Hillsdale College Symphony Orchestra Performs Fall Parents Weekend Concert
The performance featured repertoire from the late Romantic and early modern periods.
HILLSDALE, Mich. — The Hillsdale College Symphony Orchestra performed a Fall Parents Weekend Concert on Oct. 25 and 26 in Christ Chapel. This opening concert of the 75th season featured repertoire from the late Romantic and early modern periods, including a symphony by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius.
“Sibelius has been compared to Beethoven, and we see that in this symphony, though we also see his original style gradually bringing together different themes over the course of the four movements,” said James Holleman, music director of choirs and orchestras. “It was an exciting work for our orchestra students to learn and share with their families and our community.”
“Sibelius has been compared to Beethoven, and we see that in this symphony, though we also see his original style.”
The orchestra performed Sibelius’s Symphony No. 2 in D Major, op. 43.
The concert also included excerpts from two operas: the Prelude to Act III from Richard Wagner’s opera “Lohengrin” and excerpts from Engelbert Humperdinck’s opera “Hansel and Gretel,” which featured solos by soprano Rachel Dunphey ’26 and mezzo-soprano Sophia LaBonte ’26.
More than a quarter of Hillsdale’s student body participates in one of the College’s music ensembles, which include the College Choir, Chamber Choir, Symphony Orchestra, and Jazz Big Band.