Symphony Idols

Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra Associate Conductor David Torns insists that you only think you know Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” backwards and forwards. But if you haven’t heard the popular love anthem sung in front of a full, all-instruments-on-deck orchestra, then you haven’t heard it at its most dramatic and colorful. You also probably haven’t heard it sung live by an American Idol finalist. Now you can.

On May 9 (see calendar listing here), LaKisha Jones, Matt Giraud, and Haley Scarnato, all former Idol finalists, will perform with the symphony at the LSU Rural Life Museum, singing familiar tunes in a slightly unfamiliar context. No matter; they are pros at this, as indicated by their answers to a few questions we punted their way.

How is it different singing with a symphony versus singing with a band or recording?

Haley: When I sing with bands, normally the drums are super, super loud, ‘cause they’re right behind you. So here, it’s not as loud on stage. But you hear more—like the violins—you hear more of the musicality of the different instruments. So you get a different feel of the song rather than if it was just being played by a six-piece [or] seven-piece band. You hear different parts.

Matt: Well, you have to come prepared with both; but with a band, sometimes they can follow you and sometimes they’ll switch it up and, like, if you want to do another chorus or end it here, they can do that with you. Whereas with a symphony I kind of think of it like a train that won’t stop. I mean, there’s a conductor, but it’s going to keep going, it’s going to do what it has to do whether you know what you’re doing or not. So you have to come prepared. 

What sort of energy do you give and get from the audience?

LaKisha: You can immediately get a feeling for what the audience is giving energy-wise. But it’s up to performers to look past that at some point. Because, sometimes, everybody’s not going to clap and everybody’s not going to smile, but a great performer grabs those people who don’t smile and don’t clap and draws them into what they are doing. That’s our job as artists … to bring the audience in and engage them into every moment of what we are doing. 

How about the audience? Is a symphony audience a different animal than a pop audience?

Matt: There definitely is a change. I had to learn how to perform for a symphony audience. I had done it before in Michigan in a big hometown concert of mine. But it wasn’t like a typical concert. It was more like they were backing me up on my songs. But this is more like a co-concert. It’s them and you—not your show. We dress up and we look very fancy and we do costume changes. I had to learn how to do the bows and plan what I’m going to say more; whereas in real life, I’m more like “Hey! Glad to be here,” crack a few jokes, the whole “gee, golly, shucks” thing. With the symphony, it’s always very on-the-level.

What would you say to encourage someone, especially someone who doesn’t regularly attend symphony concerts, to come to the Symphony Idol show?

LaKisha: I would say that you would be pleasantly surprised at the diversity and the range of songs that we do in the show—just how well-rounded everyone is. And it’s always good to come out; I love the symphony because it gives people a different perspective. Maybe it’s not something you are used to coming out to see, but it’s a great experience.