White River Chamber Orchestra concert to feature symphony by local composer & conductor

Submitted

The White River Chamber Orchestra (WRCO) announces the world premiere of a symphony by a local composer and conductor as part of the spring concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 5.

Dr. Keith Kunda of Fishers will conduct a program titled Concerto and Symphony: Baroque and Modern.

The concert will open with William Boyce’s Symphony No. 5 in D. The symphony is in three-movements, consisting first of a brilliant fanfare-like fast section, followed by a brisk fugue. The second and third movements are standard Baroque dances, a gavotte, and a minuet.

Next on the program will be Antonio Vivaldi’s Flute Concerto in D, Op. 10, No. 3. The flute was a favorite instrument of Vivaldi, proven by the fact that he wrote 14 concertos for the instrument. Featured soloist will be Julia Mattern, principal flute of the WRCO.

Turning to modern works, concertmaster Shoshana Kay will be featured on Bela Bartok’s Romanian Folk Dances for Violin and Orchestra. Six dances appear in rapid succession: Dance with Sticks, Waistband Dance, On the Spot, Hornpipe Dance, Romanian Polka, and Fast Dance. Composed during the first quarter of the 20^th century, they combine challenge for the soloist with fun for the audience.

The concluding piece on the program will be Dr. Kunda’s Symphony No. 1 in G, a four-movement neo-Classical symphony. The opening movement begins slowly with just one trumpet playing a motif that is ultimately passed to the entire orchestra. A transition to a fast sonata-form movement then grabs the attention of listeners. A slow ternary-form second movement, featuring beautiful lyrical melodies and equally beautiful counterpoint, provides a time of repose in the symphony. The third movement, the most harmonically adventurous, is a scherzo and trio, similar to that of Beethoven and the Romantic composers who followed him. The final movement opens with a slow version of one of the fast themes from the first movement, which leads to a playful seven-part Rondo. A thrilling coda concludes both the movement and the symphony.

Dr. Kunda is the founding conductor of the WRCO. He holds a doctorate in orchestral conducting, with a cognate in music theory and composition. He has been composing and arranging music his entire life. He noted that he is very excited to bring his first symphony to the stage.

About the WRCO
The White River Chamber Orchestra is the professional orchestra of Fishers. Now in its eighth season, the orchestra consists of 30 to 40 players, depending on repertoire. Tickets for the concert are available at FishersMusicWorks.org. Students under the age of 18 may attend for free, with free tickets available at the same website. The concert will be at Legacy Bible Church, 13490 Howe Road, Fishers.