{"id":3424,"date":"2021-08-25T21:37:53","date_gmt":"2021-08-26T01:37:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bloomingtonsymphony.com\/?post_type=news&p=3424"},"modified":"2021-08-25T22:27:30","modified_gmt":"2021-08-26T02:27:30","slug":"herald-times-symphony-concert-in-switchyard-park-to-feature-youth-concerto-contest-winner-mayor","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.bloomingtonsymphony.com\/staging\/6573\/news\/herald-times-symphony-concert-in-switchyard-park-to-feature-youth-concerto-contest-winner-mayor\/","title":{"rendered":"The H-T: Symphony concert in Switchyard Park to feature Youth Concerto contest winner, mayor"},"content":{"rendered":"

Original Herald Times article here<\/a><\/p>\n

BSO concert to feature youth concerto contest winner on violin, mayor on baton<\/em><\/h2>\n
\"The
The Bloomington Symphony Orchestra will perform Aug. Aug 29 at Bloomington’s Switchyard Park. Members perform here at another city park. Photo Courtesy of Bloomington Symphony Orchestra<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
by Connie Shakalis, Special to the H-T<\/div>\n
Published Aug 21, 2021<\/div>\n
\n

The Bloomington Symphony Orchestra launches its 52nd season at Switchyard Park Aug. 29, playing favorite selections from past concerts. Guest star Mayor John Hamilton will take a\u00a0turn with the conductor\u2019s baton.<\/p>\n

The concert will feature the BSO 2020 Youth Concerto Competition winner, Cooper Olsen, who has played violin for 11 years. He studies with professor\u00a0Mimi Zweig\u00a0in the\u00a0String Academy\u00a0at the\u00a0Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. In addition to his weekly lessons, he has participated in chamber music coachings with\u00a0Susan Moses, performed in a chamber orchestra led by\u00a0Brenda Brenner, and was invited to perform in masterclasses taught by\u00a0Mauricio Fuks,\u00a0Luke Hsu\u00a0and\u00a0Paul Kantor.<\/p>\n

Olsen’s awards include the 2019 Carmel Symphony Orchestra Competition and the junior division of the Muncie Symphony Orchestra Competition in 2020.<\/p>\n

“Cooper is so joyful in his playing,” said Donna Lafferty, the orchestra’s executive director. “Just watch his face, and you can see how he lights up as each phrase develops. “We are absolutely delighted that, despite the delays imposed on us by COVID, he will finally be able to perform with us.”<\/p>\n

\n
\"Cooper
Cooper Olsen, violinist, photo courtesy of Cooper Olsen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Lafferty said coming back in person is a little frightening, but gleeful.<\/p>\n

“Some of us have been with the group for decades, I joined in 1998, and my fellow musicians are some of my dearest friends,” she said. “To be in a position to start back up again, to share this beautiful musical journey with these amazing people, it’s worth every bit of nerves.”<\/p>\n

Lafferty said Hamilton had been scheduled pre-pandemic for another BSO event.<\/p>\n

\n
\"John
John Hamilton, Photo Courtesy of John Hamilton<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

“Once we decided it would be safe to have a live concert again, I remembered how disappointed he was in not being part of that concert, so I just said, ‘Hey, mayor! What are you doing on Aug.\u00a029?’ and he seemed delighted to be asked” to be the guest conductor for a piece.<\/p>\n

Alejandro Go\u0301mez Guille\u0301n, who has been BSO’ artistic director and conductor of Bloomington Symphony Orchestra since 2016,\u00a0will conduct the majority of the Aug. 29 concert.\u00a0A highly trained modern and baroque violinist,\u00a0Guille\u0301n\u00a0leads Mozart and Haydn concertos. Among his numerous credits are concertmaster of Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra, Amherst Early Music Festival, and Junges Stuttgarter Bach Ensemble, with which he toured Germany and Italy and performed at Rheingau Music Festival and Berlin Philharmonie. He recently returned to Oregon Bach Festival as a member of the Berwick Academy for Historical Performance.<\/p>\n