Most people like classical music. They just might not realize it.
“I think sometimes people feel scared not so much by the music, but the formality and tradition,” said Jerry Hou, interim artistic director for the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra.
“(Classical) music is there to be enjoyed and to listened to, it should be no different than film scores,” said Hou.
Hou is helping the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra transition this season as it looks for a new musical director, and is coming to Casper hot off some intense weeks at the annual Grand Teton Music Festival in Jackson Hole.
Hou’s first assignment in Casper is conducting the Pops in the Park outdoor concert this Sunday at Washington Park. He’ll also conduct the orchestra’s first official concert of the season on September 22. After that, each concert will be conducted by a selected candidate for the permanent job as music director.
“Pops” concerts feature music that can be likened to a greatest hits show, with shorter more accessible pieces played in a casual setting. For Pops in the Park the orchestra is focusing on music from movies, which is often steeped in classical tradition but made accessible through cinema.
“There are so many movies that you could possibly choose from,” said Hou. “We wanted to choose something that would be enjoyed by all ages and span a lot of history of movies.”
There will be the “hits”, such as John Williams’ stirring and unmistakable music from “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “Superman”. However, the more interesting music comes from deeper into Hollywood’s past.
Case in point is the concert opener, the suite from the 1942 classic “Casablanca”.
“Back in the 40s and 50s when the studios had their own orchestras, a lot of the movies had very extravagant scores that went along with the movies, and this is a great example of one of them,” said Hou.
The suite from Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece “Psycho”, written by legendary film composer Bernard Hermann, is also in the offering.
“The great composers from Europe during WWII, they fled and a lot of them ended up in Hollywood and ended up writing film music,” said Hou. “It was a very rich time.”
“All of this music has something for everyone,” said Hou. “It was written by composers who were no different than you or me, they’re experiencing life as we do and they put their experience into music.”
Taiwan-born Hou lives in Houston and is associate conductor for the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. He’s guest conducted all over the world for organizations such as St. Louis Symphony, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Rochester Philharmonic, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, National Arts Centre Orchestra, among others.
“The (Wyoming Symphony Orchestra) has improved a lot under (former director) Matthew Savory, and I think it continues to grow and develop,” said Hou. The candidate of choice will be chosen by the orchestra’s board with input from Hou. “My job as advisor is to help them make sure there’s a high musical standard that’s being achieved,” said Hou.
With the outdoor pops concert, Hou hopes to show off the orchestra and to open new ears leading into this season of transition.
“The thrill of hearing an orchestra play live the music they love, hopefully they’ll come back and hear other kinds of music,” said Hou.
“Pops in the Park: A Night at the Movies” is Sunday, Aug. 19. Gates open at 5:00 and music starts at 8:00. Food and beverages will be available. You can purchase tickets here.
Children play with toy light sabers during the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra’s outdoor concert on Sunday, Aug. 21, 2017, at Washington Park. (Dan Cepeda, Oil City)
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