WSU orchestra scores two big gigs

If Wichita State University’s cellists, violinists and flautists aren’t careful over the next few months, their orchestral fame might go to their heads.

The musicians are signed up to perform with two fairly big tours scheduled for Hartman Arena.

They’ll play with classic rock band Kansas when it appears at Hartman as part of its Collegiate Symphony Tour on Sept. 18.

And they’ll also perform in November with a tour called “Video Games Live,” a traveling show that features music from popular video games.

“It’s a way we can develop an audience a little bit — and maybe attract people that would never dare set foot in Miller Concert Hall,” said the orchestra’s very busy director, Mark Laycock.

The Kansas show was born from a successful concert the classic rock band, known for hits such as “Dust in the Wind,” had in 2009 performing with the Washburn Symphony Orchestra in Topeka.

The group turned the performance into a successful CD/DVD release called “There’s Know Place Like Home,” and it inspired a bigger idea.

Members of Kansas, known for their symphonic rock music, decided to try to replicate the show with other college orchestras and put together a fundraising tour, which goes through September and October at six regional universities, including Oklahoma State and the University of Texas.

About 75 of the 80 orchestra members will perform in the show, and WSU expects to earn about $5,000 in scholarship money and musical equipment from the gig.

“Video Games Live,” which arrives at Hartman on Nov. 9, will feature a smaller group of WSU orchestra members — about 30.

They’ll perform music from popular video games as part of the show, which has been compared to the “Star Wars in Concert” event staged at Intrust Bank Arena in May.

In addition to the music, the show includes a theatrical stage show, a laser show and twirling acrobats.

“It’s like Cirque du Video Games minus the French dudes in leotards,” said Jared Estes, Hartman’s marketing manager.

(To get a better idea, visit videogameslive.com.)

The students, some of whom also play in the Wichita Symphony Orchestra, are more than up to the challenge of the music in both shows; preparing for their moment in the pop culture spotlight shouldn’t take too much time, Laycock said.

And the money will go toward good causes, such as scholarships and financing an orchestra trip to Carnegie Hall.

It’s just a coincidence that two opportunities came up for the students at once, Laycock said, but he’s careful when deciding what he should and shouldn’t agree to.

“I accepted both performances with a careful eye toward schedule,” he said. “It’s important that, Number One, we do a terrific job, but also that these are a secondary part of our season, which focuses on preparing our students for careers in professional orchestras.”

In other words, go to the WSU symphony concerts, too, please.