high strung

Have you heard all the buzzing going on since the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra announced our 2011-2012 season?  The excitement is everywhere!  We musicians are so eagerly looking forward to working with Maestro Urbanski!  His enthusiasm for the music, the Orchestra and our community is so very inspiring, and the repertoire and line-up of soloists for next season is so exciting!  

I'm always happy to see Joshua Bell and Andre Watts return.  They are at the top of my musical pedestal.  I really admire their talent, technique and integrity.  It's infectious, too.  They bring out the best in us!  Also there on the pedestal are world-renowned pianist, Lang Lang, and my personal favorite and winner of the last International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, Clara-Jumi Kang.  This young woman has such a beautiful, clean sound and technique, and also plays with so much insight and maturity.  I can hardly wait for her return!

I am just as excited about the Pops season next year!  We are so very fortunate to have Jack Everly as our Principal Pops Conductor!  He is at least 5 expert guys rolled into one person - Pops director, conductor, arranger, pianist, and great MC, besides being a dog lover and a really great guy!  Jack's programs are always challenging, but so rewarding, and the talent he brings in is top notch.  I'm especially looking forward to the concert-stage presentation of Hello Dolly, and to the return of Pink Martini!

All of the concerts and soloists are going to be spectacular and I'm looking forward to them all, but I think I'm most excited about working with our new Music Director, Maestro Urbanski.  We are looking to him for leadership and inspiration and we hope all this excitement leaps from the stage to inspire and motivate our Indianapolis community.  Music and the ISO are such valuable commodities and I know our audience knows this, but we are accessible to everyone.  It's going to be an exciting season and I hope we can reach out and bring in lots of new friends to the ISO!