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Dr. Martha Placeres

•February 3, 2016•

The Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra (MDSO) will continue its 2015-16 performance season at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6 in Kirkland Fine Arts Center.

The performance on Feb. 6 is the first of two guest-conducted concerts featuring one of the finalists for the position of music director and conductor of the MDSO. The guest conductor on Feb. 6 is Dr. Martha Placeres.

The concert will also feature performances from Millikin student soloists Kyle Johnson (piano), a junior vocal music education major from Hanover Park; John Robinson (trombone), a sophomore music performance major from Bloomington; and Abigail Karnes (soprano), a senior vocal performance major from Kearney, Mo. The students were named winners of Millikin’s annual Concerto/Aria Competition in Oct. 2015.

The concert will open with Sibelius’ “Finlandia.” Kyle Johnson will be the featured soloist on Mendelssohn’s “Piano Concerto No. 1,” while John Robinson will perform on Ferdinand David’s “Concertino for Trombone.” Abigail Karnes will be the featured soloist on Weber’s “Kommt ein schlanker Bursch,” Duparc’s “L’Invitation au voyage,” and Gounod’s “Ah! Je veux vivre.” Following an intermission, the MDSO will conclude the concert with a performance of Dvořák’s “Symphony No. 8.”

Dr. Martha Placeres is currently the orchestra director at Washburn University and performs as a violinist in chamber music in Mexico and the United States.     Login or Subscribe to read the rest of this story.