By Madison Thompson–

Professor Kimcherie Lloyd is not only a well-established professor at U of L, but she is also the director of Orchestral Studies, the director of Opera Theatre, and also the conductor of the University Symphony Orchestra. With Lloyd’s lead, the University Symphony Orchestra began playing in 2006. To this day, she is still an influence on young musicians and enthusiastic about her work.

It goes without saying that Lloyd stays busy. Currently, she is preparing the University Symphony Orchestra for a concert on Jan. 31.

The pieces, like every performance, were selected with purpose. “This upcoming performance is basically a ‘meat and potatoes’ kind of performance that fulfills their repertoire requirements,” said Lloyd. Repertoire is a set list of pieces or songs that a musician continues to practice and keep up with throughout his or her career.

This performance is a compilation of well-known pieces that most classical musicians are familiar with or have at least heard of. The first piece will be “Overture of the Magic Flute” composed by Mozart. The second piece features cellist Jared Murray. The third and final piece on the program is Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony, or the “Pastoral Symphony.”

At the open rehearsal on Jan. 21, I stepped into Comstock to be greeted by each musician tuning his or her instrument. As their rehearsal started, they ran through the entire “Overture of the Magic Flute” without a hitch. The piece seemed flawless, but I watched as Lloyd was able to take apart each section and diagnose minute issues.

Sitting there in the back row, I found a new definition for “playing well with others.” Seeing this group work together was like seeing the inside gears and cogs of a clock before it is finished. Each person must know their part. If they don’t, the entire section could suffer.

“This is a performance that would be good to go to if you’ve never been to an orchestra concert before,” said Lloyd.

The concert is free and open to the public. It will take place in Comstock Hall at 7:30 p.m on Jan. 31.