Rehfeld's Artist-In-Residence Joe Schaeffer To Create Art Onstage During Saturday Orchestra Performance

Local artist Joe Schaeffer will paint on stage with the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra (SDSO) during their performance of Adam Schoenberg's Finding Rothko on the Saturday, November 23 concert. Schaeffer is currently the artist-in-residence at Rehfeld's Art and Framing in downtown Sioux Falls.

Schaeffer is a graphic designer and painter in Sioux Falls. He co-owns design studio Made by Thaw, maintains a painting practice, and will graduate with his M.F.A. from the University of South Dakota this December. Schaeffer says the spontaneous/gestural process of his paintings are inherently informed by the principles of design. Mediums such as ink and paint provide a tactility/physicality that allows for improvisation and immediacy, actions not replicable using a computer screen.

"The drawing/paintings get me working more physically outside the computer screen, which is something I've recently discovered to be quite significant as an individual," says Schaeffer. "The physicality of the drawing/painting process seems to open new lines of thinking for me as both an artist and designer."

"Music certainly plays a big role in my drawing/painting process, whether it's playing in the background of my studio or during live drawing performances. I am grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with South Dakota Symphony Orchestra and look forward to the artistic outcome."

The concert also features Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition and Hindemith's Mathis der Maler (Matthis the Painter.) Both of these pieces are inspired by artists and visual art, and each will have artwork projected on the big screen above the orchestra during the performance.

Pictures at an Exhibition is Saturday, November 23 at 7:30 PM at the Washington Pavilion. The performance is sponsored by Sanford Health.

At 6:30 PM, Music Director Delta David Gier leads a 30-minute Pre-Concert Insights lecture in the Mary W. Sommervold Hall to enrich the performance with background on the repertoire. It is free to ticket holders. At 7:00 PM, Assistant Conductor Thomas Fortner leads 7 @ 7 in the third floor lobby of the Washington Pavilion. This short pre-concert discussion highlights seven interesting features of the concert.

Single Tickets for Saturday, November 23 are $10-$50 and are on sale at www.sdsymphony.org, through the Washington Pavilion Box Office at 301 S Main Ave, or by calling the Box Office at (605) 367-6000. Fees may apply. People who have never attended a concert with the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra can receive their first concert free through Crescendo. For more information on Crescendo and other special offers, visit www.sdsymphony.org/offers/

The South Dakota Symphony Orchestra (SDSO) is based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, a vibrant and growing community serving a 125-mile region that touches five states. Known for innovative programming and statewide outreach, the SDSO has a strong heritage upon which to build an even stronger future. SDSO was the 2016 winner of the Bush Prize for Community Innovation, which is given by the St. Paul, Minnesota-based Bush Foundation and recognizes organizations for their innovative work in community engagement.

The SDSO is the region's premiere performing arts organization with the Washington Pavilion as its home. Artistically, the SDSO is led by Maestro Delta David Gier, who has guided the orchestra to new musical heights. The core of SDSO is comprised of nine full-time professional musicians that make up the Dakota String Quartet and the Dakota Wind Quintet.