It was a night to remember and possibly one of the finest classical performances I have seen &- not just here in South Dakota, but in my hometown of Seattle, Wash. as well.

Upon entering the front doors to the Performing Arts Center, my guest and I walked into the crowded main lobby of finely dressed ladies and gentlemen mingling with each other waiting for the show to begin.

Prior to the doors opening to the symphony, Dan Brown, dean of the Music Department, President David Chicoine and the Brookings Mayor Tim Reed spoke to the crowd to welcome everyone and thank Conductor Pavol Kogan and the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra for coming to Brookings.

When the cordialities ended, the doors to the symphony hall were opened, and the throng of guests filed in. We made our way upstairs to the balcony level and quickly found are seats along the right side.

It wasn’t long before the members of the symphony began filing onto to the stage and tuning up their instruments. Then finally Kogan walked onto the stage with the crowd giving him a great welcoming ovation.

The symphony began the performance with “Capriccio Italien, Op. 45″ by Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. It started off softly and slowly and quickly gained momentum. Soon the various sections of the symphony were alternately playing off each other in a beautiful synchronicity. Though the opening performance began slowly, the ending was a sharp crescendo of music.

After a standing ovation by the crowd and three bowing encores by the conductor, Maestro Kogan returned once more to the stage with featured guest violinist Jennifer Koh to perform the “Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64″ by Felix Mendelssohn.

It was truly a delight to watch Koh, accompanied by the symphony, work her magic on the violin. In alternating succession they would play off each other in near perfect harmony.

Koh’s solo violin work, so full of passion and depth and emotion, if one closed their eyes they could almost visualize the notes flowing off her violin and out into the crowd. The intricateness of her movements across the violin and how the notes mixed with the overall symphony was a work of a rising master.

As before, the performance reached a crescendo and then ended with a flourish. The crowd erupted with cheers and yet another standing ovation for Koh and the symphony lasting several minutes and multiple encore appearances by Koh and Maestro Kogan.

After the intermission, the symphony and Maestro Kogan came back on stage for their final performance of the night, Modest Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibit.” Maestro Kogan knew what he was doing when laying out which pieces they were going to play and in what order.

Although this final performance encompassed multiple individual symphonic pieces as the symphony under the guidance of Kogan began, I quickly became lost within the music and had trouble at times distinguishing where the transitions into the different movements were.

Perhaps this was simply because I gave myself up to simply enjoying the performance as a grand unifying whole and wasn’t concerned so much with picking it all apart. Whatever the case, this final performance really brought the whole experience together and left me satiated at the end but still yearning for more music.

A solo monologue theater opportunity fell in the hands of an SDSU student to help celebrate the 130-year-anniversary of the South Dakota School for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

Kimberly Graff, an English secondary education major, was requested to take on a role that would leave her solely in the limelight by Chief Financial Officer Wes Tschetter. On behalf of Theater Director J.D. Ackman, Graff accepted the request to portray Dora Donald, a former superintendent of South Dakota School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, in a solo monologue.

Graff was chosen to take on the role for multiple reasons, Tschetter said. She is finishing her senior year and was chosen because of her talent as an actress, along with her high maturity level.

“I needed someone to do this … Someone who will enjoy doing this. I feel as though she is the right person,” Tschetter said.

The performance will last about 10 minutes and correlates with the school’s 130-year-anniversary this year. Donald headed the school for its primary years and was a key founder in the school’s motto of “visions of a brighter tomorrow through education.”

The event is on Sept. 23 at 5 p.m., at the Buffalo Ridge Resort and Business Center in Gary, the original location of the School for the Blind where Donald walked the halls years ago. It will be presented to the South Dakota Board of Regents, though open to the public as well.

Donald is remembered for her role as the first superintendent of the first school for the blind and visually impaired in South Dakota, established in 1900. The school has a long history of support and service to public education and has been under the Board of Regents jurisdiction since 1945. Originally located in Gary until 1945, the school is now in Aberdeen.

Graff said that many have influenced her as an artist but her high school theater director Phyllis Schrag was the one who told her to “just go for it.” Graff followed those words of wisdom, which encouraged her to accept the request and perform the monologue.

“If you ever want to try out for a show, just try it,” she said regarding theater. “It’s not as scary as it looks.”

Graff, 21, from Humboldt, has exceeded her own words of advice and is heavily involved with the theater department.

Graff said the job opportunities for theater students are limited, many of which do not offer actual jobs. To partake in this opportunity would allow for a professional, positive experience.

Graff said the theatre staff is welcoming, especially Directors of Theatre, J.D. Ackman and Ray Peterson. Peterson, who has directed Graff in four shows at SDSU, describes her as being extremely passionate for theatre.

“She is one of the theatre students who comes with a wide range of talent … she is a joy to watch from the time she enters the stage to the time she leaves,” Peterson said.

Senior visual arts major, Devanshu Narang has known Graff since his freshmen year. Narang, 21, said she has an enthusiastic personality.

“She’s a pretty happy person … she is very helpful, accommodating and loves to interact with people.”

Aside from the normal routine of school, Graff keeps busy taking on various roles within the Prairie Repertory Theatre. Currently, she is playing nine separate roles for the theatre’s comedy, Leaving Iowa.

Hoping to incorporate theater into her major, Graff encourages underclassmen to participate and finds Capers to be a good starting point to get involved.

#1.1599831:3751679127.jpg:Honoring South Dakota?s School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Kimberly Graff.:Honoring South Dakota?s School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Kimberly Graff will entertain audience with a ten minute monologue.:Collegian photo by Rachelle Sather