Liberty University Symphony Orchestra performs at Museum of the Bible, visits Kennedy Center on D.C. tour

Over Spring Break, 60 students in the Liberty University Symphony Orchestra went on tour around Washington, D.C., to showcase their skills and provide stunning performances in the nation’s capital.

In addition to performing at McLean Bible Church and Christian schools, the students surprised patrons at the Museum of the Bible with an impromptu performance in the main atrium.

Professor of Music and Director of LUSO Dr. Zachary Bruno said the performance was an opportunity for students to represent Liberty and gain experience in front of a live audience.

“The music was able to ring and resound and fill this enormous museum, and so it drew a crowd,” Bruno said. “It wasn’t something that had been listed in the museum’s program for the day, so it was just kind of a special treat. If you happened to be in the museum that day, then you got a chance to see the Liberty University Symphony Orchestra.”

With over 40 percent of the orchestra made up of non-music majors, the tour demonstrated the vast amount of talent that fills Liberty campus.

“It was nice that we got to represent the university to this wonderful crowd of generally Christian folks who may or may not have heard of Liberty University before,” he added. “We were able to give them a little taste of some of the performing arts repertoire that we have here in the School of Music, and were able to worship the Lord with strangers.”

Many patrons complimented the students after their performance.

“It was really special getting to perform in that space,” said junior violin performance student Miriam Thompson, concert master of the LUSO. “We played at the bottom of a huge stairway, and so there were people standing around or sitting on the steps. The acoustics in that huge room were really nice, and it made our sound seem so much bigger. Our audience seemed to really enjoy it, and I got good reviews from people.”

After their 45-minute performance, which included woodwind, brass, and string instrumentation, the students toured the six-story museum and its various exhibits, research, and artifacts that demonstrate the history of the Bible and its ongoing cultural impact.

Later in the week, the students had the chance to watch the National Symphony Orchestra perform at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and meet with NSO violinist and Associate Professor of Violin at Liberty Dr. Yevgeniy Dovgalyuk.

Dovgalyuk performs with the NSO two to three times a semester as a substitute violinist. He was part of a youth fellowship program with the NSO during high school and attended performances early in his career. He said experiencing professional ensembles is important in motivating students in their careers.

Born in Latvia, Dovgalyuk received his first violin at 6 years old, though his interest and calling for the instrument began during his toddler years. When he became a Liberty professor in 2016, his passion for music education inspired him to seek out opportunities for students to fulfill their calling too. He applied for an ILLUMINATE Grant through Liberty’s Center for Teaching Excellence to cover the students’ cost to attend the performance.

“The idea (of the grant) was to have an inspiring event where students could see the highest levels of playing music possible and how it can be shaped, how it can be made alive, because I know what that feels like, and I wanted the students to experience something similar,” he said.

Because only three of the students had attended a professional orchestra concert before, Dovgalyuk said he hoped the concert would encourage them to diligently pursue high-level opportunities in addition to local symphonies.

“It was really special getting to hear the National Symphony perform and see Dr. Dovgalyuk in the violin section,” Thompson said. “I was mostly just struck by how cohesive the entire performance was. I was inspired especially watching the string sections, how they were all playing in the same part of the bow and matching articulations. They really looked unified and sounded unified. It was inspiring to keep working hard to be able to reach that level.”

After the performance, Dovgalyuk arranged for the students to meet with the world-class, distinguished orchestra conductor Gianandrea Noseda, who spent ample time networking with the students and answering questions about his background, career, and being part of a professional orchestra. The students took a group picture with him and had the picture signed as memorabilia of the experience.

Dovgalyuk participates in a prayer group with several other members of the NSO prior to each performance. He said the experience was an example of how musicians can glorify God through their artistry.

“We pray that God can use anything, any music, and He can use us as performers on stage glorifying him, not ourselves, just using us to connect in the orchestra and to share the Good News through music to the audience and through our prayers. More than that, (we pray that) the audience doesn’t see us, but they see God in that — in that beauty of music.”

Liberty students, regardless of major, are welcome to audition for LUSO and can email zbruno@liberty.edu for more information.