Symphonic Aerobics in Mérida, Yucatán

Welcome to the Symphonic Aerobics website.  My name is Elizabeth Arnott, and I am a violinist in the Orquesta Sinfónica de Yucatán (OSY).  The idea of creating an aerobic exercise class to classical music came to me while watching our conductor, Juan Carlos Lomonaco.  It occurred to me that he was getting a tremendous workout rehearsing us for our weekly concerts.  Every morning, for three hours, he stands in front of the orchestra, waving his arms around, and moving with great passion, to the emotion of the music.  I then started thinking about musical conductors in general, and how they live such long lives, presumably because of the regular, intense cardiac and upper body exercise they undertake. Thus the idea of Symphonic Aerobics was born.

So what exactly are Symphonic Aerobics?  They could best be described as a classical music workout. This programme is filled with energy, motion, and the magic of classical symphonic music.  For one hour a week, on Tuesdays at 7pm in the Merida English Library, join me for a fitness session with a conducting lesson and a little musical appreciation thrown in.  Each week I will introduce you to music from the current repertoire of the OSY and show you how to conduct the orchestra!  This class is suitable for all levels of fitness and mobility - you can participate standing or sitting.

The first class on the 1st October is free, and then the cost is $50 mexican pesos.

Programming: October - December 2013 - includes
1 October - Fauré: Pavanne, Tchaikovsky: Symphony no. 4
8 October - Mussorgsky: Night on a Bare Mountain, Ravel: Bolero,  Borodin: Polovtsian                             Dances
15 October - Wagner: Prelude to the Mastersingers, Borodin: Symphony no. 2
22 October - Brahms: Violin Concerto, Beethoven: Overture Fidelio
29 October - Moncayo: Huapango, Márquez: Danzón no. 2
5 November - Stravinsky: Pulcinella, Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake
12 November - Brahms: Tragic Overture, Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition
19 November - Bach: Violin concerto, Brahms: Symphony no 2
26 November - Sibelius: Overture Finlandia, Symphony no 2
3 December - Verdi Overtures and Choruses
10 December - Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on Greensleeves, Handel:  Hallelujah Chorus from the Messiah, Orff: Carmina Burana - O Fortuna
(Programmes subject to change without notice)

Mérida English Library, Calle 53 #524 x 66 y 68, Centro, Merida, Yucatan