News Archives - 2007

What existed for years as primarily a strings ensemble under the very capable direction of Paul Ousley has gained momentum and volume under Douglas Diamond’s leadership. Diamond joined the Augsburg faculty in the fall of 2005 with the charge to expand the chamber ensemble into a full-fledged orchestra.

"The initial question was, can the orchestra be filled?" Diamond remembers. Having developed the orchestra programs at both Luther College and Grinnell College, Diamond says Augsburg differs from them in that two-thirds of the students are commuters. "It's looking like it can… It requires coordination between the music and admissions departments, and a certain amount of getting the word out on the campus."

The word must be spreading, because the orchestra has grown from 27 when Diamond started to its current roster of 43. Within two to three years, Diamond expects the ensemble to reach 60 to 80.

"I love how Doug gets everyone involved in the creation of the orchestra," says junior Walter Gies, concertmaster of the Augsburg Symphony Orchestra. "We're all in this together, and we're all excited about making this orchestra become something great. Where we can all make music together. We're not doing this for Doug – we're doing this for each other. It really has a feeling of solidarity."

Read more att: www.augsburg.edu/music/news/

Photo: Doug Diamond