State official to play at Yuma orchestra concert

Arizona State Attorney General Tom Horne, who has been playing piano since he was a young boy, will be performing George Gershwin's “Piano Concerto in F” in Yuma next month, accompanied by the local orchestra.

After performing George Gershwin's “Rhapsody in Blue” in Yuma last year, Horne decided to revisit this area to play another piece from one of his favorite composers.

“I'm a great admirer of the Yuma Orchestra Association and I feel that Janet Jones is just the best conductor that I've ever worked with,” he commented in an interview with the Yuma Sun.

Orchestra director Janet Jones said that it had always been a dream of his to play “Rhapsody in Blue” with an orchestra and afterwards she shared that it was one of the highlights of his life, a lifelong dream fulfilled.

The Orchestral Classics concert is slated May 7 at the Historic Yuma Theatre, 254 S. Main St. Tickets are available at Yuma Art Center: $10 general admission, $15 for couples, $5 for students, seniors and military, and free for children 12 and under.

“The orchestra is honored to perform with Mr. Horne,” said Jones. “They are working hard to present a great performance. The piece is mixed with train sounds, lyrical melodies and Charleston dance rhythms. The concerto is very difficult, but it will be fun to play.”

She explained that performing with Horne will be both intimidating and rewarding for the orchestra.

The Twinklers and Young String Ambassadors will play a variety of music including folk songs, “Brandenburg Concerto #3” and “Variations on a Well-known Sea Chantey.” The Civic Orchestra will also play, in addition to Horne's concerto, Franz Schubert's “Unfinished Symphony #8” and a Richard Strauss piece, “Zarathustra.”

The student performers are at varying levels, Jones said, noting that some are amateur players and others at the professional level.

Funds raised from the concert tickets will go toward concert expenses and scholarships for students.

“This concert is presented to Yuma to inspire them with the great melodies from the classic orchestral literature,” Jones noted. “It is a heritage which we don't want to lose or never have a chance to hear.

“The key word is ‘live music' for our audience. There is nothing like being there to hear an orchestra perform and experience the moment. Yuma needs to support this endeavor and help keep it alive for future generations of listeners and players.”

Yuma Orchestra Association is a nonprofit organization and is part of the Yuma String Consortium that consists of Yuma Elementary School District 1, Yuma Union High School District, Arizona Western College and Northern Arizona University-Yuma.

Sarah Womer can be reached at swomer@yumasun.com or 539-6858.