Italian maestro, Fabio Pirola, the conductor of the St. Petersburg Russia Gubernatorsky Orchestra, will lead Southeast Missouri State University faculty and students in a concert featuring music by Italian composers of yesterday and today at 3 p.m. May 7 in the Robert F. and Gertrude L. Shuck Music Recital Hall at Southeast’s River Campus as part of the Chateau Girardeau Sundays at Three concert series.

Pirola often presents “crossover” programs with his ensembles, and he just finished a run of 20 concerts in Russia which featured symphonic arrangements of popular Russian rock and pop songs. The first half of the concert features classical Italian repertoire for string orchestra and includes works by Rossini, Sammartini, Puccini and Respighi.  The second half will include works by contemporary Italian composers whose work is often featured in films and influenced by pop and tango genres.