CSO
It’s very cool that Conway has a symphony orchestra. The Conway Symphony Orchestra (CSO) has been around for twenty-five years. It marks Conway as a community willing to dedicate the time and resources to make something artistic come to life. How many communities have a symphony that plays Lights Over the Lake with fireworks on the Fourth of July?
I don’t think I’ve been better entertained at the symphony than here in Conway. First of all, Reynolds auditorium, at the University of Central Arkansas, is a perfect place for the symphony. It’s large enough to accommodate a sizable crowd, but small enough to see and hear everything perfectly. Second, the CSO is composed of members from the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, but also from the orchestras and faculty of UCA and Hendrix College. Conway residents play with the symphony, and some of the orchestra members from local high schools are encouraged to participate. You might see your neighbors there playing that wonderful music. Who knew?
But the most interesting aspect of an evening at the symphony is the conductor, Israel Getzov, talking the audience through the music he loves with such familiarity and expertise it’s almost like being introduced to someone new and fascinating. His insight makes the music familiar somehow, not strange or forbidding. He makes it understandable, which makes it even more enjoyable.
If you think you might be interested in attending a performance you can get all the details at conwaysymphonyorchestra.org on the web. And if you haven’t attended a symphony in a long time, give it a try. See you there.
