Alma College Orchestra Concert

CHARLOTTE ROCKWELL
PHOTOGRAPHER

MELANIE MATUSEK
STAFF WRITER

10/20/2025

On Sunday October 26, Alma College will be hosting a Chamber Orchestra Concert performed by the Alma College Orchestra (ACO) in the Heritage Center at 3 p.m..

As the event approaches, all those involved are preparing for the event. There is one week until the performance but planning began much earlier in the Fall semester.

Professor Takeshi Abo is the director of the orchestra and chose the pieces for the event. The Orchestra will be performing pieces by famous composers such as Mozart, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, and Mendelssohn. A lot of thought is put into which songs will be performed.

“Choosing pieces for a concert is like coming up with a dinner menu to entertain guests. You cannot not just serve potatoes, bread, pasta, rice, and call it complete. I need to think about variety and balance among all of the pieces,” said Abo.

These pieces are not only chosen to find a balance within the music but between the performers as well. The Alma College Orchestra consists of Alma students and members from the community. 

“Compared to other orchestras I have been a part of, the ACO provides a unique perspective through the variety of players and levels that we are surrounded by,” said Emma Millard (‘28).

Though the orchestra brings the Alma community together itself by intertwining students with non-students, many people within the department believe that attending the performance can create a wider sense of community. 

“Music brings all people together,” said Abo. Many student performers are in agreement with this sentiment. “Music is the bridge that connects us all as human beings, and by listening or playing, you can really feel that joy of creation,” said Lydia Schramm (‘27). 

Not only do the performers and director believe that a community is brought together by the performance, but most share ideals of what they’d like audience members to take away from the experience. 

“Concert is a wonderful opportunity to connect people’s hearts,” said Dr. Abo when asked about what he’d like the audience to take away from the performance. He said he’d be “happy if we could communicate with each other this way”.

Some shared a slightly different perspective. “Some people may not find classical music engaging to that level and that is okay. Music is not for the performers, rather it is for the audience. This means that you can engage with it on any level you wish,” said Millard.

Schramm shared a similar sentiment and said, “The true beauty of music comes from the meaning you find in it”.

All members of the ACO are entering concert week, finalizing pieces and preparing to perform. All involved encourage people to attend the performance, especially with the recent cuts in other art departments.

“Seeing what has happened with cuts to other performing and fine arts that have recently happened shows that we need to come out in numbers to show the college that we value these programs,” said Millard. 

“Supporting the arts is more important now than ever,” said Schramm.