First live broadcast of Shepherd Orchestra successful

By Brian Reinhart     10/8/09 7:00pm

The best-kept secret in Houston's classical music scene is, without a doubt, the Shepherd School Symphony Orchestra. I have two good reasons for believing this to be true. First, though the Houston Symphony has greater technical ability, our Shepherd orchestra routinely outdoes the professionals in passion and flair. Second, the Shepherd School of Music does a very good job making sure its orchestra remains a secret.Yes, they perform a few concerts each year, and yes, most of those concerts are free to the public. But after the magic of the live performance is over, we have to wait another month to hear our orchestra play again. Every concert is carefully recorded, but CDs are made only as gifts for donors, and radio broadcasts have long been out of the question because of the royalties demanded by music publishers.

But that may be changing. Last weekend, thanks to a special arrangement with KTRU, Rice students and the general public were able to hear the Shepherd School symphony live from the comfort of their rooms for the first time. Beyond a doubt, this is a step forward for classical music lovers. But it is also a step forward for the Shepherd School itself.

This weekend's pair of orchestral performances were both outstanding. I was in attendance at Stude Concert Hall last Friday and listened to the KTRU simulcast the next day. Both means of listening yielded rewarding musical experiences.

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Each night's program opened with Beethoven's Leonore Overture No. 3, an extremely energetic performance. The first arrival of the main theme and the final coda were dangerously and thrillingly fast, and music graduate student Ryan Darke's trumpet solo filled the concert hall - quite an achievement, given that, as per Beethoven's instructions, he delivered the solo from the lobby.

In Ravel's suite from Daphnis et Chloé, music graduate student Heather Zinninger aced one of the most difficult flute solos ever written, but the true highlight of the night was the orchestra's performance of the zany final dance. Such big, bold, brash playing can only be described as "ballsy" and surprised many in the audience.

Brahms' peaceful Symphony No. 2 does not call for such bravado, although some conductors consider the finale the most crowd-pleasing ending in the symphonic tradition. Under the baton of Larry Rachleff, and with the help of some great brass playing, the Shepherd School orchestra showed why.

The KTRU broadcast filled the intermission with an in-depth interview between host Joelle Zigman, a Brown College sophomore, and music history major Henrik Heide, a Sid Richardson College senior, who discussed the music with great detail and enthusiasm. Unfortunately, the pre-concert talk was not of the same quality; a delay at Shepherd forced Zigman to read a series of public service announcements about hurricane safety and saving manatees.

Warts and all, though, radio simulcasts like this one are a huge boon for both the listening audience and the Shepherd School. For one thing, they are a great way to introduce newcomers to classical music, because let's face it: The concert experience these days is not geared to the newcomer. Audience members play dress-up, hobnob with socialites in the lobby and sit perfectly still in their chairs for two hours. This Saturday was, for students unfamiliar with classical music or for those lacking an awareness of where to start, a chance to sample three masterworks for free without leaving their rooms.

But who's to say that only those at Rice want to hear our orchestra? After I posted details of the KTRU broadcast on Facebook and Twitter, a friend with no connection to Rice got to hear our musicians play. "Really enjoyed it!" he told me. "Make sure to tell them that someone in Winnipeg, Canada, was listening!"

The event, in other words, was a resounding success, presenting a chance for the music school to reach out to the Houston community and to the rest of the world. Broadcasting concerts is not just great outreach in the classical community; it's also great publicity. More people in more places could get to know the Shepherd name and the high quality of its student performers. After all, how many American music schools have listeners in Winnipeg?

We don't have to spread Shepherd all over the Internet. But let's stop keeping Houston's best-kept secret a secret. Let's recognize that broadcasting more concerts on KTRU and streaming them online is a great way to reach new audiences and make our music school new friends.

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