Westmoreland Symphony's Summer Philharmonic to debut director's concerto

The Summer Philharmonic of the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra Academy of Music will debut a new piece by music director Morrie Brand during a free concert at 8 p.m. Tuesday in the Seton Hill University Performing Arts Center, 100 Harrison Ave., Greensburg.

Brand’s Concerto for Flute and Chamber Orchestra was written for former Philharmonic flutist Evelyn Markle, who will perform.

Now a student at the University of Pittsburgh and playing in its symphony orchestra, Markle was a member of the youth orchestra program from 2015 to 2021. She also studied with Brand’s spouse, flute teacher Michele Boulet.

“(Markle) was such a determined musician, and the first movement reflects her focused energy, while the third movement addresses different manifestations of her joy, given Evelyn’s wonderful capacity for happiness,” Brand said.

In between is a sentimental second movement, Brand said.

“I composed the flute concerto during the long days of covid-19 in 2020. I had been toying with ideas for a flute duet, but then found inspiration in composing the concerto instead,” he added.

“I’ve been working on the piece for so long, it’s so exciting to finally get to play it for an audience with an orchestra,” Markle said. “My favorite part of the concerto is its variety of tones and ideas. It has layers to it, and the piece goes through a number of tonal shifts and transformations.

“My favorite pieces to play have always been the ones that allow me to explore different emotions or concepts all within the same piece, and this concerto certainly allows me to do that,” she said.

The concert program also includes Brahms’ “Academic Festival Overture,” the third movement of Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, Borodin’s “Polovtsian Dances” and music from “West Side Story” by composer Leonard Bernstein.

The Summer Philharmonic is an educational offering of the WSO Academy of Music. Now in its 10th summer, the group was founded by Brand, who also is the director of the academy, to provide a quality orchestra playing experience to area music teachers, other adults and alumni of the Westmoreland Youth Symphony Program.

The orchestra met for six rehearsals to prepare for the upcoming concert.

Masks are required inside the performing arts center.

For information, visit westmorelandsymphony.org.