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WINONA LAKE - A process that began last fall comes to fruition Thursday when Grace College student Renessa Rauch and Penn High School senior Emily Essig join the Grace College Orchestra for the group's spring concert.
The young women are finalists in the Instrumental Solo Competition 2000, held at Grace College, with Rauch the college division winner and Essig the senior division winner.
Xylophonist Rauch, of Montana, performed "Fantasy on Japanese Woodprints, Op. 211," composed by Alan Hovhaness, and will be joined by the orchestra to present the piece again.
Essig, of South Bend, will be featured during her winning piece, "Concerto in C Minor," composed by Benedetto Marcello.
The concert will be held in Winona Lake Free Methodist Church, 902 College Ave, at 7:30 p.m. There is no admission charge.
The appearances by Rauch and Essig are as much a tribute to their teachers as to their years of dedicated study.
Brian Prechtl of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic is Rauch's percussion instructor and Essig studies with Andrea Mather of Grace College.
The Spring Concert is the second appearance by the orchestra in the 2000 - 2001 season. Including students, faculty and community members, the musicians also will present works by Johann Strauss Jr., "The Gypsy Baron Overture"; C. Saint-Sa'ns' "Cello Concerto No. 1 in A, Op. 33"; and Wolfgang Mozart's "Symphony No. 29 in A, K. 201."
Grace College Prof. Ardis Faber said the concert is very diverse.
"You have the colors of Hovhaness, the flair of Saint-Sa'ns and the dance of Strauss," she said. "It all ends with a georgeous, easy-listening Mozart."
Also to be recognized Thursday are James Baad, the Grace College sophomore who was the college division runner-up, and Adam Harris Smith of Kendallville, senior division runner-up.
Daniel Zambrano, assistant conductor, will be guest soloist. Zambrano is a graduate of the Grace College Music Department.
He is a member of Grace Community Orchestra and Grace College Chamber Ensemble, where he is also assistant conductor.
