"'The Planets' is a wonderful piece. It is one of the big pieces of the repertoire, and it is just great music. It is a really great piece to play at any moment. This was just as good a moment as any to play the music -- it is music that speaks to the heart," Más-Arocas said. "Even if it is just about the planets, it is music that everybody identifies with. We thought it would be perfect for the February concert."

"The Planets" orchestral suite takes you through seven different planets: Mars, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Each contains a different feel and sound, ranging from intense music to softer, more lighthearted music.

Más-Arocas has conducted this piece many times before, but says that each time is different and the process is always changing.

"When you have different orchestras, there is always a different process, different players, different musicians, and different situations. The music will always teach you something, and it presents itself in different ways. Even if it is just the same notes, you approach the music in a different way always," Más-Arocas said. "Every time you bring music that you have done in different places, you bring your own personal touch to the piece, but at the same time, you feed off of the musicians."

For a student musician, preparing for scheduled concerts can be a strenuous process. Third-year doctoral student and cellist Tung-An Chien said she practices for hours a day to make sure she is ready for the concert.

"In addition to the concert rehearsals, we also have to study our own music, which ends up taking up a lot of time dedicated to just practicing," Chien said. Leading up to the concert, the symphony orchestra had been rehearsing "The Planets" for four weeks in addition to their own schooling and other music ventures.

Sophomore horn player Alden Leonard says learning a new piece for the orchestra is different from learning music in any other setting.

"We are the instrument and the conductor is the player," Leonard said. "What the conductor wants and what he interprets is what we have to do, and he leads the rehearsal. He gives us his visions for what he thinks it should sound like."

Más-Arocas believes "The Planets" is a strong piece and should evoke a sense of community from the audience and the musicians. 

"I want us all to feel connected together through this beautiful music," Más-Arocas said. "There was a connection there at one point, everybody, independent of whatever background they are coming from, we all came together to experience something special. That is what I want in any performance, for all of us to come together and we experience this as one."

The MSU Symphony Orchestra will hold its next concert, the Symphony Orchestra Honors Concert, on Friday, March. 20 at 7:30 p.m. in the Wharton Center.