LASO to perform ‘Concert of Emotions’ 7 p.m. Saturday at Duane Smith Auditorium. Photo by Whitney Tressel 

By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com

Be prepared for an emotional experience at the Los Alamos Symphony Orchestra’s (LASO) concert, 7 p.m. Saturday at Duane Smith Auditorium.

“The program is really centered on the human experience,” Director William Waag said.

He explained that many of the pieces were written in memory of someone or in honor of someone. For instance, the orchestra will perform Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg’s Funeral March for Richard Nordraak, which Grieg wrote in honor of his close friend and musical inspiration.

Another highlight will be Sergei Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, which he wrote for the ballet.

Plus, the program features Edward Elgar’s stirring “Nimrod” from the Enigma Variations, which Waag said is known for its emotional depth and reflection.

“All the music is coming from different parts of the world and different time frames, but they were all written in honor of someone else,” Waag said.

This concert is a bit personal for Waag, too, he said. One of the reasons why he wanted to pursue this theme of honoring others is that he had a friend who recently died. Waag said his friend, Richard Snider, was a prominent music educator in New Mexico and he wanted to acknowledge Synder through the concert.

On top of that, Waag said, “I think there are a couple of things at play.”

Looking at the pieces practically, Waag said, “Each of the pieces fit the ensemble well … beyond that as I went through hundreds of pieces of music, I did notice each was written for someone else and that felt powerful. They are selfless music. I felt that would be a very attractive quality … selflessness is something we could use more of in the world.”

“I really like the pairing of the pieces,” he added. “How they fit together as puzzle pieces. There is some heavy darkness, but also moments of brilliant beauty and warmth. There is a big emotional spectrum in the music.”

Waag also said that he polls members of the orchestra to see what they would like to perform, and some of the pieces in Friday’s program were specifically requested by the ensemble.

This concert kicks off the new season for LASO. The next concert will be a holiday show on Dec. 13. It will not only feature holiday and pop music but also other local performing arts groups such as Dance Arts Los Alamos and the Los Alamos Christmas Tubas.

As the season begins, Waag said he has a good feeling about it, “It is definitely going to be really great.”

Waag is new to LASO; he started working with the orchestra last year.

“I did some guest conducting and I think we hit it off really well,” he said.

Besides working with LASO, Waag also works with the Santa Fe Youth Symphony, the Santa Fe Community Orchestra, and offers private instruction to Los Alamos Public Schools students in the music program.

He explained that LASO heard about his work and invited him to join them.

“It was really an enjoyable experience. I have enjoyed them thoroughly. I believe the group has a ton of potential,” Waag said.

Admission to Friday’s concert is free, but donations will be accepted. For more information, visit https://losalamossymphony.org/.