Butler Symphony Orchestra unites students through music amid pandemic

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – The Butler Symphony Orchestra has released a virtual video performance in an effort to show how powerful music can be in times of crisis.

Graduate conducting student Alex Moore says he has missed making music in recent weeks and reached out to some of his students with an idea to bring them together again.

“I reached out to a few and one by one, they all said yes. Everyone wanted to be involved” said Moore.

Moore first got the idea of a virtual performance from other groups making similar moves during the current health crisis and knew Butler could pull it off.

After selecting Edward Elgar’s “Nimrod” as the song, Moore sent a video of himself conducting the piece and gave members specific instructions in order to create a uniform look.

It took the violin and piano player about two weeks to put the video together after receiving all the recordings. By using special software, Moore was able to place the musicians on screen as they normally would be in person.

“No one had any idea how this was going to turn out. It could have been a complete disaster, but it was this beautiful end result… and I think it uplifted the Butler community in the right time,” said a reflective Moore.

Moore was supposed to be conducting the Butler Symphony Orchestra at graduation next month, but says he’s not letting COVID-19 bring him down.

“I’m still getting my masters and that’s something I’m really proud of,” Moore said.

While the Ohio native is currently on the hunt for teaching jobs, he hasn’t completely ruled out doing another virtual performance in the future.