The Dickinson Orchestra engages music majors, non-majors, community members and faculty in the exhilarating and edifying process of rehearsing and performing some of the finest works the last 300 years. An integral member of this complex team, each musician both supports and depends on all others to render a complex musical work successfully. Participation in orchestra therefore builds skills of analytical and critical listening, time management, discipline, concentration, teamwork, and sight-reading. Participants gain insight into the interpretive process and elements of style. Rehearsals culminate in one performance each semester. The spring concert features the winner of the Annual Student Concerto Competition. Programs frequently feature faculty soloists and have included symphonies by Beethoven and Tchaikovsky, requiems by Mozart and Faure, and Handel’s Messiah. Festive Dickinson Orchestra concerts reward the musicians’ effort and dedication with strengthened self-assurance, pride in artistic excellence, and the incomparable joy of music.
