Indianapolis Classical Music

Memory is a funny thing.

I've been known to get up, walk to someone's office, and forget why I just got up and walked to someone's office.  More times than I care to admit, I send emails and forget to include the promised attachment. I know I've said this phrase more times than not: "Didn't I tell you that already?"

Luckily, my long-term memory is better. I can still rattle off the books of the Old Testament in seconds (taught to me as a young kid in Sunday school). I memorize lyrics quickly, and they stick with me forever. And speaking of music, my first and most poignant musical memory occurred here: 7310 17th Ave. NW Seattle, WA 98117.  My childhood home. I've never forgotten the address.

[Present occupant: Please forgive me while I blog about your house for a bit. By the way, the picture of it on Google Earth looks nothing like what I remember. What did you do?]

This week, I reach back into that good/bad memory bank of mine and recall the address where I heard Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 in B Flat Minor for the first time (on vinyl for you young kids - here's a picture just in case).



My mother kept a pretty impressive record collection of classical music.  All the masters were in our library--Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky--and these records rounded out the Crawford family's diverse musical tastes (Scott Joplin and the Kingston Trio for Dad, Elton John for brother Judd and Really Rosie featuring Carole King for me). I would come home from school and open the door with my Latchkey, invade my mother's closet in search of that fancy pale pink dress with the pleated skirt, select Tchaikovsky's first piano concerto, carefully place the needle on the record in the right spot, turn up the volume on our huge 1970s cabinet turntable (this sucker was a piece of furniture!), and dance around the room in my own little world...at least until my older brother replaced my beloved Tchaikovsky with Pink Floyd.

My memory is clear as crystal: As soon as I would hear the horns blasting those first four notes, shivers ran down my spine. I'd strike a pose once the orchestra answered. Then, that gorgeous melody by the strings put me into my dance routine of gliding and twirling until that pleated skirt was a perfect parallel to the ground. And of course, I would stop occasionally and play air piano.



I didn't need a TV to be entertained. I didn't need video games (although I tried begging mom and dad for an Atari, to no avail). I don't remember ever feeling lonely. I had music. I had Tchaikovsky.

It wasn't until I reached Music Appreciation class in college when I realized there was more to the concerto. You mean there's more to the piece than just the first movement? Fantastic. But the first movement is my first classical music memory.

If you come to the concert this weekend, look for me in the first mezzanine. I'm the one who will visually respond to the first four notes and then the melody.  It will go something like this: twitch, grin, sit back, smile, wipe a tear, close my eyes, and remember that pale pink dress.

My name is Sarah and I attend Covenant Christian High School. Each year after Christmas break, students at my school participate in a two week experience called “J-term”, or two week internship. I love music and thought that the Indianapolis Symphony would be a great opportunity. For my two weeks, I was part of the Learning Community. There were many activities and projects that I participated in during these two weeks, like the Young People's Discovery Concert teacher workshops designed to help teachers prepare their students for concerts and assisting HR with paper filing.  The teacher workshop was a brand new experience for me and I loved learning the different ways of presenting classical music to groups of elementary level students.

I was able to sit in on an ISO rehearsal and listen to the orchestra practice. Also, I attended a Happy Hour Concert planning meeting for the upcoming January event. It was interesting hearing all of the work that had been put into the event, and the work that still had to be done. Also, I was able to see the new promotional video for these concerts.

I attended a Coffee Concert and it was neat listening to the orchestra perform the songs that I heard them practice the day before. Also, before the Coffee Concert I served coffee and tea to patrons. It was fun and fascinating talking to the different people attending the concert. That ended my first week at the ISO, and I could not wait for the next week.

On Tuesday of my second week, I helped the HR department again with some filing.  I saw more paper than I have ever seen in most of my life! It was interesting how many papers and documents go through this department.

This week I was able to eat lunch with Becky, the principal piccolo player in the orchestra. It was fun hearing some of her stories and talk about flutes! Then I said bye and continued with my work in the Learning Community - mainly creating a database of orchestra music for the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra program. 

Next came Friday, my last day at the ISO. Today there was a Coffee Pops Concert that I was able to enjoy. I loved this concert and had a great time listening to it.

Well, that was my J-term experience at the ISO. I could not have hoped for a better internship. I learned many things about the business behind the orchestra on stage. I was also able to meet new people and get to know them better. I am glad that I had this opportunity to spend my two weeks with the ISO!   

Everyone thinks marketers are all about numbers, charts and strange acronyms.  It's true, ROI is crucial. (That’s Return On Investment, or, was the cost of the ad worth the money it generated?) And, yes, we've got to hit our revenue goals.  But I certainly don't work in marketing at the ISO because I love graphs and spreadsheets.  I work at the ISO because I love music, and I’m in marketing because I’m a people person. At the end of the day, I’m here to connect people more closely to our music.

Others might look at a ticket order and see a sale; I look at that ticket order and see a person and a story. In the case of our $20.10 sale, there are a lot of orders. That’s means a lot of stories and I’d like to share one of them with you.

The promotion began with a two day pre-sale for our subscribers and donors. One of the first orders was from Rebecca. She’s a current donor to the ISO, but it’s been about five years since her last concert. That worries me. While her financial support is most welcome, the longer someone goes without attending concerts, the less likely she is to attend in the future and continue that support. 

Rebecca used the $20.10 sale to purchase two upcoming Classical concerts (Scheherazade and Fauré’s Requiem) and two upcoming Pops concerts (Marvin Hamlisch and Classically Cinematic). In other words, she went from 0 to 4 in just one order. Rebecca is now going to rediscover what she always loved about the ISO and, hopefully, start coming to concerts on a regular basis for years to come. That’s good for the ISO, but it’s also good for Rebecca. For me, it’s extremely gratifying to know that one order spurred by one special offer can create that difference in someone’s life. 

So that’s Rebecca’s story. Now I want to know yours! Don’t worry, you don’t have to write anything down or call me. All you have to do is visit IndianapolisSymphony.org and place your order. I’ll be able to read between the lines.

By the way, for those who don’t know, now through January 9, $20.10 gets you any ticket to any remaining Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra Classical, Pops or Symphonic Hits concert at the Hilbert Circle Theatre.

Happy New Year, everyone – I hope 2010 is off to a terrific start for all of you!

This coming Friday and Saturday, the 8^th and 9^th, the ISO’s series of popular classics, Symphonic Hits powered by Lilly, returns to the Hilbert Circle Theater stage, and of course, that also means the return of Sound Off, the preconcert event that I host one hour prior to each concert (AKA 6:30pm).

This week’s concert program is full of spectacular music, including a suite of excerpts from my favorite work by Sergei Prokofiev, his ballet music for Romeo and Juliet.  The excerpts for this suite were chosen by this week’s conductor, Andrew Litton, and I believe that these will be the first-ever performances of this particular combination of movements.  The concert also features Tchaikovsky’s warhorse Violin Concerto, with soloist Vadim Gluzman, and Tchaikovsky’s Coronation March.

The first couple editions of Sound Off have been a lot of fun, thanks in large part to your terrific participation and questions for me and my guests.  If you have a burning question about orchestras or symphonic music that you’d like to see me answer during our The Audience Wants to Know segment, please submit it by commenting on this blog post, posting it on the ISO Facebook page, or emailing it to soundoff@indianapolissymphony.org.   In the next few days, I think the ISO staff may be even posting a special free concert ticket offer on our Facebook page for the best question submitted, so be sure to check for that.

Here are some videos to kindle your interest in this week’s repertoire.  I couldn’t resist starting with what is probably the most novel performance of music from the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto that I’ve ever heard.  This is a young accordion virtuoso from Ukraine, Alexander Hrustevich, performing the 3^rd movement of the concerto, and playing both the solo part and accompaniment himself - it’s quite breathtaking:
 

And to balance that, here’s a classic “normal” performance of the first movement with the legendary David Oistrakh as soloist.  (This is only the first part of the movement, but the remainder of the movement, as well as the rest of the concerto, are easily accessible on YouTube).
 

Here is a performance by the famous Bolshoi Ballet of the scene ‘Romeo at Juliet’s Tomb’ from Romeo and Juliet.  This scene will not be included in this weekend’s performances, but I thought you would enjoy it.

And finally, here is a concert performance by Claudio Abbado and the Berlin Philharmonic of the devastating ‘Death of Tybalt’, which will conclude the Romeo and Juliet suite in this weekend’s performances.
 

(These last two YouTube videos have "embedding" disabled, which means I can't post them inline here at the blog entry, but be sure to check out the links to view them directly on YouTube - they're both fantastic.)

See you at the symphony!

I couldn't choose just one thing to write about this week. 

Win Joshua Bell's New CD!

Joshua Bell, world renowned violinist, Hoosier native and our guest artist for this weekend, has just been named the 2010 "Instrumentalist of the Year" by Musical America.  The Indianapolis Star's Jay Harvey recently blogged about his upcoming appearance with the ISO.  

We also have a free copy of Josh’s new CD, At Home with Friends, ready to give away.  Just post your favorite Joshua Bell moment, concert, performance or experience in this blog, and we'll select a winner on Friday at noon!

Congratulations Gabriela

Congratulations to ISO composer-in-residence, Gabriela Lena Frank, for winning a 2009 Latin Grammy Award in the category of "Best Classical Contemporary Composition" for her piece, Inca Dances! 

Give the Gift of Yuletide

The Indianapolis Symphony is proud to partner with the Children’s Bureau, an organization that sponsors families in need each year during the holidays.  As part of the gift packages for these families, you can donate $10 Duke Energy Yuletide Celebration tickets.  Click here to learn more.

Florence Henderson Performs with the ISO Nov. 20-22

It’s commonly known that Florence Henderson is a native Hoosier (and one of our favorite TV moms).  However, did you know:

Florence can be found as part of the “Global Indiana” exhibit at the Indiana State Museum?  See her picture here among other famous Hoosiers.

Florence’s voice can be heard each year at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway 500 race:  here’s a clip of her performance of “God Bless America” in 2005.

The town of Dale, Indiana (population: 1,500) is Florence’s hometown.  Did you know?  Abraham Lincoln grew up on a farm nearby.

Many thanks to everyone who helped make our first weekend of Sound Off such a great success.  For anyone who wasn’t there, Sound Off is the ISO’s new preconcert event (which I host) for our new concert series, Symphonic Hits powered by Lilly.

I also found this clever and funny demonstration of what a fugue is, using the theme from Britney Spears’ “Oops, I did it again”:
 

Here’s a very fine performance of the Beethoven Leonore Overture No. 3, with Fabio Luisi and the MDR Symphony in Leipzig (note: the video is in 2 parts):
 

See you at the Symphony!

It is quite extraordinary how the human brain can tuck away memories into the subconscious, only to be triggered back to the surface later in life. When asked to write a blog about my experiences with Yo-Yo Ma in Louisville in May of 1999, I remembered only a few minor details about the evening. After all, my time with him and pianist Jeffrey Kahane ten years ago spanned a fraction of a day – a mere five hours, if that. My trigger for that evening was a picture of Yo-Yo and me at the post-concert reception that night, which rekindled my memory of the evening and yielded my blog entry on July 7 (see “A Heart of Gold” below).

On October 1, 2009, Yo-Yo Ma and Jeffrey Kahane reunited in Indianapolis for a one-night performance at the Hilbert Circle Theatre with the ISO, and what I witnessed will surely be remembered. Humanity in classical music presents itself in many different forms, but this time it was through something the audience rarely has the opportunity to witness in the performers onstage: Humor.

I collected both gentlemen at the hotel prior to the rehearsal. Though some guest artists of this caliber respectfully feign familiarity with management they have worked with in the past, I had a hard time believing that Yo-Yo didn’t remember me. It felt as if a day hadn’t gone by, apart from my extra ten pounds and Yo-Yo’s stylishly new glasses.   A few minutes after reacquainting ourselves, Jeffrey descended and gave Yo-Yo a hug.  It was at this point another memory triggered – I had forgotten the amazing friendship between these two men until they started laughing – and they laughed the entire way to the hall. Not just the obliging gentlemanly chuckle, but the boisterous, wheezing, gut-busting howling at each other’s jokes. Somehow, even Jeffrey’s hilarious description of the Cyclops in Homer’s Odyssey made Yo-Yo’s endless giggling explode into a high-pitched belly laugh. Both men could barely walk by the time we reached the theatre a few minutes later.

This brotherly friendship is equally as evident on the stage, though mutually understood in a purely musical realm. The respective communication between the two was intriguing to witness during the performance of Dvorák’s Cello Concerto. Jeffrey’s animated control of the orchestra and Yo-Yo’s exquisite mastery of the concerto produced a glorious response from the sold-out theatre, whose ranks were captivated by the encore, J.S. Bach’s Sarabande from the Sixth Cello Suite (the same movement Yo-Yo performed at Senator Ted Kennedy’s funeral this past August).

What is remarkable is that though I have trouble remembering my own birthday without the help of my Facebook account, I will not forget laughing hysterically at the dynamic between Yo-Yo Ma and Jeffrey Kahane and witnessing their amazing collaboration on stage for the second time in my life. Both have their own solo careers in cello and piano, respectively, and Jeffrey even manages to juggle his music directorships at the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and the Colorado Symphony simultaneously. But when these two musical brothers do have the opportunity to perform together, they shine, and the memory is unforgettable.

Lucina is a pianist of great accomplishment. At 91 years young, she still teaches several students, performs various two-piano concerts and recitals, and remains very active in the musical community in Indianapolis. She attends many of the ISO’s Coffee Classical performances.
 

Lucina shares her love of music in the community by being generous as well. The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra was the recipient of that generosity this summer, as Lucina purchased a new Steinway Concert Grand Piano and donated it to the Orchestra in memory of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. William H. Ball.
 

A generous spirit, the love of music and an association with the Indianapolis Symphony are a part of Lucina’s family history. Lucina’s parents and her late husband, Sam Moxley, served on the ISO’s Board of Directors. When Lucina’s father passed away, her mother gifted two concert Steinway pianos in 1982 as a tribute to him. In 2009, Lucina paid tribute back to her parents by purchasing our Steinway in memory of them.
 

Lucina didn’t just offer to purchase the piano though. She provided us valuable expertise in choosing it! Lucina, pianist Jonathan Biss and ISO President and CEO Simon Crookall traveled to the Steinway studio in New York City this summer to select the piano which would be perfectly suited for the Hilbert Circle Theatre and our orchestra.  Lucina and Jonathan played six of them, and ultimately settled on the beautiful instrument which is now a part of the ISO collection.  Gabriela Montero will play Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue on our new Concert Grand this weekend during Opening Night Gala.


Lucina proudly owns and plays her two concert Hamburg Steinways, which she considers her greatest treasures.  Thank you Lucina—your gift of a new Steinway Concert Grand Piano is now one of our greatest treasures too.

It’s nice to have an announcement like this when a season is complete:

Headline: 

INDIANAPOLIS SYMPHONY SETS NEW ATTENDANCE RECORD AT MARSH SYMPHONY ON THE PRAIRIE

Copy:

The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra announced that it set a new all-time attendance record of 107,281 for its Marsh Symphony on the Prairie season of outdoor concerts this summer, exceeding the previous mark of 107,245 set in 1999.  (We beat it by 36 people!)

·        Total season attendance of 107,281, the largest full-season crowd to attend the series.

·        Attendance Tops 100,000 Mark for Only 2^nd Time in 28-Year History of Outdoor Series

·        Single night attendance record for a Pops concert featuring the ISO with 8,145 people enjoying the Classical Mystery Tour Beatles Tribute program on Aug. 1

·        Second largest non-July 4 weekend attendance of 14,304 July 31-Aug 1, just missing the all-time record of 14,829 (Aug. 27-29, 1999 - Big Band)

·        Fourth largest single concert attendance of 12,291 on July 3

Although we are proud of our milestones, the Prairie season is more than just facts, figures and statistics. There are stories to tell. Here is just a sample of what occurred this season:

Happy Anniversary!

Symphony on the Prairie emcee Scott Hoke surprised Paul and Georgia Bradley when he announced from the stage on Aug. 29 that the couple was celebrating 80 years of marriage. Yes, that’s right. 80 years. The crowd roared and gave Paul and Georgia a standing ovation. According to a source, the young couple brought their own flask to toast to another 80 years.

I’ve Never Won Anything in my Life”

Our very own Tim Northcutt, associate director of communications, tagged Debra Fleetwood from New Palestine as our 100,000^th patron to enter the gates on Saturday, September 5.  Fleetwood received a certificate for two Value Packs (each containing 10 tickets) to the 2010 Series, a $100 Gift Card from Marsh Supermarkets, and the ISO will donate two seven-concert Lilly Classical Series subscriptions to a local charitable organization in her name. Her party was escorted to a reserved table near the front of the amphitheater where they enjoyed the concert by the River City Brass Band and a fireworks finale in this final weekend of the summer season (see photo below). According to Tim, Debra proclaimed that she had “never won anything in her life.”

Rented Heaters…in July?

One of the coldest evenings in memory occurred during the classical music concert weekend. Evening temperatures hovered around 58-60 degrees. The operations team ordered heaters for the musicians on stage…in the middle of July!

A Day in the Life (of a Faux Beatle)

Jim Owen, one of the two original members of the Beatles tribute band, Classical Mystery Tour, currently plays the role of John Lennon, though he hasn’t always been confined to John’s duties at the piano, guitar and microphone.  Up until the late 90s or so, he usually played the part of George Harrison.  When the Classical Mystery Tour group performed for the ISO in winter 2006 on stage at the HCT, Jim’s previous experience performing as George proved fortunate.  Tom Teeley, the current George Harrison (and the other original member of CMT), was leaving a local restaurant and slipped on a patch of ice and broke his right wrist the day of a concert.  Luckily, due to Jim Owen’s previous experience as George, he and Tom Teeley switched guitars during the performance so that the difficult electric guitar solos could be played more easily.  Tom has never forgotten Indianapolis.

Anything for You Dad

For our second concert at Prairie on June 26-27, excerpts from the Harry Potter books were read by narrator Constance Macy.  However, the excerpts did not come with the music. Conductor Alfred Savia’s own daughter, Julia – a self-proclaimed expert on the Harry Potter series – carefully studied the music excerpts her father had chosen and appropriately chose the script that would be read by the narrator during the show. 

Four Score and Seven Years Ago

Dean Dorrell, our Abraham Lincoln impersonator from the July 2-4 concerts, has been a frequent visitor to the Prairie stage.  Typically he arrives several hours before the concert, sits in his dressing room in his full Lincoln garb, and reads the latest biography on the President he so uncannily resembles.  Standing one inch taller than Abe, Mr. Dorrell also keeps a copy of many of Lincoln’s speeches in his top hat (as Lincoln did), and has nearly all of his speeches memorized.  He can be seen all over Midwest visiting schools, libraries, concerts and other celebratory functions honoring our 16^th President.  And he does this on the side!  Personally, he is a very quiet, gentle and generous man.  (See photo below – Dean Dorrell as Abraham Lincoln, moments before reciting the Gettysburg Address to a crowd of more than 10,000)

How Does He Do That?

Some audience members may have been to the Rockapella show and heard the amazing sounds coming from Jeff Thacher, the group’s “percussionist.”  What they may not have seen is how he makes these sounds.  He attaches two small microphones to either side of his vocal chords with surgical tape, and is able to create the low “bass-drum” kicks with his throat, without moving his lips.  Only then does he put a normal microphone to his mouth to make the more consonant, percussive sounds.  Quite often he can make two different sounds at once – one with his throat, and one with his mouth.

Three Degrees of Separation

Larry O’Brien, the current leader of the Glenn Miller Orchestra, performed with the band in the 60s, when Ray McKinley was the leader.  Ray played with Glenn Miller in the Air Force band and acted as its unofficial leader after Miller disappeared in December 1944. 

It’s Still the 21^st Century, You Know

Glynnis Campbell, the wife of America’s bass player Rich Campbell, is a published novelist (under the pseudonym Sarah McKerrigan) with 10 books on the shelf so far in her career.  She concentrates on writing fiction set within historical contexts, usually taking place between 1100-1500 England and Scotland.  She studies the culture, music and even clothing fabrics to make sure that her stories don’t contain any anachronisms.  She delves herself into the time period so that it’s nearly second-nature to her.  That is, according to her husband, until her cell phone goes off.

Happy 09.09.09!

Thirteen-year-old Hannah Carroll began piano lessons at age eight and has been studying under Irina Gorin for the past four years. Hannah has been a finalist and winner of many piano competitions including The World Piano Competition in Cincinnati, Ohio, which earned her the invitation to play at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall for two consecutive years. In 2009, Hannah won first place in the Muncie Symphony Orchestra and the New World Youth Orchestra’s Young Artist Competition (junior divisions) and came in second in the 2009 Michael Ben and Illene Komisarow Maurer Young Musicians Contest, which earned her the chance to play with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra this weekend at Conner Prairie.

I watched Hannah rehearse the Grieg Piano Concerto today and had the chance to speak to her afterward. There’s never enough room in our program books to include everything about a guest artist. So I took a little time to get to know Hannah, the remarkably talented pianist and delightful young woman from Westfield, Indiana. 

Your first orchestra appearance was with the New World Youth Orchestra. What was that like? It was neat! I enjoyed myself up there. All the musicians were young and the sound was so different as opposed to playing with an accompanist.

Tell me a little bit about your family.

I have an older sister named Abigail, who enjoys playing piano and clarinet. Abigail also sings and has a beautiful voice. My younger brother Jacob plays trumpet and was in a band once. We are home-schooled.  My favorite subjects are English and Literature and my least favorite subject is Math.

What’s your favorite piece to play?

The Grieg Concerto I am playing with the ISO this weekend.

What’s your least favorite piece to play?

A Bach Fugue is very difficult. I like listening to Bach but playing it is hard.

What’s your favorite piece you have yet to play?

Franz Liszt’s “La Campanella.”

What’s your favorite piece to listen to?

Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto.

What’s your dream job?

Concert pianist

If you didn’t work in music, what would you like to do?

I’d be drawing or ballet. 

Outside of classical music, what other music to you listen to?

Hymns or the music from Charlie Brown.

What is your most prized possession? 

My hands.

What is your most prized possession that you don’t have but would like to have?

A Steinway.

What piano do you have at home? 

K Kawai.

What books do you enjoy? I don’t like old books very much. I do like Jane Austen.

Name your favorite book and movie. 

Pride and Prejudice.

Where do you want to go to college? IU, Julliard or Curtis.

What other instrument would you like to play other than piano? Cello (or I would sing).

What else do you enjoy doing while at home?

I like cake decorating. My mom makes the cake and icing; I then decorate it. I decorated my own cake for my birthday. It was decorated in flowers.

Do you have a nickname?

Hannah Banana from Indiana