Violinist Emma Cloud will perform Sunday with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra.
In what little spare time violinist Emma Cloud has, she loves fantasy map-making.
If she were doing more realistic mapping, her future path might show a substantial journey to musical success.
The home-schooled, high school senior will be the featured artist with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra under the direction of guest conductor Elliott Lentz at 3:30 p.m. Sunday at the Commons downtown. Her performance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Concerto No. 3 in G Major” will be highlighted because she is the ensemble’s winner of the 2024 Laura Showalter Youth Concerto Competition.
“I usually doubt myself,” Cloud said about her musical progress since she first seriously began the instrument six years ago. “But I’m sure that when this is over, I will have more confidence.”
Her first rehearsal with the orchestra unfolded only days ago.
“The time went by pretty fast,” she said. “But I did better than I thought I would.”
She brought ample humor along with her ample talent to a recent interview. She recalled her first few lessons, and a sound that was less than lovely.
“Especially with violin — oh, it’s horrible,” Cloud said with a laugh.
She clearly has come a long way since those days. Columbus Symphony Orchestra violinist Laura Andrews, Cloud’s violin teacher the past three years, is excited for her student’s moment in the spotlight.
“She’s just so very talented,” Andrews said.
The orchestra itself has earned its share of affirmation through the years. This season is dedicated to its new conductor search since eight-year director Josh Aerie departed last season to devote more time to his other musical pursuits, including touring with his trio.
Conductor Lentz is involved in both the orchestral and wind band worlds. The Indianapolis resident is considered what local symphony leaders have called “a dynamic musician and strong advocate for arts education.”
He currently is serving as artistic director and conductor for the Circle City Orchestra in Indianapolis and director of orchestras at North Central High School in Indianapolis. Plus, he is also an ambassador with Petite Opera House in London and head clinician for the Smith Walbridge Student Conducting Clinic in Charleston, Illinois.
Sunday’s performance, titled “Outside the Box,” will include the following compositions: Ludwig von Beethoven’s “Overture to Fidelio;” Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s “Idyll;” and Alexander Borodin’s “Symphony No. 2.”
Lentz explained his selections.
“Composers such as Beethoven, Coleridge-Taylor, and Borodin challenged … expectations each in their own particular way, in an effort to create the music they felt was missing from the world,” he said. “Whether it was creating beautiful melodic lines despite not being able to hear them, overcoming the numerous challenges associated with being a person of color in a music conservatory in the late 1800s, or composing music on the weekends after working their day job in a science lab, each dreamt of what might be beyond the expectation — what the world could be if we took just one step outside the box.”
About the concert
Who: Guest conductor Elliott Lentz leading the Columbus Symphony Orchestra.
When: 3:30 p.m. Sunday.
Where: The Commons, 300 Washington St. in downtown Columbus.
Tickets: csoindiana.org or at the door.
