Rivals to make beautiful music together

Don’t miss out on the chance to experience two rival high schools coming together for a night of beautiful music.

The Ponca City Public School Symphony Orchestra again unites with the Stillwater High School Symphony Orchestra in their annual combined Fall Concert at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19 in the Ponca City School Concert Hall. The concert is free, and the public is invited.

Ponca City High School’s Symphony Strings open the night with Richard Stephan’s Fantasia on a 17^th Century Tune, a haunting arrangement of the hymn Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence. Next, Ponca City Percussion Director Andrew Orr joins the orchestra to showcase a rock rendition of Karl Jenkins’ Palladio, as heard on the 1993 commercial for De Beers Diamonds.

The Stillwater High School Orchestra then takes the stage with the chorale masterpiece, Lauridsen’s O Magnum Mysterium arranged for strings by Dackow. They then explore Scandinavian traditional tunes though Rhythmic Variations on Two Ancient Hymns by Hanson. Following this, the two orchestras combine, under the direction of Ponca City’s former Maestro Dan Larson, to take the audience to 1600s Scotland through Rutter’s arrangement of O Waly Waly. The concert concludes with taking up arms in the name of the Roman God of War, Mars, in perhaps most famous movement of Holst’s The Planets suite.

Head directors Paula Cochran of Ponca City and Scott Jackson of Stillwater, along with Ponca City assistant directors Katie Rolf and Ella Gordon, welcome the union of both communities for a night of incredible performances.