Written by Tiffany Jones
Last weekend the Harding University Chorus performed the fifth movement of Gustav Mahler’s “Second Symphony,” also known as the “Resurrection Symphony,” with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra.
“It’s a remarkable musical and artistic experience to perform with a fine orchestra,” Dr. Cliff Ganus, director of choral activities at Harding, said.
Performing with the ASO is nothing new for students. The chorus has partnered with the ASO for more than 15 years singing choral music ranging from operas to symphonies.
What made this performance different than all the others? It was David Itkin’s last performance.
Maestro David Itkin has been the conductor and musical director of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra for 17 years. This year, he has worked as conductor for the Las Vegas Philharmonic, music director and conductor of the Abilene Philharmonic and has taken on his new role at the University of North Texas as director of Orchestral Studies.
During his musical career, Itkin has performed in 44 states and 15 countries throughout Europe, the Middle East and Asia. He has played and recorded with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Slovenska Filhamonija, the San Diego Symphony and the Seoul Philamonic.
Itkin has also served as a guest speaker and lecturer. He spent part of the summer of 2007 as a featured lecturer at the Arkansas Governor’s School, and also lectured in Europe for Silversea cruise lines.
According to Ganus, working with Itkin has been an interesting and rewarding experience.
“The most unusual [concert] was with Itkin’s own composition, “Exodus,” for choir, orchestra and narrator. The narrator selected was William Shatner,” Ganus said. “That was a big event.”
Chorus members said that the partnership with the orchestra has benefitted Harding greatly and that it is a rare opportunity for a university chorus to be able to perform with symphonies.
Senior Jillian Hughes said she remembers being nervous about her first time performing in an ASO concert.
“The thing I remember most about my first time with ASO is being completely overwhelmed by it and thinking there is no way I’m even qualified to be a part of this,” Hughes said.
Once Hughes got over the magnitude of her first experience performing with the ASO, she said she began to take in just what it meant to be a conductor and the amazing capability of Itkin.
“I’m always impressed with how he can conduct what every instrument is doing, and when we’re doing operas he has singers all over the place that he has to be following and the instruments have to be following him and he has to deal with a chorus that is not used to working with a professional orchestra.” Hughes said. “He is just really good at what he does. “
Itkin will be replaced by Philip Mann, American Conducting Fellow and violinist. The partnership between the ASO and the Harding Chorus will be reassessed under the new conductor, but Ganus said he hopes it will remain.
“It takes a lot of doing to get prepared and to get to rehearsals. It’s quite an investment in time, but every time I ask the students if this was worth it they say they want to keep doing it.”
