Baritone Andrew Wilkowske, a native of Willmar, joined the Orchestra and conductor Sarah Hicks to sing six of Copland’s Old American Songs, including Simple Gifts.
The Minnesota Orchestra offered its final performance in Willmar on Saturday–after a packed week of music activities from one corner of this West Central city to another. Baritone Andrew Wilkowske, a native of Willmar, joined the Orchestra and conductor Sarah Hicks to sing six of Copland’s Old American Songs, including Simple Gifts. Greeted with a roar of approval from his hometown audience, Wilkowske repaid the tribute. “I am a product of the Willmar public school system,” he says. “Returning under these circumstances is humbling and exciting.”
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Following a week of some thirty chamber music performances in Willmar, community residents turned out on Friday evening to hear a performance by the full Minnesota Orchestra, led by Sarah Hicks.
At a luncheon held Wednesday afternoon, conductor Sarah Hicks presented the Art of Conducting for members of nine of Willmar’s professional service organizations. Aided by members of the Minnesota Orchestra String Quartet, she illustrated the parallels between effective, dynamic leadership in a business context and in music.
