Alison Gaines knows she will have to prove herself worthy of the Central Iowa Symphony this Sunday. Her appearance directing the group will be both a performance and an audition. Gaines, one of two finalists for the director and conductor position, knows the pressure is on her — but says she is more focused on planning the concert.

“I think it’s better for me to look at this as any other concert,” Gaines says.

Gaines says she decided on a Russian theme after considering what instruments Central Iowa Symphony had, as well as the tastes of the musicians and audience.

Gaines has performed with the orchestra before and was able to use this experience to get to know what type of music people liked.

“There’s so much great music that came out of Russia,” she says.

Gaines says each piece is from a different time period of Russian history. The overture is from the mid-1800s and is very “fast-paced” and “sprightly.” The concerto is from the 20th century, and Gaines says she believes there are jazz and popular music influences. Gaines says the two halves complement each other well.

“The first half is a little bit lighter. It gets your head into the concert hall,” Gaines says.

Michael Linville, director of admissions for the New World Symphony in Miami and long-time friend of Gaines, will be the featured pianist in the concerto.

Linville says the concerto, which was written as a graduation gift to the composer’s son, is a piece about the writer playfully teasing his son.

“[It] makes fun of piano playing,” Linville says.

Gaines says Linville is a very talented musician and she always knows where he’s going to go because his “musical ideas are very logical.”

“A good musician and a fun person make a great combination,” she says.

Gaines says the repertoire of the concert is a difficult one for the symphony, not only for its composition, but for its length.

“They’re rising to the occasion, that’s for sure,” she says.

Gaines is currently a conductor for the Rockford Symphony Youth Orchestras. She was Iowa State’s interim director of orchestra last year, and has also worked with orchestras in Kansas. Gaines says conducting allows her to get a more comprehensive view of the pieces being performed.

She says when she worked as a professional bassist, she had a tendency to only concentrate on her own part. This has made her work as a conductor more exciting.

“As a conductor, I get to look at the piece from the inside out,” Gaines says. “The difference between the first rehearsal and the concert is more dramatic.”

Linville says Gaines focuses on the emotions and passions of the music and that it has been great working with her as a conductor.

“She lets the musicians learn how to play together,” he says.