Indianapolis Happy Hour

Final thoughts

Tuesday, July 20, 2010 by Sean Newhouse

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.

Running in a Circle

Tuesday, June 8, 2010 by Jessica Di Santo

Ben Luttrull is an intern with the ISO this summer and is working on the Symphony's Circle the City for the Symphony event in August. I've turned my blog over to him to talk about this important fundraising event for the ISO.

When I first found out I was going to be an intern with the ISO this summer, I started mentally racing through what my first assignment was going to be. I’d like to say I was prepared for the 35,000-plus people at the Mini-Marathon Expo, but I had sadly focused on more impersonal, computer-centric tasks. I’m a PR student, so it should be expected of me to relate to the public, but I will admit that the Expo served as the largest public I’ve ever had to relate to.

My main charge at the Orchestra booth was to begin the push for the 2010 Circle the City, presented this year by Finish Line. It fit perfectly – many local runners stopped by the booth wondering about that night’s Happy Hour or what the Symphony on the Prairie schedule was (and I am definitely glad I did my homework beforehand). But they also lit up when they learned about a race for the Orchestra!

I’ll be using these posts to show what it takes to orchestrate (Ha!) an event like Circle the City for the Symphony, as well as pass along details and updates as the day closes in. We are precisely two months away from the starting line!

Registration is available at the Hilbert Circle Theater Box Office or online here.

Pressure on our library

Saturday, April 3, 2010 by Paul Berns

Hi All:

Few in our audience know about the ISO world class library head by Principal Librarian Mike Runyan (plus his colleagues Dave Gruender, Susan Grymonpre, and Laura Cones - and a wonderful volunteer!). If you believe this to be a "large" department - you are wrong. They really churn out the work!

For instance in a given week we may perform: 2 Discovery concerts for school children, 1 Happy Hour concert, and 3 Classical Series Concerts. So, that makes 3 folders of music. When music is delivered from the publisher rental houses, it does not simply go into the musician folders. Next steps: string bowings need to take place, then circulation of the parts to principal strings and principal percussionist and to our Principal Harp, Diane Evans, so she can figure out pedalings and clean up her parts. Practice parts made available. Updating the programs with correct dates, spellings. Information on needed equipment to our stagehands. Planning for the next couple of seasons - AND CHANGES. An ill artist, the wrong edition arrives. I have seen a missing part arrive by fax in 5 minutes from another orchestra to save the day.

Pops series weeks - yikes. Many of these weekends consist of world premier arrangements and a show never before performed. They are really busy. Actually I would love for one of our librarians to make comment and go into more detail.

But, here is their challenge. Many times during a season we perform a Richard Hayman arrangement of Indiana fight songs. If I remember correctly: IU, Purdue, Notre Dame, and I am forgetting one. But, I know the Butler Fight Song is not included. And so, our library is now on notice that in the future Butler is just going to have to be included. (chuckle)

Hey folks - I am not sure if you are interested but on 4/19 the ISO Side-by-Side concert takes place with so many talented auditioned high school students given the opportunity to perform next to members of the orchestra. It makes for an exciting, never to be forgotten, evening. Come on down and bring your musical kids, cousins and neighbors. It will inspire them to practice.

That is it for now. Looking forward to the games tonight and after my full day at the University of Indianapolis (my students better have practiced) on Monday the championship game.

Ruby Red Slippers

Sunday, March 28, 2010 by Paul Berns

EDITOR'S UPDATE (as of April 2, 2010): Due to an arm injury, Leila Josefowicz is unable to perform in concerts next weekend. Pianist Adam Golka will replace Leila and perform Beethoven's First Piano Concerto.

Hi:

So on Saturday night my daughter visited from Steamboat Springs, Colorado and points out to me some little ones in the lobby dressed up and wearing Ruby Red Slippers alla Judy Garland in our wonderful pops concert using the full Wizard of Oz movie. Cute as can be. Kids of all ages have enjoyed the pops weekend. And on Sunday, our management wisely chose to change our usual Sunday 7pm concert and make it an afternoon matinee - sounds like our Marketing Department hard at work. What a wonderful time for our family audience.

Next week the ISO does not perform. Proud to say my 7(8) piece band is performing at the Hilbert Circle Theatre for a NCAA Final Four Salute. We will be playing the fight songs for all the Final Four teams (go Dawgs) and we will be talking to the band directors from Butler, W. Virginia and the other two finalists. Just like the Academy Awards: "and now ladies and gentlemen, let's hear it for sports commentator Jim Nance," we play walk-on music and fade out, etc. ISO percussionist Craig Hetrick and Mark Ortwein will be with me for this epic. Many of my ISO colleagues enjoy music of all styles: contemporary chamber music, solo opportunities, jazz, and rock. We have an accomplished organist (Bob Goodlett) - you name it. Actually among our staff we also have singers, a trumpet player, a bassoonist, and, of course, business, marketing, arts administration specialists. And among our ushers........????

The orchestra is very much looking forward to performing under Maestro Mark Wigglesworth on April 9 and April 10. With world class violinist Leila Josefowicz (she looks as if she would blend into our Happy Hour audience!!) Imagine the music of Rachmaninoff and Shostakovich. I hope to see some of our Happy Hour audience at this concert. You will love it!! Actually our Symphony on the Prairie audience would really enjoy this concert too!

See you at the Symphony!

HAPPY HOUR - MARCH 18 - A MUST!!!

Thursday, March 18, 2010 by Paul Berns

Hi All:

Musical moment alert. At 6:30 tonight for our Happy Hour Concert the ISO's talented bassoonist/doubler Mark Ortwein is a featured sax soloist in JOHN MAYER's "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room." I am telling you this is world class playing. What a cool piece and Mark's big sound is like "Hollywood or New York" recording studios. And our talented conductor's singing is unbelievable. I went out into the hall to hear him (not playing one of the tunes) -- just fantastic.

The orchestra shines in Beethoven/Brahms/Debussy/and Grieg - a little of this and a little of that.

Wow - what a concert.

Just a comment about Shostakovich 11 last week. A great concert and the orchestra played really well -- a very powerful piece. I hope you attended and heard some great moments: our entire viola section really highlighted the evening as did John Wetherill, Principal Bassoon, and the list goes on. This is ridiculous - I am not a music critic. English horn, etc. etc. - of course the timpani/percussion section (I'm blushing).

Now for those interested in where the ISO has performed, here is another list of 10.

10. St. Louis
  9. Utica, N.Y.
  8. Tipton, Indiana (fun concerts for us)
  7. Panama City, Florida
  6. You think I am running out of locations? Nope: Greenfield, Indiana
  5. Geneva, Switzerland (great Swiss Army Knives - we all bought them)
  4. Winona, Minnesota
  3. La Crosse, Wisconsin
  2. Walla Walla, Washington (before my time)
  1. Victory Field in Indianapolis - just had to throw that one in here

So, one time on tour a couple musicians missed the bus after a one hour lunch stop. They had to catch a plane and made the concert on time. I hear the plane left from Las Vegas. Have to find out where they flew tooooooooooooooo. $$$$ - their expense. Chuckle.

So, one time two or three ISO musicians went to New Castle and not Greencastle - the music director was not very happy. Yes, we are human.

Next installment - do members of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra - one of America's great orchestras - ever make a mistake on stage????? Do conductors ever make a mistake on stage???

I will only answer these questions if someone "comments" and asks me.

Bye for now. (I hear the Pink Floyd Concert Saturday has a few single seats available and stand-by tickets).

An Open Mind is a Valuable Asset

Monday, March 15, 2010 by Candi Berry

When someone finds out I work for the Indianapolis Symphony, the first question is always "Do you play an instrument?" I usually smile and say "Yes, a calculator."

I've been a member of the Finance staff for nearly three years and enjoy being a part of the organization. I've always believed in the power and importance music can have in people's lives. It has been a part of my daily life for as long as I remember. It's the first thing I want to hear when I wake up, I listen all day at work, exercise to it and of course it's a must for any car ride, no matter how long. It moves me, connects me to my soul and serves as a link to past memories and experiences. I didn't have much exposure to classical music though, until I started working for the ISO. The majority of my music knowledge ranges from the late 70's to present day.

Two assets that have served me well are having an open mind and a willingness to learn. I plan to use both of these as I delve into educating myself about classical music. I enjoy learning the background of a piece I'm going to hear performed. I find if I do some quick research, I can ascertain the composer's mindset when it was written. For instance, prior to hearing our performance of Faure's Requiem, I discovered the composer lost both of his parents within two years. Experiencing the death of a parent myself, I felt an insight and connection to the music. Before attending the Troika concert (Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff and Prokofiev), I learned that two of the three selections were composed surrounding a war theme. That night I also heard a piece from one of my favorite movies called "Somewhere in Time." I now know it by its correct name, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini by Rachmaninoff.

Opening myself to new ideas has contributed to my personal growth immensely. The new approach to Happy Hour programming is very appealing to me. I'm extremely excited for next week's show featurning the music of Brahms and John Mayer. I was elated to learn Steve Hackman is including "The Heart of Life" in the Mayer selection from his Continuum CD. I was introduced to this CD by someone I love deeply and immediately connected to the lyrics and melodies. It was almost a soundtrack to what I was going through in my life at the time. I appreciated Scott Harrison's recent blog about similiarities between Brahms and Mayer, it was very entertaining.

I look forward to sharing my insights into this Classical journey of mine.

Steve Hackman Blogs, Part II

Friday, March 12, 2010 by Jessica Di Santo

Composer, performer, arranger and conductor for this season's Stella Artois Happy Hour at the Symphony series, Steve Hackman blogs about how he starting weaving the concept for the next Happy Hour together.

My thoughts on "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room":

When it comes to arranging, picking good material is key, because you're gonna be spending hours and hours on it. You're going to be peeling through every layer of the composition; if it's wonderful throughout you are in for beautiful new discoveries. I always find that when I'm arranging great stuff I gain a more profound appreciation for the work because I hear intricacies and details that I hadn't detected while listening casually.  This has definitely been the case with "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room" by John Mayer.

I've been a huge fan of that song ever since first hearing it but after spending this many hours evaluating and dissecting it, I marvel at a few things:  

1. The restraint of the playing.   Take a listen to the drum beat of this song. Kick-snare-kick-snare. Tambourine on the and of 1. That's it. Toward the very end he starts adding some snare rolls and tom fills. But for the majority of the song--that's it. And the bass line. Ultra-simple. Not even close to "busy." Those two elements combine to create such a relaxed and hypnotic groove. Obviously these are some of the best session players in the world and they were capable of playing things light years more complex than this--but they didn't--they kept it simple and groovy and I love it.  

2. The brilliance of the guitar arrangement.  I knew this guy could play the guitar; what really struck me about this song is how many different sounds he gets out of his guitar and how he combines them all to engineer a production. It's almost as if he creates his own orchestra. It's funny--he is taking his one instrument and redesigning its sound in several different ways to realize different aural impressions; I am interpreting those impressions and assigning them to the orchestral instruments that can best recreate them. The processes are reciprocals! For example: the blues licks that are hiding underneath the verse are very suited to clarinets, saxophones and trumpets, and the sustained and liquid oscillations that underscore the chorus ("We're going down….") are perfect for the strings. I find in each section of the song very inspired playing with clear emotion-- that's the kind of stuff that is fun to arrange.  

3. I think I combined a few points into one so I don't have anything else to say right now. This tune will be fun!  See you next Thursday at Happy Hour!

~ Steve Hackman

John Mayer - a modern day Johannes Brahms?

Wednesday, March 10, 2010 by Scott Harrison

When Stella Artois Happy Hour at the Symphony returns on March 18, the program turns to music by John Mayer and a John of an older generation - Johannes Brahms. Crazy as it may seem, these two musicians actually share more than just a first name.

While many of us are stuck with the image of the old, bearded Brahms in our minds, in his younger days, Johannes (right) was quite the looker and probably attracted his fair share of female attention, just like John Mayer.

But Brahms was more than just good looks. This guy had soul. Brahms was a throwback, looking to the music of Bach to write truly heartfelt music in an era where contemporaries like Liszt, Wagner and Mahler were revolutionaries out to discover the music of the future. In an era where vocal hooks and sampled beats reign supreme, John Mayer also looks to the old masters, writing guitar-driven pop inspired by blues legends like B.B. King and rock gods like Jimi Hendrix.

And the similarities just keep on coming. . .

Brahms wrote four symphonies. Mayer has released four albums. (There are also four Happy Hour concerts this season. Try to explain that coincidence!)
Both men pursued secondary instruments in their youth. Can you imagine Brahms as a cellist or John Mayer with a clarinet in his hands? They both also started touring as teenagers. At one point, Brahms' teacher wanted to send him to America to earn that big paycheck. His parents declined, probably sparing Brahms future anonymity as a washed-up child star.
Speaking of the clarinet, John Mayer's first instrument, Brahms took up an interest in the reedy instrument late in life. He came out of his self-imposed retirement to write some of his most moving music, all featuring the clarinet. Do you think Mayer ever tried his hand at the Brahms' Clarinet Quintet?

The greatest coincidence of all?

Both men shared an interest in older women. John Mayer famously dated Jennifer Aniston, eight years his senior. Brahms spent most of his adult life pining after Clara Schumann, 14 years his elder and the widow of the man who helped launch his career, Robert Schumann. While Mayer was never too shy to share the most intimate details of his relationship via Twitter, Brahms was not as forthcoming. While many scholars believe the relationship with Clara was never consummated, there isn't definitive proof either way.

For the full story on Brahms, check out Jan Swafford's fun biography. (Or get the lightning round in this article.)

As for Mayer? Well, there's always @johncmayer.

(Thanks to Alyson Ahrns for research and writing assistance.)

Steve Hackman Blogs, Ladies and Gentlemen

Monday, March 8, 2010 by Jessica Di Santo

The entire concept for Happy Hour #3 was really born out of the idea that "Heart of Life" by John Mayer would make a great arrangement for orchestra. The song came on as I was driving to a gig back in December, and I immediately thought of the Happy Hour series. I called Nick Kendall and pitched the idea of doing it, and he said "Oh my God!"(that's usually a good sign). After that, I began building a whole concert around Mayer's tunes paired with classical selections.   

I'm a big fan of Mayer's music, especially after the first album, Room for Squares. One of the very first things to consider when arranging a pop song for orchestra, and in fact this consideration may ultimately indicate whether an arrangement will be effective or not, is what instrument/instruments will carry the melody. This is a critical decision because the audience is going to be so familiar with the vocal line (and of the personality that sings it). One has to be sure that whatever orchestral instrument is substituting for that personality will be set up for success.

In the case of the Coldplay song we did on Happy Hour #1, our principal oboe Roger Roe did a fantastic job of carrying the melody. Time for Three "sung" the melody as a trio in Imogen Heap's "Hide and Seek" on Happy Hour #2. With this arrangement of "Heart of Life" I decided to cheat a little bit--and sing the song myself. Not that I think I do the world's best John Mayer impression, but this is a song I felt like I could do justice to vocally. So that took care of who was handling the melody- then it was on to everything else. The original tune has a wonderful wholesome quality to it that I felt was essential to capture in the orchestration. The "base" sound that I settled on was pizzicato (plucked) strings against lyrical and contrapuntal lines in the woodwinds. This provided a great bed for the solo voice to lie in. Adding harp and glockenspiel (orchestra bells) at times added a more fantastic child-like innocence. Since the strings are plucking for the majority of the piece I needed an instrument to sustain the bass line and in this case I chose the bassoon--lighter and more appropriate to the style than tuba, bass trombone or electric bass.

One spot that I couldn't wait to arrange was where the electric bass comes in on the original version (2:24-Pain throws your heart to the ground…) Yikes! I just realized I forgot to put in a cymbal roll there! Better add it…. Anyway, that section was the perfect moment for the strings to begin playing with their bows (arco). It's like a wonderful breath of fresh air when you hear the string section finally play arco after a long pizzicato section. I also chose the trombone choir to add a luscious pad to that sound. Mayer has some wonderful guitar licks in that section, and I adapted those a bit and gave them to the woodwinds. The original ends with rising sixths in the guitar parts as does our arrangement, except in the bassoons then clarinets.

We finally cadence and segue back in the Grieg excerpt (Piano Concerto in A Minor, 2nd Movement) that began this whole adventure. I chose the Grieg because it matched the key and because it's simply a gorgeous piece of music. With it's romanticism and slow lyrical quality it almost functions to set up "Heart of Life" in the same way that "Gravity" does on Continuum.    

This concert was a joy to arrange. The production of the original tune is so sparse but yet so charming, and it was a pleasure to try my hand at bringing that quality to the orchestra. We'll see how it sounds!    On to the next arrangement.

See you in a few weeks!   

~Steve Hackman

Community Connections

Tuesday, March 2, 2010 by Brian Smith

One advantage of living in the age of the internet is the rapid spread of information from every corner of the world to your living room whenever you want it. As a result many people in our industry find themselves reading more about what goes on in the orchestra world to keep current with the latest trends and news. So this weekend, coffee in hand, I made my way to the computer to do just that, when I came across two articles that struck me for very different reasons.

The first was an article describing the Baltimore Symphony's newest venture, "Rusty Musicians with the BSO". Basically this program allows amateurs to join members of the orchestra and music director Marin Alsop on stage for a rehearsal and performance. Anyone who is over the age of 25 and can play an orchestral instrument can participate. Apparently the good people of Baltimore found this to be a great idea, as over 400 people signed up! It seems that even in a time of financial difficulty for most orchestras in this country, Baltimore has found a new way to connect with their community and created a moral boost for the organization, not to mention a new revenue stream.

On the other hand, the second article, written in a much more sombre tone, detailed some of the woes facing the Philadelphia Orchestra. Like many orchestras, Philadelphia is fighting an uphill battle financially, but to me that wasn't the disappointing part of the story. According to the story's author, there is a seemingly growing number of loyal patrons feeling disconnected from the great orchestra, which is routinely classified a member of the "Big 5" (along with the ensembles of Chicago, Cleveland, New York, and Boston). One is led to believe from the article that a lack of communication from the orchestra, along with logistical issues such as ticket prices and parking concerns, has created unwanted friction between the orchestra and it's fan base. This seems to be an issue which needs to be addressed quickly, for the sake of all concerned.

Here at the Indianapolis Symphony we want to continually develop and foster our relationship with our city. To that end we hope that along with attending concerts, you will take advantage of some of the offstage programs we have in place. Two such programs are the "Sound Off", a pre-concert question and answer session, and "Reverb", a post-concert meet and greet event with the ISO musicians. Both events are associated with all of our Symphonic Hits series concerts and are designed to give concert goers a chance to get to know more about the people and projects of the ISO. Another option are the "First Mondays at the ISO" gatherings, hosted by ISO cellist Geoff Lapin. As the name implies, the meetings take place the first monday of each month and cover a wide range of musical subjects, often featuring special guests to discuss the topic of the day.

Another great way to connect with the orchestra is through FORTE, the ISO's young professionals group. Along with providing volunteer and networking opportunities for it's members, Forte is helping our new Happy Hour series take shape. Another great volunteer organization is the ISO Women's Committee. Founded in 1937, the committee has a long standing role in organizing fundraising and music education events.

These are just a few of the ways the community can interact with the orchestra, but we are always looking for better ways to do things at the ISO. So here's your chance to tell us what you think. How are we doing? If you have a great idea, leave a comment and tell us how we can make your concert going experience better. I would love to hear them.

Crashing.

Thursday, February 18, 2010 by Jessica Di Santo

Crash, crashed, crashing. I've done a lot of it.

My car. Cymbals. A party or two. At a friend's house. After an 16-hour workday. My computer. A diet.

But I've never crashed a wedding.

These guys have -- or so to speak.

Tonight's Stella Artois Happy Hour at the Symphony, headlined with "Look Who's Crashing the Marriage of Figaro" features the ISO's new resident ensemble, Time for Three. The string trio performs a pretty diverse set list tonight--from Mozart and Bartok to Bernstein and even Imogen Heap--and includes many of its own tunes from the newly released CD 3 Fervent Travelers.

They haven't just crashed the Marriage of Figaro--they've crashed our party. So, what did you think? Review it by submitting your comments!

Spending "J-term" at the Symphony

Tuesday, February 2, 2010 by Carol Baker

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!

Thank you!

Monday, January 25, 2010 by Jessica Di Santo

I would like to thank all of you for submitting comments about our first Stella Artois Happy Hour at the Symphony concert of the season. Your reviews of any symphony concert, program or event are important to us, so check back in to this blog often and post away!

Many of you remarked about operational challenges related to the January Happy Hour. We hear you -- we were not as prepared as we needed to be for the record-breaking attendance. We are actively planning for the next Happy Hour on Feb. 18 (featuring our charismatic ensemble-in-residence Time for Three) so that we can create a comfortable and accessible experience for everyone.

See you at the Symphony!