Paul Mizzi had a feeling Justin Swearinger would be the right person to conduct his concerto debut with the Knox-Galesburg Symphony.
The two musicians knew each other from the orchestra.
Swearinger, who is an assistant professor of music and director of instrumental activities at Monmouth College, fills in as a percussionist for the symphony.
Mizzi, who is pursuing a doctorate in flute performance and pedagogy at the University of Iowa, joined KGS as a substitute flutist several years ago and is now its principal flutist.
When Mizzi was offered a choice of KGS guest conductors to appear as a soloist under during the orchestra’s 75th season, Swearinger's name stood out.
“We had not done anything together at that point musically. We had just talked, but I just knew from the aura and from the energy that it would be a great collaboration. Lo and behold, Justin is extremely experienced in conducting concertos and has taught me a few things,” Mizzi said.
The result of the collaboration between Mizzi and Swearinger is “Light, Lyric, and Lofty,” which will be performed by the Knox-Galesburg Symphony at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14 at Galesburg’s Orpheum Theatre.
Each word of the title captures the character of a work featured in the program.
It begins with the overture to Mozart’s much-loved opera, “The Marriage of Figaro.” That’s the “light” part of the program, though Swearinger said that does not mean effortless.
“It’s a very quick opener,” said Swearinger. “Light in the sense it’s effervescent and bubbly and happy. Not light in the sense that you will hear the orchestra working and pouring a lot of energy, especially into those famous first notes.
Carl Reinecke’s “Concerto for Flute and Orchestra” is the centerpiece of the program, featuring Mizzi as soloist. The flutist suggested the orchestra do the piece.
“I thought that this piece in particular had such a warmth to it and such a lyricism to it that it would really suit not only the orchestra's aesthetic but also the audience,” Mizzi said. “Because I always felt like the audience really cares deeply for this orchestra. There’s such a warmth coming from the audience.”
The second half of the program will be devoted to Brahms’ Symphony No. 3 in F Major. The piece opens with a three note “motto” that appears throughout and is meant to convey the lofty sentiment “free but happy.”
For “Light, Lyric, and Lofty,” Mizzi has taken on more than the solo concerto. He’s memorizing the Reinecke composition for the program while also playing principal flute for the works by Mozart and Brahms.
Mizzi said that’s to showcase and test his own physical and musical endurance.
“Playing a concerto is sort of the equivalent of a full recital anyway. So to do more on top of that is just more music, which is awesome,” Mizzi said.
For Mizzi, the experience of performing live is more than executing the notes, but being in a zone of mental, artistic, and spiritual connection.
“The orchestra, the audience, and the conductor kind of collectively transport ourselves somewhere else and yet are deeply in that moment and in that space in a way that only happens for that night,” Mizzi said.
Swearinger and Mizzi are also colleagues. Swearinger has been at Monmouth College since 2022. This year, Mizzi joined the faculty as an adjunct professor of flute.
This semester, their conversations have ranged from the practical details of teaching to the musical decisions involved in preparing “Light, Lyric, and Lofty.”
Swearinger said their collaboration is visible and beneficial to students.
“They see these two artists, two musicians who care very deeply about what they do get together and talk about these lofty things,” Swearinger said. “The beauty of it is, they see it and then they start to engage. They get excited. They want to come to the symphony to hear their professor play this concerto and see their conducting teacher get up there.”
Doors open at 6 p.m. Saturday for the concert. Tickets are $30-35 for adults and $5 for students, available online.
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