The Shippensburg University Orchestra has more members now than ever. It features university students, community members, faculty and even professional musicians.

Orchestra concerts provide a variety of great music pieces that bring a lot of fun and emotion to the audience.

“Give it a try, you are bound to learn something new,” orchestra director Mark Hartman said.

Hartman has a long and winding history with instruments and music. His earliest musical influence was in the 1960s when The Beatles arrived in America. This sensation encouraged him to learn how to play the guitar and later start a band with his brother and friends.

Throughout high school he was a rock guitarist and practiced to improve his skills. It fostered his interest to learn more, leading him to bridge out to classical music. With a degree in violin, Hartman taught at a university in New York as a violin professor. With strings as his specialty, he came to SU in 2008 to conduct the orchestra.

Hartman has described the orchestra as “a very exciting program with a lot of variety.” Excitement came to his eyes when discussing this from a director’s point of view.

Hartman’s musical talent and enthusiasm has impacted students throughout his years at SU. He mentioned one student in particular who he had made a great relationship with while teaching. He taught the student how to read music and how to be a better guitarist.

With help and encouragement from Hartman, this student later majored in music at Kutztown University.

“He still comes to Ship to visit and I was even invited to his wedding,” Hartman said. He has a true passion to help students follow their dreams and achieve their goals.

Hartman is now currently working with the orchestra for its upcoming musical event on April 17 in the H. Ric Luhrs Performing Arts Center.

Students and members of the community have been working all semester to put together an exciting program. Hartman pointed out that it is always hard work to get a significant amount of students in the orchestra, but that he is “very thrilled about this upcoming event since it will be the first time the orchestra will work with the Shippensburg University Concert Choir,” which is directed by SU faculty member Elizabeth Shoenfelt.

The concert will focus around peace in time of war. The overture will be in honor of Anwar Sadat, who was the president of Egypt and was assassinated by one of his own people for making peace. The overture will feature a large orchestra and will have many different instruments such as drums, a bass section and cellos, all representing emotions of the war.

The main act of this concert will be a 45-minute piece by Franz Joseph Haydn, called “Mass in Time of War,” which includes both the SU Choir and the orchestra. In this piece, the timpani will play a prominent role at key points in the music to remind the audience of war drums. Hartman indicated that he believes this will be an incredible piece of music to perform. It was written in 1796 while Austria was at war with France and was losing, thus creating fear of a French occupation.

Additionally, the choir will feature four professional vocal soloists: Elizabeth Shoenfelt, soprano and director of the concert choir; Leah Serr, alto; Christyan Seay, tenor; and James Barciz, bass.

“In a time of a lot of fear, I find it inspiring to look back and see how composers represent war and peace and the emotions connected to them through really great music,” Hartman said.

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