The Fresno Summer Orchestra Academy (FOOSA) Philharmonic will make its annual summer trip to perform at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, with the largest number of members attending since the trip began.
This year, 140 are attending, with Loewenheim estimating that 40% of them come from Fresno State.
The Philharmonic has been making the trip south to perform at the Walt Disney Concert Hall since 2013, with Director Thomas Loewenheim saying the goal is to showcase what Fresno has to offer.
“Our current motto is ‘bring the world to Fresno and take Fresno to the world,’” Loewenheim said. “People don’t know what Fresno is, and don’t know how Fresno and what a great place to live and grow it is.”
While half a million people live in Fresno, Loewenheim says the city still has the feel of a small city to it, but the community deserves to be recognized as much as the other large ones within California.
The group travels down to Southern California with a higher attendance every year since they began performing at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.
“Even if you’ve done it more than once, it’s life-changing,” Loewenheim said. “Sitting on the stage at Disney Hall is awe-inspiring. It’s probably the best acoustic hall on the West Coast, and some will say one of the top in the world. Most of our students would never have an opportunity to do such a thing.”
From waking up early in the morning and working through the entire day, Loewenheim says that the experience for the students, as well as participating in the FOOSA Festival is one of the best experiences for students who want to get a taste of the professional world.
“It’s just an incredible tool for our students to learn and grow and improve and get familiar with what is expected in the professional world,” Loewenheim said. “Touring, getting up at six in the morning, getting on the bus, having all their rehearsals performed, and then going back, it’s all very daunting, and it’s difficult.”
The FOOSA Philharmonic performed at the Walt Disney Concert Hall on June 26 before returning home for their last concert on Sunday, June 28 at 3 p.m. The Sunday concert will take place at the Paul Shaghoian Memorial Concert Hall, with tickets available for purchase at the FOOSA Festival website. This will be their final concert for the summer.
“In general, people love the festival because there’s a huge and true family-like atmosphere,” Loewenheim said. “All the faculty care and love the students, and the atmosphere in general is very friendly, supportive, and inclusive. You combine all these things together, and it makes a very great experience for everyone.”
