It’s been a long 16 months for the Lima Symphony Orchestra, but they were back Friday with their first live performance since the pandemic.
Ohio Northern University hosted the free outdoor performance on their campus Friday for the "Patriotic Pops" concert. People dressed in red, white, and blue and were encouraged to picnic out on the lawn for the show.
Not only is it the first time they’ve been live in front of a crowd for over a year, but it’s also the first time ever that Andrew Crust conducted in front of an audience since being appointed the music director.
He says, “You play in a different way when you have an audience, I’ve learned that throughout this year here and my orchestra in Vancouver. The energy is not the same. I’m excited to see peoples faces, to feel their applause--not because I crave applause necessarily-but that’s what music is for. It lifts our spirits, it’s what we need now. To see all these people here together, without masks in a safe way, it’s so exciting.”
They say that Friday's performance drew the biggest crowd to date for their outdoor pops concert. Their monthly performances at the Veteran Memorial Civic Center will resume in October with their "Circumstance and Fate" concert.
