The Lakeland Civic Orchestra will present their final concert of the 2017-2018 season Sunday, April 29, at 4 p.m. in the Dr. Wayne L. Rodehorst Performing Arts Center in the D-Building on the college’s main campus at 7700 Clocktower Drive, Kirtland, 44094.

Tickets are $7 for adults, $6 for seniors and $2 for students. Tickets are available at the door, by calling the Lakeland Box Office at 440.525.7134 or online by visiting lakelandcc.edu/arts.

Dr. Matthew C. Saunders will lead the 45-member orchestra in performances of Mozart’s Symphony No. 25, Edouard Lalo’s Cello Concerto and a medley of music from the play “Les Miserables.” The concert theme, “Sounds of Stage and Screen” reflects the inclusion of music from the long-running musical adaptation of “Les Miserables,” as well as Mozart’s symphony, which appeared as the opening music in the 1984 film “Amadeus.” Saunders will also present his original composition “The Lovely Soul of Lakeland,” which he wrote in honor of the Lakeland Community College 50^th Anniversary and incorporates the college alma mater, “The Soul of Lakeland College.”

Featured in this concert, will be 14-year-old cello soloist Ania Lewis. She is the senior division winner of the 2017 Lakeland Young Artists Concerto Competition, an event that has been recognizing excellence in youth performers for over 20 years. Lewis is a freshman at Gilmour Academy. She has trained at the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) and has won many awards and competitions in the cello. Lewis is a member of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra and the CIM Friday Night Chamber music Program.

About the orchestra

The Lakeland Civic Orchestra is directed by Dr. Matthew C. Saunders, who is a professor of music and chair of the music department at Lakeland Community College. Saunders is in his fifth season as director of the Lakeland Civic Orchestra, and his original compositions have been performed throughout the United States and internationally. The Lakeland Civic Orchestra performs four concerts annually, and rehearses Monday evenings on Lakeland’s Main Campus from August through May. Orchestra members come from many different backgrounds, from passionate amateurs to professional musicians seeking additional performance opportunities, and from ages 14 to 80. Lakeland students may earn one college credit per semester for their participation.

About the civic music programs.

Lakeland Community College provides community members the opportunity to express and advance their talents by performing in four music groups: the Lakeland Civic Band, the Lakeland Civic Chorus, the Lakeland Civic Jazz Orchestra and the Lakeland Civic Orchestra.Additionally, the college offers talented high school students Jazz Impact, an all-star high school music group.

For more information about the civic music groups and auditions, contact Jeri Lynn Pilarczyk in the Arts and Sciences Division at 440.525.7261 or email jpilarczyk5@lakelandcc.edu

Lakeland Community College is located at the I-90 East/ Route 306 exit. Free parking is available.

By: Jeri Pilarczyk