Maestro Bernhardt conducts the Lee University Orchestra in 2019
The Lee University Symphony Orchestra will present its spring concert on Monday, March 22, at 7:30 p.m. in the Conn Center on Lee’s campus. The concert will be conducted by Sarah Pearson, part-time professor in Lee’s School of Music.
The performance will feature Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s “Symphony No. 5 in E Minor, Opus 64.” Written in 1888, the piece is a “cyclical” symphony in four movements, with the main tune of the first movement returning in each of the other three. Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony is one of his most popular and is in the repertoire of every major orchestra in the world.
There will also be a “surprise” encore announced from the stage featuring soundtrack music from a 2013 film.
Maestra Pearson graduated from Lee with a Master of Music in conducting and is the music director and conductor for The Cleveland Orchestra of Tennessee and The Cleveland Pops. She is involved in numerous music programs and ensembles in the area and is passionate about the arts in education. She has conducted the Lee Symphony this year while Lee artist-in-residence, Bob Bernhardt, has been teaching remotely.
Maestro Bernhardt joined Lee's School of Music in the fall of 2011 as artist-in-residence and conductor of the Lee Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Bernhardt also serves as Music Director Emeritus and Principal Pops Conductor of the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera (CSO) and Principal Pops Conductor of the Louisville Orchestra and Grand Rapids Symphony. He was formerly the music director and conductor for 19 seasons with the CSO and is the first to hold the title Emeritus.
The Lee University Symphony Orchestra, an ensemble of select instrumentalists, performs a wide variety of orchestral literature. In addition to performing one major concert each semester, its musicians frequently participate in operatic, choral, and other concerts on the campus.
This performance is free, but tickets are required due to limited seating. To reserve a ticket, visit https://www.showclix.com/event/orchestra-spring-concert.
It is also available for livestream viewing at https://livestream.com/leedu.
For more information on the concert, contact Maestro Bernhardt at rbernhardt@leeuniversity.edu.