Posted by David Martin on Mar 19, 2018
 
The program last Wednesday was provided by Dr. Gene Dowdy, who is in his third year as conductor of the Symphony of the Hills. He is a professor of music at UTSA, and conducts the orchestra there as well. Music is in his family, as both his father and grandfather were band directors, and both his daughters are  musicians.
 
  He gave a great program on a "500 years of music in 5 minutes".  Accompanied by his violin, he explained how dance tunes were a common way to lift people's spirits in the middle ages. Later, composers took these songs and adapted them into concert tunes. Dr. Dowdy expertly played bits of songs from Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven, and then followed with a bit of relatively contemporary music, "Dust in the Wind" by Kansas.  

The Symphony of the Hills is a professional orchestra drawn from the Hill Country and Central Texas, and provides about five concerts per year. In addition to the orchestra performances, dedicated board members and volunteers educate local kids about music, seeing over 2,000 students per year.   The next Symphony of the Hills performance is April 26th, and is called "Strike up the Band". 
Sponsors