Meadows Symphony Orchestra

Don’t assume that a “mere” student orchestra can’t play on professional levels. Thanks to sophisticated direction from music director Paul Phillips, and some excellent instrumental faculty, Southern Methodist University’s Meadows Symphony Orchestra has been responsible for some of the most memorable orchestral performances around here. This weekend’s concerts include two of Dvorák’s rarely performed overtures, Carnival and Othello, led by Phillips’ protégés in the graduate program in conducting. After intermission, Phillips conducts excerpts from Wagner’s Die Walküre, with Wagnerian tenor—and new SMU faculty member—Clifton Forbis as soloist.

- Scott Cantrell / Classical Music Critic