expect to see—and hear—from the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra this year?
A: The Pensacola Symphony Orchestra will perform Schumann Symphony No. 3, which features folk-like melodies and a genuine sense of joy inspired by the monuments and natural splendors of the Rhineland. The program is really a celebration of place, celebrating life on the Gulf Coast through music inspired by other places, Scotland and Petra.
Q: There are so many great performers involved in the concert as well.
A: Yes, We have a piece by Michael Senturia that will be on the program. We’ve had the joy of bringing him here before, and it’s exciting to have him here again. We’re also really excited about having Rachel Lee Priday performing with us as well. Rachel is known for her spectacular technique and beauty of tone, and she has performed with major international orchestras around the world.
Q: When and where is the concert and how do you get tickets?
A: The concert will be on November 5 at 7:30 pm at Saenger Theatre. Single tickets go on sale in September and can be purchased online at PensacolaSymphony.com.
Q: But there’s another opportunity for patrons to check out the program as well, right?
A: Earlier that day, at 1:30 pm, we’ll have our dress rehearsal, and it will be open for people to come to experience a different side of the musical process. As a working dress rehearsal, patrons can hear Music Director Peter Rubardt speak to the musicians about the program and the music. General admission tickets for the open dress rehearsal are $5 and can also be purchased on the website. We’re also planning to have a panel discussion earlier in the week—time still TBD—for patrons to hear from Peter more in-depth about the musical process. We want to provide multiple options for people to experience music. Music is incredibly enriching, whether you experience it through the words of others in a panel discussion or through music actually being performed. It will give you energy and truly help you figure out what it means to be human together, and that’s really what we want people to experience: that celebration of place, love of being together, and memories being made together.