Looking for something to do on the first Friday of May? Want to listen to some good music? Well, look no further than the ONU Symphony Orchestra and their Reflections of Nature concert. Led by ONU professor of music, Dr. Sarah Waters, this amazing group of young musicians come from various backgrounds across our campus. Whether you are studying mechanical engineering, pharmacy, creative writing, or accounting, all you have to do is have a love and desire to pursue music during your time at Ohio Northern University.
I went behind the scenes of the ONU Symphony Orchestra to listen to the music Dr. Waters selected and to hear what some of the students in the group had to say about being a member of this incredible ensemble. The feedback we received was exactly what people can expect from the ONU Symphony Orchestra.
“First, I knew I wanted to do a piece from the classical era…so I selected Beethoven 6 and I built my program around it.” Dr. Waters said. “The classic orchestra is smaller than a modern orchestra, which fits ONU perfectly; it’s exactly the right size.” Dr. Waters also selected pieces that reflected on nature, which explains why she selected Symphony No. 6, also known as the Pastoral Symphony. In order to include the 7 percussionists in the ensemble this semester, she included a song called “Spring Festival,” which uses authentic Chinese percussion instruments. In the second half of the concert, they are doing a piece called “Songs Before Sunrise,” originally composed by Frederick Delius, and a piece written by Blind Tom Wiggins, a former blind slave who learned piano by ear, called “Battle of Manassas,” arranged by an ONU alumni and former member of the Orchestra. They end the concert with selections from the hit Broadway musical Wicked, which Dr. Waters included “…to end the year with classic musical theater songs.”
For Dr. Waters, she likes to look at selecting music like selecting food for a three-course meal. “Once you select the protein you want, then you can pick your salad, desserts, and sides to go with it. I put it together like a meal.” For instance, you do not want to perform a jazz piece and play a heavy metal piece after it; you have to select pieces that flow well with what you are performing.
After talking with Dr. Waters, I went to speak with some of the students in the Symphony Orchestra and their thoughts on the ensemble. These students come from multiple disciplinary fields at ONU, but they all have one thing in common; they love to play music. “I don’t feel very stressed when I’m in rehearsal, and I just get to have fun and play music.” Said Alex Burkholder, a computer and electrical engineering major and percussionist. “I can definitely expect [family and friends] to expect lots of different things [from the concert.]” He later commented. From Emily Seckel, an environmental & field biology senior and oboist, she said “This is my second year of orchestra and it allows me to do musical things without being a music major.” Students all across ONU can audition for the orchestra at the start of the semester, and it doesn’t matter what field of study you are pursuing; you can be in music without studying music. In three words, Seckel described the concert as “…having a lot of variety, ‘springy’, and very festive. It’s very upbeat and springy.”
It just goes to show that you don’t have to be in the ONU Music program to be in Symphony Orchestra. Students like Emily and Alex are pursuing their own career path while maintaining the joy and passion for playing music. Whatever you are studying at Ohio Northern University, the Symphony Orchestra has a place for anyone interested in keeping up their musical skills.
Tickets are on sale now for the ONU Symphony Orchestra’s spring concert, Reflections of Nature, at the Freed Center for the Performing Arts Box Office. ONU students and employees, senior citizens, and children are $5 while regular adult tickets are $10. The concert will take place in the Freed Center on Friday, May 2nd, at 7:30 p.m. Doors will open 30 minutes before show time. I hope to see the community to come out for a great night of music and to support the performing arts at Ohio Northern University.
Editor’s Note: This article was updated (4/22/25) to remove improper editorialization.