Saturday, Sept. 8 at 5:30 p.m. at the Freeman Park Band Shelter in Idaho Falls is the annual “Symphony in the Park,” a free concert provided by the Idaho Falls Symphony. This year the symphony has a special treat, all of the music has been picked by the audience.
“We are playing music from Dvorak’s New World symphony and music by Rossini and we are playing the ‘Jupiter’ movement from Holst’s ‘The Planets.’ So a lot of really well known classic works,” said Thomas Heuser, the Idaho Falls Symphony’s music director. “And actually even some more contemporary stuff one of our surveyors said, ‘I would love for you to play music that my kids that are younger than thirteen would know.’ And so we are playing some music from Pixar’s “Monsters Inc.” which should be really fun for everyone, as well as ‘Star Wars.’ You got to have that.”
The Symphony in the Park Concert has been going on for about 10 years and Heuser says this is likely the first time the music has been chosen by the audience for the concert.
Even though this is the Idaho Falls Symphony it is made up of people from all over the region. People come from mainly Idaho Falls but there are several people who come from Rexburg, Pocatello and even some from Jackson, Wyoming.
The people who make up the Symphony are as varied as the places they come from, “the Idaho Falls Symphony attracts people from all walks of life, we have professional musicians, full time professionals, professors of music, teachers, private teachers, as well as moms and dads, engineers from the site (Idaho National Laboratory) - current and retired - doctors and lawyers and really it’s quite a blend.”
Heuser says it is mainly up to each individual member to come prepared having practiced the music since they only have about a week to a week-and-a-half to rehearse all together with Heuser.
The event at Freeman Park promises to be a fun one taking place outside, “The beauty of being out in the park is you can bring your own picnic blankets and lawn chairs and you can set it up however you want,” says Heuser. “Kids can run around and dance.”
To be more involved in the symphony and have opportunities to choose music in the future follow the Idaho Falls Symphony on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. “We are trying to get the community as involved as possible,” Heuser says.