10 YEARS ON, MUSIC RETURNS TO ORPHEUM THEATER IN NEW ORLEANS
September 16, 2015
CHEVEL JOHNSON, AP
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Ten years after Hurricane Katrina struck and shuttered the doors of the historic Orpheum Theater, the venue is set to reopen.
The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra returns Thursday to what had been its home base for 14 years before the venue closed after the 2005 storm.
Orchestra President John Reeks, who is also one of its clarinetists, says Giuseppe Verdi's "Requiem," a piece reflecting a funeral, was the last one played by the orchestra before Katrina.
Turns out, it was an unplanned requiem for the building.
When they found out they'd finally be returning, Reeks said there was no question as to what piece would be performed — Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 2, "Resurrection."
The theater has undergone a $13 million restoration over the last 22 months.
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