Southeast Iowa Symphony Orchestra’s performance at the Capitol Theater on April 26 will be one for the ages. Not only will the event feature Tchaikovsky’s 4th Symphony and the always-gripping William Tell Overture, Artist-in-Residence Anoushka Divekar will captivate attendees with a new concerto for clarinet.
Divekar, who holds a doctorate in clarinet, has been spending her residence in Southeast Iowa immersing herself in the community. “I love to teach, I love to play, and I’m just very happy with my life making music,” she explained.
Included in her residency has been visits to area schools, answering questions about the clarinet, and even playing with students. “The schools have been lovely,” she said. “The kids have been really responsive and excited, and [I] made some fun noises on the clarinet, that I think they enjoyed.”
The curiosity that students have about her instrument tends to depend on the age of the student. “The younger students want to know whether the instrument can come apart, they want to know what happens when I take parts of it off,” Anoushka said, while a high schooler asked her to demonstrate all of the various playing and breathing techniques she employs. The most common question asked by students? How much she likes Taylor Swift, of course.
On April 26, SEISO will become only the third orchestra to play the new clarinet concerto by Reena Esmail, and Anoushka will become the first to have played it with piano. “The piece is a fusion between Hindustani and Western Classical music, which is what makes it very, very special,” said Divekar. “Unlike most concertos, [it] has elements of improvisation.”
Tickets for the April 26 performance at the Capitol Theater are available on SEISO’s website (linked below).
Southeast Iowa Symphony Orchestra
