Patience, an open mind and training of the ear may be too much work for students who primarily look to more electrically fueled music that fits their generation to truly appreciate orchestral music.

But SIUC Symphony Orchestra flutist Leslie Curtis said the work put into enjoying a symphonic performance compliments one’s musical repertoire as well as their developing personality.

It’s important to be a well-rounded person, and I think it’s very important for young people especially at the University to expose themselves to the symphony if they haven’t been to one, she said. It’s like reading good fiction or good poetry. It’s a growth thing.

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Those interested in expanding their culture through a dose of orchestral music can check out the SIUC Symphony Orchestra at 8 p.m. Tuesday in Shryock Auditorium. The concert marks the symphony’s last major performance of the school year.

The 60 member orchestra which is composed primarily of SIUC students but also includes faculty and community members is set in the direction that any professional orchestra tries to take. The audience will not be treated to a small representation of the real thing but to a legitimate orchestral performance.

If anyone has seen the St. Louis Symphony, there’s nothing new about what we’re doing, director Edward Benyas said. We’re playing a similar repertoire, but we just bring it right here to Carbondale so you don’t have to drive two hours going to St. Louis.

The performance features a variety of music from the 18th century to the 20th century by composers from Johann Sebastian Bach to Igor Stravinsky.

The first half is made up entirely of 19th century compositions that include three orchestral excerpts by the French master orchestrator Hector Berlioz. One of these excerpts, The Dance of the Sprites, proved to be rather challenging for Curtis because the piece demands fluid technique from members of the woodwinds section.

It’ll kill you. It’s the fastest thing I’ve ever played, said Curtis, a member of the community who has been playing the flute since fourth grade. My brain doesn’t go that fast let alone my fingers.

Along with rapid rhythms and pieces composed by legendary composers, the audience will get to see the School of Music Solo Competition winner Kiril Laskarov. A native of Bulgaria and a graduate assistant in the School of Music, Laskarov performed the world premiere of the Violin Concerto by Gerassimos Pilarinos at the Sofia Contemporary Music Festival in Athens, Greece, in 1993.

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People will really enjoy coming to hear him, Curtis said. If they only come for one thing, they should come to hear that.

Something else Curtis thought to be an interesting attraction of the orchestra is the expressive way Benyas conducts. Through meaningful yet seemingly trivial hand movements, the conductor controls the pace and volume of the performance even if he may appear to be swatting at flies with an oversized toothpick.

A lot of people think Oh, the conductor just stands there waving his arms. What the hell is he contributing?’ Curtis said. But we all have to watch him. He tells us how fast we’re going, obviously, and keeps us all together.

But even more than that are his expressive movements where he’ll actually bring the strings out by pointing at them to make play them louder or if he wants the brass to play softer, he’ll put his hand out like whoa!’ The orchestra is an important cultural institution because it accommodates the area with a large supplement of enlightenment much different than a trip to the Strip.

Curtis sees a dire yet steady trend in the attraction of rock n’ roll, jazz, country or other highly electric acts playing in town because of the way that music fits the generations of the typical club hoppers.

It’s very important for the University to have culture available like theater and the orchestra, Curtis said. I just wish more students came. Unfortunately there are bigger draws on the Strip.

General admission for the SIUC Symphony Orchestra concert is $3, $2 for students and seniors. For information, call 453-ARTS (2787).