Renowned musician to conduct orchestra
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By JEFF KORBELIK / GZO
The title for Lincoln Civic Orchestra’s concert — “Not Your Average Joe!” — is fitting.
Joseph Curiale, who is filling in for conductor Sam Zitek, is far from average.
He is a big-time Hollywood composer, with Emmy nominations, movie and TV scores and names like Janet and Michael Jackson on his resume.
What: "Not Your Average Joe!" Lincoln Civic Orchestra
Where: O'Donnell Auditorium, 50th Street and Huntington Avenue
When: 3 p.m. Sunday
Tickets: Admission is free.
Yet, here he is, conducting not Lincoln’s professional symphony, but an orchestra made up of community members and Nebraska Wesleyan University students.
The ensemble will play a free concert Sunday afternoon, with Dean Haist (trumpet) and Kara Baxter (vocals) as featured soloists.
“The chances of us working together are remote,” Curiale said in a phone interview. “But for some beautiful reason, here we are. We’re making the best of it because it may never happen again.”
The reason for Curiale being in Lincoln is simple. The 53-year-old came to the Capital City to work on his master’s and doctorate degrees at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Why UNL?
Well, over the years, he’s made some connections in the state, including with several people at NET Radio, which often plays his compositions, noted poet Ted Kooser and Lincoln Civic Orchestra conductor Sam Zitek, who is taking a semester off from the ensemble to finish his doctorate.
Curiale agreed to fill in this fall for Zitek. Sunday’s concert will include two of his pieces: “Joy” and “Double Happiness.”
Haist will solo on “When I Fall in Love,” and Baxter, the orchestra’s concertmistress who also is a jazz singer, will sing “The Very Thought of You.”
“We have worked really hard, and I have worked them very hard, but with a lot of love,” Curiale said. “They are really sounding good.”
Zitek, for one, is glad Curiale made himself available. Last week, he spoke to an NWU class about the music from “The Andy Griffith Show.”
“His breadth of knowledge is very diverse,” Zitek said. “Because he’s been on the Hollywood scene, the orchestra class was amazed with the stories he tells.”
He hopes to amaze listeners with his music on Sunday.
Reach Jeff Korbelik at 473-7213 or jkorbelik@journalstar.com.
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