Mary's First University Concert

I just have to tell all of you about a fabulous concert my mom June, sister-in-law Mae, and I attended recently. My niece Mary (Mae and my brother David's daughter) is in the University of Kentucky's Symphony Orchestra in Lexington, Kentucky.

This was the first time I'd seen the Orchestra perform in person, although they'd already had one major performance this year. The UKSO had provided the music for the opening ceremony of the FEI Alltech World Equestrian Games, but we hadn't been able to go. We enjoyed watching the show online (our television cable service didn't carry the right channels!), but it wasn't quite the same as actually being there.

This concert was such a treat! I was so impressed by the incredible quality of the entire performance. The music was top-notch and sounded so professional. Of course, knowing my niece is part of that group had nothing to do with how I felt about it. (Okay, so it probably has a LOT to do with it!) Seriously, I've been to professional orchestral concerts before, and this 100-member university orchestra could give them some serious competition. (And, yeah, I have to brag a little bit on them. This orchestra is the only university orchestra with a recording contract, as far I know. You can hear their amazing music by purchasing a CD here.) They really are as good as the professionals. And I was so proud of Mary! She plays the upright string bass--beautifully, in my honest opinion. It's one of several instruments she plays, but it is the one that is dearest to her heart and that earned her a prime spot in the orchestra.

Mr. Hamlisch played many of his well-known songs from movies and plays (anyone remember The Way We Were or The Entertainer? Those are two of my favorites from a long list of favorite Hamlisch songs), plus music from some of his own favorite composers. I think he tended to rush through much of it, and that made it a bit difficult to enjoy fully; however, he did put on a very enjoyable show.

But, other than seeing Mary play with the Orchestra, a major highlight of the evening was hearing J. Mark McVey sing. Honestly, the man will give you goosebumps! We were able to speak with him after the show, and he is such a nice man. Very kind, down-to-earth, and warm without a hint of annoying "star" personality. I can't forget how, as we were leaving, he said several times, "God bless you." And, what's also really cool is that he's from Huntington, West Virginia, which about fifteen miles from where I live. It's always nice to see a local person do well, isn't it? If you'd like to hear him sing, I strongly urge you to go to his website and watch the video. He does "Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables. Just be sure to have a tissue handy! His website is http://www.jmarkmcvey.com. We ended up purchasing his CD, If You Really Knew Me: The Music of Marvin Hamlisch. It's seriously amazing!

We weren't allowed to take photos during the concert, but I've included two from just before the show to at least give you an idea of the setting. The top one is of my mother June and Mae before the crowds came in, and the second photo is of the stage before the orchestra arrived. The third photo is Mary in her final high school concert (holding "Big Ugly", the star bass of the high school orchestra). Additionally, I added a photo of Mary with Marvin Hamlisch and one of Mom, J. Mark McVey, and Mary. 

If you'd like to read more about the University of Kentucky's Symphony Orchestra, check out their website, http://www.uky.edu/FineArts/Music/ensembles/orchestra/.

Thanks for stopping by!
Sherry