Pacific Index

Sub-header: Pacific’s philharmonic orchestra gears up for their spring concert 

   As part of their “Concerts That Teach” series, the Pacific Philharmonic Orchestra will take the stage on May 1 in their annual spring concert. Made up of students that are not just confined to music majors, high school musicians, and community members, the orchestra contains a unique roster. They are conducted by Dr. Dijana Ihas, Professor of Music and founder of the Pacific University String Project, which has strived to create accessible string education for school children since 2012. 

   This concert also stands out because of its collaboration with the media department to create an event that celebrates both music and film. Dr. Ihas explains, “So every other year, we collaborate with the film students… I send them the piece of music that professor Enie and I agree would be good material for them to develop [a] short film, and then they work on that.” This year’s piece is Maurice Ravel’s “Pavane for a Dead Princess.” 

   Throughout the semester the orchestra and students of professor Enie Vaisburd’s Media Arts 300 class have been hard at work in their respective fields. Dr. Ihas said of the film students that, “They come in the week of the concert and for the first time we see this film and for the first time we play together and in the concert we play that piece of music with the film going on.” The goal is “Concerts That Teach,” she adds. “It’s always a point to teach the community about something and this time it’s about [the] collaboration between two arts.”

   In addition to teaching the audience, this concert provides a valuable learning experience for students. Dr. Ihas selected the program last semester and since the start of spring classes the orchestra has been working hard to learn and practice this program. Beginning with sectional rehearsals and then progressing into full rehearsals, Dr. Ihas says that the orchestra is now at the point where, “We can start working on artistic expression through music… and rehearsals have been much more interesting and inspiring because now we are actually working on musical expression and communication.” 

   The concert features four pieces: Béla Bartók’s “Romanian Folk Dances,” the first movement of Joseph Haydn’s “Cello Concerto in C Major,” Maurice Ravel’s “Pavane for a Dead Princess,” and Franz Schubert’s “Unfinished Symphony.” The Haydn piece will feature cello soloist Elena Harchanko, a junior attending South Salem High School. They began playing the cello at four, and are also part of the Cherry City Quartet and the Salem Youth Symphony. 

   This provides yet another valuable learning opportunity for the orchestra because as Dr. Ihas explains that, “Not only do students get the opportunity to play regular pieces that are written for [an] orchestra but now they get [the] opportunity to learn how to accompany [a] solo instrument and collaborate with a younger artist.” 

   The Schubert piece “Unfinished Symphony” is one which helps teach orchestra students about more than playing, it also lends itself to important class discussions. Dr. Ihas said of the piece that, “We had long discussions about what is unfinished about “Unfinished Symphony,” because it’s not like he didn’t have time to finish it. He intentionally named the symphony unfinished and he intentionally made it in two parts instead of four parts. This helps build students’ thinking and ability to look deeper into the music they play. 

   “We don’t just play the music, we analyze the music, we talk about music. We program the music in a way that is relevant to students, that challenges their notions of music in the world” Dr. Ihas explains, showing how this concert is more than a one night event. It’s months of preparation to build a learning experience which will last these musicians a lifetime.