Submitted photo
Carlos Lopez conducts his Okto Carmonia Orchestra during a past concert.
When a 15-year-old Carlos Lopez launched his student Okto Carmonia Chamber orchestra in the summer of 2020, he mentioned that he always watched Columbus Symphony Orchestra Conductor Josh Aerie closely for tips in leading an ensemble. Lopez is a flutist in the symphony, a mostly volunteer ensemble.
Lopez, now 17, will have a chance to watch Aerie close-up at 2 p.m. Saturday at Reformed Presbyterian Church when Aerie leads Lopez’s 16-member group in performing Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Symphony No. 40.
“It’s a privilege to have a professional conductor as gust conductor,” Lopez said. “And of course, he’s a great friend that I always will remember and be thankful for.”
Mozart represents one of Lopez’s favorite composers.
“I just like his musical style and I like his tone,” Lopez said. “It’s not heavy.”
The concert is free and open to all.
Concertmaster Alayna Peters, associate concertmaster Kyla Peters and Lopez will open the concert with the last movement of Carl Stamitz’s Flute Concerto in G Major.
Also on the program will be Jacques Offenbach’s “Can Can,” Alan Menken’s “Be Our Guest” from the musical “Beauty and the Beast,” and Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 94, also commonly known as the Surprise Symphony. It is called that because of the startling, loud chord that occurs in the second movement, according to orchestral websites. This loud chord occurs among very soft dynamics and seems generally out of place within the melody.
Lopez’s orchestra began simply. He attended a meeting with part of the local Japanese community that has been so supportive of him, and organizers asked him to play the flute while accompanying a Japanese trombone player. From there, he met more instrumental performers, and that sparked the chamber group to begin forming.
Lopez is accomplished enough to have won the local symphony’s 2021 Youth Concerto Competition.
