News Release

ELKHART — Following up on last year’s rousing, on-campus sellout, Ode to Joy, the Elkhart County Symphony returns once again to Goshen College—this year welcoming special guest Derek Reeves, and introducing Assistant Conductor Victoria Petrak—with Pictures of Elkhart County, 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 5, at the acclaimed Goshen College Music Center, Sauder Concert Hall, 1700 S. Main St, Goshen.

Reeves, the principal violist for the Fort Wayne Philharmonic and recipient of the prestigious Performer’s Certificate while at Indiana University, performs Andante e rondo ongarese, Op.35, Weber, Carl Maria von, and the first movement of Rhapsody-Concerto for viola and orchestra, Bohuslav Martinů. Ms. Petrak, the Elkhart County Symphony’s Assistant Conductor and the first-ever female director of the Goshen College Symphony Orchestra, conducts Kauyumari, Gabriela Ortiz, marking her first time directing the symphony during a season concert.

The Elkhart Symphony also performs the renowned Pictures at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky, orch. Maurice Ravel, and, expanding upon the concert theme, presents a display of pictures from around Elkhart County at the performance. The event begins at 3 p.m. with a session of the popular Pre-Concert Conductor Conversations series—featuring Conn-Selmer Endowed Music Conductor Dr. Soo Han and Reeves—and Pictures of Elkhart County begins at 4 p.m.

Reeves—a fellow Hoosier who lives in Fort Wayne with his wife Patricia and son, Preston—has performed with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, and the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, and has been the violist of the Fort Wayne Philarmonic’s Freimann Quartet since 2003. An in-demand recitalist, guest artist, studio musician, and arranger, Reeves has also participated in the Spoleto, Aspen, Gateways and Prizm International Music Festivals.

Goshen College Music Center, Sauder Concert Hall, inspired by the great concert halls of Europe, is renowned for its combination of simple elegance and rare warmth of acoustics and was once described by Vance George—Director Emeritus of the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, and an internationally-renowned choral conductor—as “one of the great halls of the world.”

“Our annual concert at this rare and unique venue is always special; it’s such a great opportunity to be in the heart of the Elkhart County community and perform in front of such a diverse, welcoming, and exuberant audience,” said John Hill, Co-Executive Director of the Elkhart County Symphony Association. “We are thrilled to have Mr. Reeves as our special guest, and to introduce Victoria. Last year’s concert at Goshen College was more than just a sellout, it was a beautiful celebration of classical music and community—and we expect Pictures of Elkhart County will be a continuation of that.”

Pictures at an Exhibition, a suite for piano in ten movements plus a recurring Promenade theme, was was written in 1874 by composer Modest Mussorgsky after the sudden death, at age 39, of his friend, and renowned architect and painter, Viktor Hartmann. The composition has gained broad recognition via orchestrations and arrangements produced by other composers and contemporary musicians, with Maurice Ravel’s 1922 adaptation for orchestra being the most recorded and performed.

“The Lerner Theatre is our wonderful home, but it is always a rewarding experience to perform on the campus of Goshen College,” said Conn-Selmer Endowed Music Conductor Dr. Soo Han. “The annual concert at Sauder Concert Hall is a great opportunity for the Elkhart Symphony to connect with the wider community and to perform in a venue with a unique warmth of sound. We look forward to it. We are excited to introduce Victoria, our Assistant Conductor, and we are so honored to welcome Mr. Reeves as our guest soloist.”

Tickets for Pictures of Elkhart County may be purchased at The Lerner Theatre, 410 S. Main St., Elkhart, The Lerner Theatre Box Office or by phone at (574) 293-4469. The box office is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

4-Show Package tickets for all remaining 2023-24 Elkhart Symphony performances are still available and can be purchased on The Lerner Theatre website.