Purdue News
Purdue News
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November 19, 1999 Orchestra honors 92-year old West Lafayette violistWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue Symphony Orchestra plans on "Dancing Into the Millennium" at its December concert with one of its longtime favorite members, 92-year-old violist Loraine Edwards of West Lafayette. Edwards – who joined the symphony orchestra more than 20 years ago, when community musicians were needed to flesh out various ranks – will be honored at the free concert set for 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 5, at the Long Center at 111 N. Sixth St. in downtown Lafayette. Two well-known classical dance works – Bach's Orchestral Suite in B minor and Dvorak's Slovanic Dances, No. 4 and 8, Opus 46 – set the tone for the concert. Pamina Blum, a West Lafayette-based flutist who performs internationally, will solo on the Bach work. The Corilan Overture by Beethoven and the allegro movement from Concerto in G minor by Vivaldi fill out the program. Afterward, the audience is invited to join the orchestra at a reception honoring Edwards' involvement with the symphony. Edwards has always called music her "ticket to life," and her passion sets an example for the students in the orchestra, said Purdue Symphony conductor Jay Gephart. "If we're encouraging students to become lifelong participants in music, then Loraine is the ultimate example of that," he said. "She absolutely lives to play. There are times when her arthritis bothers her badly, but Loraine's the most dedicated orchestra member we have. In my five years, she's never missed a rehearsal." Edwards, who has a Ph.D. in music from Ohio State University, taught at St. Olaf College in Minnesota and at Berea College in Kentucky. She's always enjoyed getting to know students personally, so much so that she even travels with the Purdue orchestra. In the 1998-99 season, she rode the bus to Elkhart and Detroit to perform in Purdue concerts. The violist, who lives at Westminster Village, has been a member of the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra for 34 years and is a former LSO personnel manager. Edwards continues to spend an afternoon each week as an LSO office volunteer. She also serves on various symphony committees and volunteers at St. Andrew United Methodist Church, which she previously served as choir director. Appreciative of the chance to stay involved with music through the Purdue and Lafayette orchestras, Edwards takes her responsibility seriously. "She spends a tremendous amount of time practicing, because as she gets older her fingers get stiff, and she has to really work to play," said Paul Van Cleef, former Lafayette Symphony business manager and Edwards' longtime friend. Besides music, Edwards' other passion is traveling. Nearly every year, she travels independently to Hungary, where she studied during her student days, and she recently completed trips to Australia and China. "She often tells me, 'I'm not old enough to sit down,'" Van Cleef said. CONTACT: Kathy Matter, Purdue Bands publicist, (765) 496-6785; kcmatter@bands.purdue.edu NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: Photo opportunities for soloist Pamina Blum or violist Loraine Edwards are available at rehearsals. Contact Kathy Matter at (765) 496-6785.
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