The URock Chamber Orchestra at UW-Whitewater’s Rock County campus held a concert with musical pieces from Mozart, Franz Lehár, Joseph Haydn and Karl Jenkins.
Audiences were pleased with the dedication of the performers and conductor Jeff Suarez, with a variety of musical pieces along with a solo performance by soprano Katie Swanson as she sang “Vilja – Lied” from Lahár’s opera “The Merry Widow.”
Suarez dedicated this concert to two members of the orchestra, John Wasserstrass and Ian Nie. He gave a speech honoring their work with their orchestra and past performances at the Rock campus.
Wasserstrass was a math instructor for several years before his passing, and Nie was the founder of the Turtle Creek Chamber Orchestra in which several members of the URock orchestra are also involved.
Suarez and the orchestra held a special homage to them where they played musical pieces that were played in De Beers jewelry commercials from the 1990s.
Audiences enjoyed the performances, as many wanted to clap before Suarez had the chance to properly bow or start the next musical piece. Audience members stemmed from local community members to former members and students of Suarez.
“It was really nice. I think Jeff always puts on a great show. I really like it,” alum Dakota Vaughn said.
The performers were also pleased with their work during the performance and gave praise to Suarez.
“He’s all about having fun while making good music,” said violinist Zachary Peterson, who performed with a violin made from LEGO bricks that he made several years ago.
The Rock County campus also plans to have a concert band on Dec. 4 for the holiday season. Suarez and the music community of Rock County plan to continue producing performances for the campus, with Suarez not planning to stop anytime soon.
