A number of distressed parents and Eastern music students were turned away from the sold out Doudna Fine Art Center’s rededication concert nearly an hour prior to the start of the performance on Sunday afternoon. As the crowd filed into the recently finished Dvorak Concert Hall, the high ceilings and towering copper walls of the performance stage grabbed their attention.

Among the many in attendance were family members of Leo J. and Genevra Dvorak, for which the concert and concert hall was named after. Leo J. Dvorak, former director of music at Eastern, played a strong role in Eastern’s fine arts department.

Parker Melvin, the chair of the music department, joined members of Dvorak’s family on stage as he gave a dedication speech for Dvorak and the many others who helped in the development of the new fine arts building.

“There are so many to whom we owe gratitude for helping us realize our dream,” Melvin said. “These people are the reason we are here today. They were the foundation for which this was built.”

Also in attendance were Cheryl and Gary Doudna, son and daughter-in-law of former Eastern President Quincy V. Doudna, the inspiration for Eastern’s new fine arts center. Quincy V. Doudna served as Eastern’s president from 1956 until 1971.

“I really like it,” Gary Doudna said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve heard them perform.”

The concert began with three pieces performed by the wind symphony and included the world premiere of one piece, “Cortege, Consecration and Jubilee,” which was composed by Alfred Blatter. The piece, which prompted the composer to stand from the audience and applaud the symphony’s performance, was written specifically for the Eastern wind symphony.

Eastern’s symphony orchestra, conducted by Richard Rossi, followed the wind symphony’s performance and received an enthusiastic standing ovation for their performance of Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture in E Flat Major, Op. 49.”

After the concert’s intermission, the Concert Choir performed “Four Whatevers,” a light-hearted song that prompted a number of chuckles from the audience. Some of the lyrics included “how, now, brown cow,” and the words to “Peter Piper.”

Rachel Morgan, a music education major and member of the concert choir, enjoyed Sunday’s performance.

“I always love performing, especially in the new building,” Morgan said.

The choir also performed the world premiere of the piece, “Of Beauty,” which was composed by Rossi specifically for the rededication of the Dvorak Concert Hall.

The evening’s festivities were concluded by a performance from Eastern’s jazz ensemble, directed by Sam Fagaly. The ensemble performed three pieces and ended with the swing jazz song “Mission to Monterrey.”

“Music is the one art form that is capable of uniting all art forms into one entity,” Rossi said.

Kristin Menas can be reached at 581-7942 or at kmmenas@eiu.edu.