Associated Musings

As you’ve probably heard by now, my time as Associate Conductor of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra is quickly drawing to a close – I’ll be conducting the last concerts of my tenure this weekend at Marsh Symphony on the Prairie, before I head to Boston to take up a new position. 

As I reflect on my two years here in Indy, I’m struck by how fortunate I’ve been to have had an incredible diversity of opportunities with the ISO, conducting on every concert series, from the classical subscription series to the Family series, from Symphony on the Prairie to the Discovery concerts for students.  By my count, it all adds up to 76 performances of 32 different programs during my time here!

Among these 76 collaborations with the Indianapolis Symphony, there are a number that I know I will look back on especially fondly in the years to come.  Some of these personal musical highlights:  my first concerts at the Prairie back in 2008, which included Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7; the performances of the Corigliano Piano Concerto and Rachmaninoff 3rd Piano Concerto as part of the American Pianists Association competition in 2009; and the recent performances of Strauss’ Don Juan as part of the classical season finale that I conducted just last month.  There were also highlights of other sorts – playing the national anthem for over 67,000 people at Lucas Oil Stadium before the Colts-Patriots game last season, and 2 shows with a Beatles cover band last summer at the Prairie, which drew the most excited, fun, and hippest crowd I’ve ever performed for.  As for lowlights – well, only one really comes to mind:  the Happy Hour concert that I was slated to conduct just before the start of my official tenure in 2008, which was canceled because of a power outage – bummer!

I want to thank you, the wonderful loyal audiences of the ISO, for the warm welcome you’ve given me from the beginning of my time here – I look forward to hopefully returning in future years to make music for you again.  To the staff of the ISO, thank you for your professionalism, creativity, and sense of humor through thick and thin.  And above all, a tremendous thank you to the musicians of the ISO – it has truly been a pleasure to collaborate with you over the past two years.  Thank you for your artistry, thank you for your flexibility, and thank you for your patience with me as I have learned and grown as a conductor.

It occurs to me that my career seems to be following an eastward progression – my first job after grad school was in Los Angeles, then I came to Indy, and next I’m headed to Boston.  If this trend continues, it may be a while before I work my way all around the world to get back in the vicinity of Indy :-)  In any case, I will always treasure the great memories from my time here, and the friendships I’ve made – and hopefully I’ll get the chance to come back and visit and make music again soon!

See you at the Prairie this weekend!

P.S. – During the coming years, if you’d like to stay in touch with what I’m up to, check out my website:  www.seannewhouse.com.