Indianapolis Symphony Blog

Last night as I fumbled with the clicker before retiring to bed, I saw that "Mr. Holland's Opus" was on -- the fictional film about Glenn Holland, a wanna-be composer-turned-music teacher and father of a son who's hearing impaired. It's a good 'ole sappy film which received mixed reviews and forced every non-musician in the country to grab the dictionary to look up the term "opus" and the encyclopedia to brush up on a little Beethoven history. [no Wiki back then, kids].

But I like sap every so...

For Easter weekend (April 6-7), the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra is premiering the full symphonic work Missa Mirabilis by Stephen Hough, world-renowned-pianist-turned-composer. In the program notes, Stephen writes that his Christian faith runs deep in this work, and that his faith started as a baptized Methodist and later a confirmed Anglican and then, to the disapproval of his "very Orange Liverpool" grandmother, Catholicism. Interestingly enough, Stephen's faith isn't just in the score....

The first classical music concert I remember attending as a young student was a performance of Mahler's "Resurrection" symphony performed by the Louisville Orchestra, the closest professional orchestra to my hometown of Georgetown, IN.  My teacher at the time thought this would be an especially interesting piece for me given it's great bass part.  In fact, the first minute or two of the work is dominated by the low strings, showcasing the power and intensity of these sections, with the music...

Stellar.  Astronomical. A Big Bang of a weekend.

I know. Using space terms to describe Holst's most famous work The Planets can get a little overdone, but I don't care. The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra defied gravity.

First, I must call attention to the amazing work of our stars this past weekend:  Music Director Krzysztof Urbanski, soloist Zach De Pue (our Concertmaster) and Principal Guest Concertmaster Alex Kerr.

And what did the reviews say? The audience?  Here's a sample of the kinds of...

I love season announcements.  There's something about the anticipation of an entire new season filled with great concerts that gets me way too excited!  It's hard to choose just a couple of favorites, but I'll try and point out which concerts I'm particularly looking forward to. 

Of course, as the Assistant Conductor of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, I have to plug my own concerts and the symFUNy Sundays series where I will be conducting three of the four performances.  We'll have music...

Upon thinking about blog topics for this weekend's John Denver concerts with Jim Curry and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, I decided there's really no need to re-invent the wheel.  My good friend Bob Schultz blogged last summer about his family's affection for John Denver's music.  So, allow me to re-post below, and let's go down that country road again.

Ahhh, a Rocky Mountain High once again! My wife Diane and I can still remember when we heard the tragic news of John Denver’s death on...

I invited Glen Kwok, the executive director of the International Violin Competition in Indianapolis, to be a guest blogger today to talk about what Clara-Jumi Kang (our soloist in this weekend’s performances) has been up to since winning the IVCI’s Gold Medal in 2010.

Ever wonder what life as a concert artist is like?  If we take a quick glimpse at just one three-week period in the life of 2010 International Violin Competition of Indianapolis Gold Medalist Clara-Jumi Kang, it will give you a good...

I'm handing over my blog today to my colleague and good friend, Laura Leverton. Laura manages the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra's annual Side-by-Side concert, which pairs enormously talented high school musicians with their counterparts in the Orchestra.  Many of these high school students go on to successful careers in music, just like she did.

What’s your favorite musical memory?

Mine is a 16-year-old version of me, playing the flute solo of Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Fawn to a...

I became a mother for the first time on Dec. 28, 2001 at 3:38 p.m., and the experts were right.  Everything changed.  

But that really wasn’t a shock to me. What did surprise me? How I reacted to family members or friends inviting me to go places with my children.  For example, you would typically hear me say something like:

No, I can’t go at that time.  Baby needs to eat.

No, I can’t go to that restaurant.  She won’t eat anything but bologna.

No, I can’t go there with a stroller. No elevators? No...

As I was looking over Prokofiev's Lt. Kijé Suite for this weekend's performances, I began to wonder about the place of movie music in our concert halls.  I was struck by the fact that after a century of great cinematic achievements, very little of the often equally as great music has made its way onto our classical concerts.  Outside of some of the earliest scores by the Russian greats, Prokofiev and Shostakovich, it is rare to see any film music on our so-called "serious" concerts. 

What is the...

Now that I’ve sappily snapped photos of the Hilbert Circle Theatre marquee, the Symphony Centre entrance, the Marketing and Communications Department sign, and my desk…I feel it is time to pen one final blog post.

As this is my last day at the ISO, my sentimental mood has led me to reflect back on the amazing opportunities this internship has afforded me – meeting and interacting with a group of wonderful co-workers, taking private lessons from the ISO’s principal clarinetist, hearing some of my...

Audience members standing during the "Hallelujah" chorus at Carnegie Hall

Don’t be surprised if you see a few of your fellow audience members standing up during the ISO’s performance of Handel’s “Messiah” oratorio this weekend.

No, they are not spontaneously stretching or preparing to make a quick exit, but rather participating in a longstanding tradition of rising during the “Hallelujah” chorus.

The origins of this custom – often considered one of the most bizarre concert rituals – are unclear....

Me and my friend Gwen at the ISO in October!

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my transition to downtown Indy from the hills of rural New Hampshire, it’s that city living is alarmingly pricey.  Marsh groceries, City Market lunches and (a few too many) trips to the Fashion Mall add up at an alarming rate, leaving scant any funds for recreational pursuits. However, while swanky clubs and fancy restaurants might be out of the monetary question, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra has taken...