The Symphony of the Hills plays Thursday night in Kerrville. I spoke to Jay Dunnahoo, conductor and artistic director of the symphony to find out more about the concert with an interesting title.
“Storm and Stress—Symphonic Adventures," Dunahoo said. "As the title implies, there are some storms and there is some stress. We built this theme around the pieces they’re playing.”
The pieces they’re playing are stormy and stressful, but in a good symphonic kind of way.
“Like the overture to 'William Tell,' " Dunahoo said. "That’s got certainly a chase scene and a storm scene, some stress going on.”
And there’s more.
"We’re doing 'Peter and the Wolf.' How Peter and his friends capture the wolf before the hunters come and shoot him, and they march him off to the zoo" Dunahoo said. "There’s a lot of storm and stress in that story."
I asked Dunnahoo if they had a narrator for "Peter and the Wolf."
“We do. Our narrator is Jeffrey Brown, and is a very, very talented thespian, as well as a musician. The narration just tops it off,” he said.
Perhaps to cut down on stress levels during the concert, as Dunnahoo notes, another event is held just beforehand.
“We have a very nice wine reception, begins I believe at 6:30 in the lobby," he said.
It’s all held on Thursday night at Kerrville’s Kathleen Calloux Theater. I asked Dunnahoo what can those come expect.
“If they’ve never been to a Symphony of the Hills concert I think they’re going to be blown out of the water. It’s really a marvelous orchestra,” he said.
Dunnahoo also told me that the symphony also does outreach to teach children about classical music, and they've got a pair of concerts at local schools earlier on Thursday.
“Public school students, private school students, home school youngsters from the Hill Country area will be there," Dunahoo said.
- More on the Symphony of the Hills at: www.symphonyofthehills.org
