The orchestra was directed and conducted by Carylee Zwang. Zwang is a graduate of SUU, has been with OSU for over two decades and has performed with the Hubei Symphony Orchestra in Wuhan, China.
Briggs was a soloist in “Believer” and “YMCA” and also directed and sang with the choirs.
“It was wonderful to stand up there and make music with them,” Briggs said. “It was very fun as a director to sink back into being a member of a group.”
The concert featured songs by artists like The Beach Boys, Aerosmith, Nirvana, Metallica and AC/DC. For Xander Stensrud, performing these songs in his first semester as a member of Opus was a dream come true.
“Obviously, I love the choral stuff, but when I was told that I get to perform classic rock songs with a live orchestra, it sparked something in me,” Stensrud said. “My whole family has listened to rock and punk rock since I was born, so I’ve loved it my entire life.”
“My favorite songs were “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “Barracuda,”” said attendee Corrinne Fullmer. “I loved everything about the performance. The soloists, orchestra and choir were all so amazing and I loved all the little musical details.”
OSU will perform Rock Gold next year on two dates to be determined. To find out more about upcoming music department events, go to the music department website.