I had the opportunity to speak to the UEA Symphony Orchestra regarding their upcoming concert, Roots and Dances. The event, due to take place on the 21st March, will see the 70-piece orchestra perform Leonard Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, Duke Ellington’s Suite – The River, and Florence Price’s The Oak.  

I was joined by Stuart Dunlop, Conductor and Director of Music at UEA, alongside orchestra members Heather Pirie and Amelia Fox. Stuart began our conversation by talking about the influence behind the chosen music. He focused first on Florence Price, who was the first African American woman to be recognised as a symphonic composer.  

“She, of course, came through lots of discrimination. She came through the Jim Crow Era. Nevertheless, what you can hear in The Oak, which is quite a dark piece in some ways, is a black American composer trying to understand what symphonic music is and not only on the terms of symphonic music, but on the terms that she can contribute to. So, it’s not necessarily music that fits comfortably into our preconceptions of symphonic music, but it’s a valuable way of looking at music that would otherwise be neglected or unheard. It’s a voice from the past and a voice for the future. And it’s something I think we should be playing.”  

Stuart then continued by discussing Duke Ellington’s Suite – The River.   

“Ellington was a deeply religious man. He treated the river as a kind of spiritual metaphor. The first movement is the spring, the beginning of the river, and the last movement that we play is where the river joins the sea. There is this idea that that is an image for life, and then you join this greater thing through which you then await to rebirth, at least, that was Ellington’s take on it. So, it’s genuinely serious music, and again, from a perspective that as a Symphony Orchestra we don’t always pay attention to.”  

Finally, Stuart went on to talk about the Symphony Orchestra’s “concentrated protein rich version” of West Side Story.  

“It’s a big, big orchestra, so the sound you’ll get in the room will blow you away. The sound in the room will change your hairstyle. It’s not a medley of tunes from the show. It’s much more integral than that. It has its own narrative drive to it. It has a real arc from beginning to end, the kind of triumph and tragedy of the piece, which is about racial tension.”  

Stuart’s passionate and insightful description of the pieces was impressive, but I wanted to know: why these three pieces in particular? “All the pieces will make an impact. There is not necessarily a coherent arc through the pieces, but they are all related. They’re all American, for one thing, but they are all related by this unheard voice theme. These kind of neglected, or not necessarily neglected, things that we should pay attention to. There is also this idea of making music out of adversity, out of prejudice and bringing that to a symphonic arena, which should be hearing this music.”  

I then turned my attention to Heather and Amelia, wanting to know their experiences of rehearsal for this event. Amelia began.  

“I think we all have great times in the rehearsal. It’s very much not easy, but it is really good to sink your teeth into.” Heather agreed, stating, “I think the accessibility of the programme and audience engagement wise; it will be a really nice concert. I think lots of people could come to it, it doesn’t matter if you’re not as exposed to classical music, or you haven’t really gone to many concerts before. I think it’s a good one to come along to and experience some new music. And I think the programme really showcases the different sections in the orchestra as well, especially in the Bernstein and Ellington and then a lot more in the Price. We play a little together, but I think there’s some really great moments that it picks out a lot of different parts of the orchestra, which is quite nice to listen to.”  

What really struck me in our interview was the strong sense of community the orchestra seems to have. Amelia summarised this well: “I always say that playing in orchestras or chamber music with other people is the best part of music. Being able to share and sit in the rehearsal, and have the music in front of you, but really think about what you are trying to achieve as a group. I lead the viola section which can be quite challenging, but it can also be very fun and nice to be able to. Really focus on what you can do and how you can help everyone.”  

Stuart concluded the interview, stating, “Community’s a big word in what we do and it’s often overlooked, and particularly in a setting like a university Symphony Orchestra, we should be trying to make sure that people feel like they belong.”  

Roots and Dances will be taking place on the 21st March at 7pm, at the Church of St Peter Mancroft, Norwich. Tickets are available at the UEA Events page via the UEA website. 

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