Abigail Hebert

Classical music enthusiasts from the College and the Brunswick community packed Studzinski Recital Hall both Sunday and Tuesday night for the Bowdoin Symphony Orchestra’s fall performances. The concert showcased two works: Gabriela Lena Frank’s “Three Latin American Dances” (2004) and Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67” (1808)—a pairing of a historically established composition and a modern piece.

Beckwith Artist-in-Residence George Lopez, the orchestra’s director, noted he gave careful thought to the concert’s repertoire. Lopez explained that he wanted to highlight the value of contemporary artists, especially ones that represent intersectional communities.

“I’m always looking for something that’s by a living composer. I think we need to celebrate the ongoing creativity of serious composers of symphonic music,” Lopez said. “I love that [Frank] represents so much of the world, … as well as the piece being just on the edge of what this orchestra could do…. It sort of stretches their abilities in terms of rhythmic complexity…. So it necessitates a different kind of imagination for sound.”

When faced with these difficult rhythms, students were ready to rise to the challenge.

“The Latin dance piece is rhythmically and conceptually more difficult,” Jasmine Jia ’25, principal cellist, said. “It takes more time to get into the music because it’s not things that people are used to necessarily. But I think, with that extra effort, it’s definitely worth it.”

For all the merits of the challenge of Frank’s fresh perspective, Lopez emphasized how he selected Beethoven’s fifth symphony for the opposite reasons. The symphony was produced centuries before Frank’s piece, and it is one of the most widely recognized of all his symphonies.

“[Beethoven No. 5  is] an iconic work, and one that every orchestra member should play at least once in their life, just because it’s a revolutionary piece [in the] history of orchestra….  It just felt like the right piece emotionally for this orchestra this year and for the times we live in,” Lopez said, “I wanted something fun that they could play, but that was challenging. And then I wanted something that they knew, but was challenging, but totally doable. And the fifth was right in the pocket of this orchestra.”

Jimmy Song ’25, the orchestra’s concertmaster, shared how the popularity of the Beethoven piece put extra pressure on his performance.

“Everyone knows Beethoven’s fifth symphony, maybe not by name, but once they hear the first note they know what it is,” Song said. “So it’s fun to play a piece that everyone will identify. But, in another way, that’s something that you definitely have to add more attention to because they will know it.”

Lopez also spoke about the unique nature of a student orchestra, where students of varying backgrounds come to play together.

“There’s so much that they have not played. So much of what we work on is new to all of them, new in terms of playing. Many of them have experience listening to classical music, but they don’t all have experience playing it, performing it,” Lopez said.“There is a freshness of a student orchestra and a level of enthusiasm you’re able to create if you give them something that they can be excited about.”

For the spring semester, according to Song, the orchestra is looking at performing pieces that feature more violin and piano solo work. Song said he is planning to perform “Butterfly Lovers,” a traditional Chinese concerto with the orchestra accompaniment.

Audience member Maggie Zeiger ’28 appreciated the hard work of her peers.

“I went to the orchestra concert at first to support friends and classmates and because I thought it would be a cool opportunity,” Zeiger said. “[But then] I realized there were a lot more people in the orchestra that I knew…. I didn’t realize that so many people were so gifted at a variety of instruments.”

Reflecting on the concerts and thinking about the rest of the year, Lopez is thankful for the students in the orchestra and the community they have created.

“Most of these students [are not] music majors,” Lopez said. “They do this because they love to do it, and they always come back.”