Gettysburg College Symphony Orchestra to perform Nov. 22 at Majestic Theater

GETTYSBURG, Pa. - The Gettysburg College Symphony Orchestra will present a classical concert Nov. 22 at the Majestic Theater.

The 8 p.m. performance will feature a sampling of works by Beethoven, Bruch and Tchaikovsky. The opening piece on the program, Beethoven's "Coriolan" Overture, is inspired by the tragic story of the Roman leader, Gaius Martius Coriolanus. The second work on the program, Max Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1, will feature Sunderman Conservatory of Music Prof. Yeon-Su Kim as soloist. The concert concludes with Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony. This will be the orchestra's first concert under the direction of Alexander Kahn. The performance is free and open to the public.

The Gettysburg College Symphony Orchestra forms the core of the orchestral program at the college's Sunderman Conservatory of Music. The orchestra performs a variety of musical works that reflect both the rigorous performance standards and it's place within the broader liberal arts community.

Kahn is director of orchestral activities at the Sunderman Conservatory of Music at Gettysburg College. He completed his doctorate in music history and literature at the University of California at Berkeley. There, he was music director and founder of the University Chamber Orchestra and assistant conductor of the Symphony Orchestra. Kahn has also served as music director of the Berkeley Summer Symphony, assistant conductor of the Berkeley University Chorus and assistant conductor of the Oakland Civic Orchestra. Kahn is active as a musicologist. His dissertation, "Double Lives: Exile Composers in Los Angeles," focused on the community of European exiles who fled to Los Angeles during the Third Reich. He has published articles on film music and amateur music-making in 19th-century America. Additional research interests include semiotics and 20th-century performance practice.

The Sunderman Conservatory of Music at Gettysburg College combines Gettysburg's superb music tradition and its strengths as one of the nation's leading liberal arts colleges. Established in 2005 through a $15.7 million gift from 1919 graduate Dr. F. William Sunderman Sr., the conservatory offers three degrees -- bachelor of music in performance, bachelor of arts in music, and bachelor of science in music education -- as well as a minor in music.

Gettysburg College is a highly selective four-year residential college of liberal arts and sciences with approximately 2,600 students. It is located on a 200-acre campus adjacent to Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania. The college was founded in 1832.

By: Justin Brower, class of 2010

Contact: Kendra Martin, director of media relations