Orchestra Aims to Feed America and Escape to the Stars

VALDOSTA -- The Valdosta Symphony Orchestra (VSO) is hosting a food drive this week in conjunction with "Orchestras Feeding America" -- the League of American Orchestras' nationwide effort to address the fight against hunger in America.

Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to drop off non-perishable food items in the collection boxes located in the lobby of VSU's Fine Arts Building, the mezzanine on the second floor of VSU's Student Union, and the lobby of the Annette Howell Turner Center, 527 N. Patterson St.

The drive concludes this weekend following the performances of "Special Concert No. 2: Out of This World" at 8 p.m. on Saturday, March 26 and at 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 27, in Whitehead Auditorium. Retired Astronaut Dr. Norman Thagard will narrate for both performances, which will feature NASA footage in the background as the orchestra plays classic tunes from "Star Trek." The lively, family-oriented concert will also feature the exuberant minimalism of “Short Ride in a Fast Machine,” written by American composer John Coolidge Adams. The VSO will also present a seven-movement orchestral suite “The Planets,” composed by Englishman Gustav Holst. Each movement of the suite is named for a planet of the Solar System.

Tickets for Saturday's concert are $25 for the public and $15 for students; however students get in free (with a valid student ID) for the Sunday matinee.

For more information about the VSO and upcoming concerts, go to http://www.valdostasymphony.org/ or call the ticket office at 229-333-2150. Connect with the symphony on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Valdosta-Symphony-Orchestra/109470999666.