Marquette University Chorus will perform the first piece of the performance.

Director of Music Erik Janners said the three- to four-minute piece performed by the chorus, titled "My Soul's Been Anchored In the Lord," will celebrate the partnership between the MSO and Marquette.,”The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra will hold a free concert at Gesu Parish Tuesday, Nov. 6.

Marquette University Chorus will perform the first piece of the performance.

Director of Music Erik Janners said the three- to four-minute piece performed by the chorus, titled "My Soul's Been Anchored In the Lord," will celebrate the partnership between the MSO and Marquette.

With Marquette's recently announced music minor and planned renovation of the Varsity Theatre to include music practice rooms, Janners said music at Marquette is more important than ever.

"We're really at the start of a new music era here," Janners said.

This is the third year in a row the MSO will perform at Gesu, Janners said, thanks to Robert Ashmore, philosophy professor emeritus and member of Marquette Friends of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.

Helen Boomsma, director of development for the College of Communication, said the College of Communication is the official host of the performance, and that Dean John Pauly was integral in its planning.

"MSO is truly a world class orchestra, and to have them performing here on campus is a wonderful thing and it's a great annual tradition," Boomsma said.

The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. and should conclude by 9 p.m., Boomsma said. There will also be an invitation-only pre-concert reception at the Haggerty Museum of Art with a performance by Marquette's String Quartet.

Larry Tucker, vice president and chief program officer for the MSO, said in an e-mail that the performance will include pieces by Giovanni Gabrieli, Georges Bizet, Johann Strauss Jr., and Antonin Dvorak. The 88-member orchestra will be led by Resident Conductor Stuart Chafetz.

The MSO performs annually around Wisconsin and in the Milwaukee area, and has performed worldwide in the past. It has won numerous awards and has received international recognition for being the first orchestra to offer selections on iTunes, Tucker said.

"The cultural offerings of any institution round out a student's education – not just scholastically, but socially as well," Tucker said in the e-mail. "Having a university in a city as culturally rich and diverse as Milwaukee is a true asset to the entire student body, as long as they take advantage of it."

Janners said he encourages students to experience a free concert by the MSO. Tickets usually range between $22 and $90, and student discounts are available.

"To see classical music and hear it performed live is something you just can't pass up," Janners said. "It's a different experience for students than watching MTV or listening to the radio- – live music is really a unique experience."

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