In this live interview, conductor of the Symphony Orchestra at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Rebekah O'Brien, talks with Jim Cunningham about her new project, the New Ground Orchestra Festival. The festival centers on professional women musicians. It also hopes to promote wellness, community service, and artistic collaboration. The festival is July 22nd to 26th. There will be community service opportunities in the mornings, musical rehearsals in the afternoon, and wellness sessions in the evenings. Rebekah is inspired by an experience she had with female conductors in Chile. She hopes to bring that same spirit to Pittsburgh with this festival. Rebekah also talks about the public concert during the Festival on July 25th. The program includes Beethoven's "Coriolan Overture", Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 4, and a new piece by composer Nancy Ives. The orchestra includes professional women and a few students, with a couple seats still open. All rehearsals are open, and the public concert is free!
You can hear the New Ground Orchestra Festival's public performance on July 25th at 7:30 pm at the Penn State School of Music Recital Hall.
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