Southeastern Symphony Orchestra
The Southeastern Symphony Orchestra, was founded in 1993 by Dr. Yakov Voldman, Director of Orchestral Studies. The orchestra performs annually in its own cicle,
and participates in Southeastern Louisiana University´s Fanfare Festival, an event that takes place at the historic Columbia Theatre in Hammond, Louisiana,
drawing performers and audiences from throughout the world.
The orchestra has presented world-famous
soloists and chamber ensembles such as Illya Kaller, Yuri Zhislin, the Moscow Piano Trio, Nora Romanoff-Schwarzberg, Georgy
Valchev, Madison Day, and Washington Garcia, to name a few. Department of Music and Performing Arts faculty members are also
featured as soloists, allowing students to hear their mentors in a professional performance
environment.
Outstanding students have a chance to present their concertos with the orchestra,
which has become a solid platform to help young soloists launch their performing careers.
Young composers trained at Southeastern have the opportunity to premiere their pieces
with the orchestra every year, and use the ensemble as a learning tool to experiment
and test their compositions.
The orchestra also offers a unique educational opportunity to advanced students of
the Southeastern Community Music School, a pre-college program based in Southeastern’s facilities, by allowing them to integrate
with the orchestra or play as soloists. This special project allows many young talented
students from the area to develop their music studies from an early age, while being
supervised by Music Department world-class faculty members.
The orchestral program seeks diversity in all respects, and includes standard repertoire
from the great masters of the past as well as new music of our days. The group also
programs pops, family, and pedagogical concerts, and collaborates regularly with the
Southeastern opera, choral ensembles, ballet, and theater.
In order to give the students a wide perspective of the orchestral palette, the ensemble
covers all different settings, from string orchestra to chamber and full symphony
orchestra.
Spanish conductor and violinist Dr. Victor Correa-Cruz, has become its Artistic Director
since Fall 2017. At his debut concert, he presented “An Evening in Vienna”, featuring music by Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven. By presenting this selection the ensemble faces a new cycle under this new maestro,
who wishes to get lasting inspiration from these Viennesse masters and have them as
a constant reference for the orchestra´s learning and growing process.
Southeastern Symphony Orchestra was distinguished as “Collegiate Orchestra of the Month” in February 2018 by the Philadelphia International Music Festival, a prestigious program taught by members of the Philadelphia Orchestra. This recognition
has started an invaluable collaboration that will benefit current and future music
students at Southeastern Louisiana University.
