College orchestra performs in Moses Lake

Volunteer urges community not to miss 'talented' show

MOSES LAKE - A Moses Lake volunteer is urging her community to come see a "high quality" performance later this week.

The Brigham Young University-Idaho chamber orchestra, Sinfonietta, performs in Moses Lake at the Moses Lake High School Theater Thursday at 7 p.m.

Moses Lake volunteer Carrie Welty attended the university's location in Provo, Utah, to obtain her bachelor's degree, and is the performing arts chair for the BYU Alumni Association.

"So I just try to bring different programs in the school here in Moses Lake," she said. "(Audiences) get to come and hear students. These colleges are really difficult to get into. They have to be a very high GPA, and to perform in their symphony, you have to be very talented."

Drawn from the BYU-Idaho Symphony Orchestra, members are selected by audition.

The orchestra toured all over the world, Welty said, including France, Belgium and Switzerland.

"We're such a small town and such a small community, we don't get the arts here very often," Welty said. "So it's a chance to go, relax and hear some music beautiful from the 18th through the 20th century. It's just high quality. You won't walk away going, 'Oh, why did I go to that?'"

The event is hosted and sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

"You don't have to be a member of the church to go there, but it is a church school, and it's a way for us as members of the Church of Jesus Christ, to reach out to our community as well, through the arts," Welty said. "It's a way to reach out and share some of our talents."

Welty is hoping for "people of all walks of life" to be in attendance, and for a full house.

"Not just people that are members of our church or just people interested in classical music," she said. "That somebody that wouldn't normally come would say, 'Hey, I want to give this a try,' and they'd walk away having their lives enriched."

The ensemble is under the direction of Dr. Robert Tueller, faculty member of the BYU-Idaho Department of Music. He also directs cello studies, the Symphony Orchestra and University Baroque Ensemble.

Tueller's favorite part about conducting the orchestra is the opportunity he has to work with the students.

"They literally are the best at what they do," he stated. "These students produce beautiful, high quality music that can be appreciated by any audience."

"I don't want people to miss this chance to come and hear this," Welty said. "These colleges have many other groups, they have dancers and theater, and if we don't come support these things, if we go, 'Uh, maybe not this time,' then we may not get opportunities again. We ought to take the time to come. It's definitely worth putting something aside to come to this."

The orchestra will participate in a two-week tour through Montana, Washington, Oregon and Idaho during April.

BYU-Idaho is located in Rexburg, Idaho, and serves about 13,000 students from all 50 states and over 40 countries. BYU-Idaho was founded as a church academy in 1888 by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Tickets can be purchased at Andrew's Hallmark or centralwashington.aa.byu.edu. Cost is $6 general admission and $3 for students. For more information, e-mail welty@byu.net.