Indianapolis Summer Concerts

I can’t believe summer is almost over. I can’t believe Marsh Symphony on the Prairie is ending. But I do believe that we will see the 100,000th patron enter those Conner Prairie gates this weekend.

In 2009, we celebrated with Debra Fleetwood, as she was the lucky 100,000th patron to arrive.

If patron number 100,000 walks through our gates (we think on Thursday evening), it will be the third time in history that we have achieved that feat.  What helped bring us to this magic number? Amazing crowds at this year’s Fourth of July concerts, amazing crowds at the Classical Mystery Tour (Beatles) weekend, amazing acts like Marvin Hamlisch, the John Denver tribute band and the Duke Ellington Orchestra, amazing performances of Pictures at an Exhibition and Tchaikovsky’s Fifth by our own Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, and amazing weather (only a handful of weather-related delays and one rainout—knock on wood for this weekend!).

Symphony on the Prairie is more than an attendance number. As we close out the series this weekend, I thought I would reflect upon some highlights this summer.

A debut and an adieu
On July 23 & 24, singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile debuted with the Indianapolis Symphony and performed many of her hits to a large crowd of adoring fans. After the concert, we said adieu to ISO Associate Conductor Sean Newhouse. Sean moved to the east coast and now serves as an assistant conductor with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Bravo Sean!

Up, Up and Away
Our very own ensemble-in-residence Time for Three performed their signature genre-bending mix of music for their thousands of devoted fans.  Afterward, the boys went on a Conner Prairie balloon ride—they don’t seem to have stage fright…but do I sense a little fear of heights? 
 

It was a Thriller, for sure
Brent Havens, creator and conductor of the Michael Jackson Tribute show and other orchestrated rock tributes such as Pink Floyd, Queen and Led Zeppelin, hit a homerun by including wonderful orchestrations of the King of Pop’s greatest hits. I’ve never seen that many people dancing at Symphony on the Prairie.  One patron noted that she left “ticked off that I never got to see [Michael Jackson] in concert for real and I’m convinced no one else will ever come close to being as spectacular as he is/was.” Another patron sent in this message:  “This was a wonderful event. The ISO and the band that performed were excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed this concert. I love live music!”

He got what he asked for!
After joking about the large amount of insects buzzing around his head on stage, prolific American songwriter Marvin Hamlisch was given several bug repellent options at intermission from his fans—everything from spray, sticks, gels to bug repellant jewelry.  During the second half of Marvin’s concert, our very own Principal Librarian Mike Runyan made us all weep when he played the theme from Schindler’s List on harmonica.

Photographs also tell the story
I don't need to go on and on with highlights in writing.  I can also tell a story in pictures.  Here are some of my favorite photos from this season at Symphony on the Prairie.

Don’t forget!  The Music of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper on September 2 & 3 and the every-popular River City Brass on September 4 & 5.  See you one final time at the Prairie!

It's a bittersweet goodbye. Ben Luttrell has worked as the Symphony's intern this summer for the fundraising event, Circle the City for the Symphony. Thanks for all the hard work Ben!

As I stood looking at the Circle the City for the Symphony finish line when I took a picture, the first thing that came to my mind was “I’m looking at the Finish Line-sponsored Finish Line.” The next thought was “This is really surreal.”

From what I’ve gathered from other interns and friends from BSU, many internship positions end with some sort of culminating event, such as a presentation or a project deadline. My internship ended, quite literally, with a Finish Line (both as a title sponsor and as a location).  I only grabbed a quick picture of it before being whisked off to pass out water and bananas, but it will be a picture I cherish for a long time.

The day went smoothly, apart from spilling a considerable amount of coffee on my white shirt and khaki pants within the first 30 minutes. Eric Halverson from WISH-TV Channel 8 (our media sponsor) was a great emcee (and posted some really cool videos online from the run), and special thanks to the Blue River Band for rocking the Circle after the races ended.

In the end, 1,400 people ran, walked, and/or strolled for the Symphony. If you add in the volunteers, committee members, musicians, staff, Colts cheerleaders, Mayor Ballard and everyone else who played a role in making this event happen, we come close to a Hilbert Circle Theatre sellout.

A few thank you’s are definitely in order:

-Thank you to The Finish Line for your title sponsorship of the event, along with our other sponsors Bingham-McHale LLP, WISH-TV and NUVO. It should go without saying that your support is a cornerstone to this event’s success.

-Thank you to Blue Bell Ice Cream and Dad’s Root Beer for providing us with the biggest hit of the day – the delicious root beer floats. I didn’t have one for fear of it ending up on my shirt like everything else seemed to that day, but everyone who had one testified to their greatness.

-A HUGE thank you to our volunteers. You all were the glue that held the event together and a large chunk of the day’s smooth operation is owed to your hard work.

-Thank you to those of you who control the weather, because it was absolutely perfect on Saturday.

-Thank you to Nia’s Market and Deli next door to Symphony Center – not for Saturday, per se, but for powering me through my internship. Were it not for Nia’s, Dunkin Donuts and Jimmy John’s, I probably wouldn’t have made it all the way to the end (those who worked with me over the summer can attest to my crushing addiction to caffeine).

-I would thank all the runners, walkers and strollers individually if I could, but that would take up way too much time. So consider this a blanket thanks and congratulations for running the race! Special thanks to our teams, and to Flashpoint HR, Ice Miller and Sallie Mae for winning their Corporate 5K divisions; and to Telamon for winning the Biggest Team Competition!

-Finally, a personal thank you to the ISO staff and musicians. I’ve been so fortunate to get to know and work with some great people that it makes going back to school harder than it should be. I started this internship with a PR skill set in development and a passion for the arts, and I’m coming out of it with so much more than I could have imagined. It will be hard leaving, and you can be sure that I’ll be back in some form.

As a final aside, I took my mom to see Time for Three, the ISO's ensemble-in-residence, perform at Symphony on the Prairie that evening. 

If there is any way to describe to people why I want to use what I am learning to advance music, it would be to sit them down at a Tf3 concert, and then tell them “I want the entire world to hear this.”
 

ISO Development intern Ben Luttrell gives us another glimpse into planning for the ISO's Circle the City for the Symphony event Aug. 7.

Between Conner Prairie trips, Circle the City for the Symphony duties, internship adventures and the dreaded “professional development," I’d say I’m having quite the summer so far at the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. The honeymoon of “Wow, I have my own phone line!” has faded into the “I’m expected to do real work” feeling, but I’m quite excited to report that my internship has been everything but the coffee-fetching, errand-running busywork life that some had expected me to lead.

One part of my job that bucks the “intern does the busywork” stereotype is participating in Circle the City for the Symphony committee meetings. I love planning and coming together to talk strategy, and this road race is certainly the biggest event I’ve ever been on a steering committee for.  The full committee has met a few times now, and it’s been quite an adventure each time. Updates, brainstorming, planning, logistics, marketing, sponsorships all make regular stops on our agendas, as well as everything down to the minutest of details to be planned.

We’re working hard to not only put together the best event possible, but also get as many people as can to learn about Circle the City for the Symphony and register to participate in it. We set a goal to have 2010 people participate in Circle the City this year in downtown Indianapolis (with “2010 in 2010” being the appropriate slogan). We really want this event to be fun for the whole family, from the most competitive of runners to anyone looking for a safe walk around the city. To do that, we’ve expanded on two of our events aimed at those who aren’t looking to earn a time or a medal but rather a safe and fun way to support the Orchestra while enjoying a beautiful day.



First: the Symphony Stroll is back and better than ever. The Stroll is a one-mile walk through downtown Indianapolis aimed at all ages, abilities and activity levels. Unlike the competitive 5K/10K courses, the Stroll course is open to baby strollers and the family pet. The course will feature several of our wonderful Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra musicians playing for you as you walk by, and the end of the course will land right in the middle of our Post Race Party. All Stroll participants also get a free ticket to a Marsh Symphony on the Prairie concert!

Second: we’ve expanded on the Junior Jog from last year. The event is only open to children under the age of 10 and is a one-lap run around Monument Circle. Each of the runners will receive a bib, shirt and medal for taking part in the event, as well as their own Symphony on the Prairie ticket. Note that, unlike in years past, there is a fee for the Jog this year.

Right now, we’re bringing something together that is going to be big-time news for families regarding Circle the City for the Symphony. I can’t divulge anything until we have the answers to every possible question (something my supervisor is very keen on reminding me!), but I can say that it is a fantastic opportunity regarding the Symphony Stroll and Junior Jog. Keep posted to the ISO Blog, and I’ll be sure to let the cat out of the appropriate bag when the time is right.

Ben Luttrell gives us his third installment of his thoughts about the ISO's Circle the City for the Symphony event. Perhaps I need to give him his own blogroll?

I was a team captain for Ball State University's Relay for Life this past April. The opportunity I had to work with the BSU chapter of PRSSA (the public relations group for students) was good, but the real pleasure for me came from the opportunity to tell people all about this wonderful event and the cause it supports. It wasn’t about me and it wasn’t about the activities or the food or the free entertainment; it was all about getting as many people as I could to come out and spend some time supporting a worthy endeavor.

Take all of that, and fast forward to this summer with the ISO. Walking in to the position, I had a vague sense of what the orchestra did to better the community beyond concerts and clinics. The sheer magnitude of it all amazes me at times. The Guitar Center donation of instruments to our Metropolitan Youth Orchestra, for example: it caught me completely off guard and made my day. The fact that I have the opportunity to learn from this kind of organization still amazes me to this day. I know this sounds a little sappy, but I mean it. Enriching the lives of people through music is extremely important to me; it’s a trait I inherited from family and reinforced through education and fraternity.

If you’ve never captained a team for a charity race before, or if you want an opportunity to rally together and support a very worthy cause, Circle the City for the Symphony is providing a great opportunity to do just that. We’re pleased to roll out the brand new Biggest Team Competition this year. People from organizations across the board, from the most competitive of runners aiming to take top prize in the 10K, to someone just looking for a stroll through downtown and a morning of music and family fun, will be able to join forces as a team. Team members will receive a $2 discount on registration for linking together.

The most exciting part about this is the prize. Samaritan’s Feet, who will be at the race collecting shoes for needy children, is offering to partner with the largest team and offer a shoe distribution for needy children at the charity or community organization of the team’s choice. If you or your team doesn’t have a specific location in mind, Samaritan’s Feet will provide several choices for the team to pick from.

The more people we have coming out and supporting us, the merrier it will be for all parties involved. Circle the City for the Symphony is a great opportunity for your organization to rally together for a great cause, and have a safe and fun family adventure, too.

Online registration is live! Team captains should click here to register the team, and then the other members can click here to register after that. The deadline for team registration is July 23, so hurry up and start recruiting!
 

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 for his second installment!

If being competitive is defined as hating to lose, then I consider myself a fairly competitive person. I’ve been known to attach allegiance to teams for a month only to disavow any relationship upon the missing of playoffs. I still follow my high school marching band and cringe upon seeing any ranking other than #1. This past Ball State football season was a tug-of-war between Alma Mater loyalty and hatred of losing (still no clear winner yet). I’ve done quiz bowl, intramural sports, musical festivals and other competitions for the sole purpose of the joy of victory.

For the above reasons, I’m a little disappointed that I won’t be able to run with my fellow interns in Circle the City for the Symphony. The development interns have come up with a brilliant idea of entering the Corporate 5K Team Challenge as the official ISO Intern All-Star Team of the Decade (name pending approval). Since I’m working the event, I’ll have to only cheer and support the team on. Seeing as I’ll likely be running the equivalent of a 5K myself over the morning, it’s more of a mental setback than anything else. Still, the thought of the ISO Interns competing against their supervisors have inspired the CTC Powers That Be to consider a full-fledged bragging rights showdown between the staff.

The Corporate Team 5K Challenge is hardly limited to just the internal throwdowns. Any and every company or organization that has a group of people looking to run and compete together is more than able to register as many teams of six as they can. Rankings will be determined by the sum of the top five finishers for your team (number six serves as the tiebreaker). Every team members gets a $2 discount off of registration and a ticket to a Marsh Symphony on the Prairie concert. 

There are more than just bragging rights on the line, too. There are three traveling trophies that will go to the winners of each of the three divisions. One of these trophies currently rests in the office of our VP of development, Sean.
 

While internal bragging rights are good, the real prize we interns have our sights set on is that trophy. We’ll have to fight through a whole lot more than just our supervisors, though. Hopefully, everyone on our team is as competitive as me.

Team registration has to be done online, and all six members have to register at the same time – go here for more info and to register.
 

A Day at the "Strings and Jazzy Things" Camp
Regina Henderson, ISO Learning Community/MYO Intern
Valparaiso Univerity '11
 
 

On Tuesday June 8^th, I had the wonderful opportunity to observe the annual summer music camp called “Strings and Jazzy Things.” After creating quite a journey for myself on my way to Broad Ripple High School, I wasn’t sure what I should be expecting and had no idea where I was going once I walked into the school. However, I finally found the registration area and set off on a mission to find Betty Perry who was in the midst of a rehearsal with a large group of young musicians. At first, I didn’t know what to expect coming out of such a variety of students, but hearing them rehearse was refreshing. I was excited to learn that it was only their 2^nd day rehearsing and they sounded so great!

After the morning rehearsal, Betty gave me the run down of everything going on that day and introduced me to several of the volunteers and teachers donating their time to such a wonderful cause. She also introduced me to a few MYO members and told me the awesome news about MYO getting invited to participate in a Berklee music camp next summer! After that, we found our way to a master class of how to perform jazz music. Dr. Monika Hertzig, led a large group of kids in a workshop demonstrating what jazz music is. After running through the “blues” scale and going over some basic jazz rhythms, it was time to do some solos! There were a few kids brave enough to volunteer while others were convinced to do one. It was fun to watch how these young musicians let their creativity and energy flow into these wonderful solos.   After the jazz workshop, it was time to watch the pros do their thing and play some of their original pieces. The short concert was a nice break in the day and very enjoyable to listen to.

Once the jazz workshop was over, it was time to grab some lunch and then break off into sectionals. I went around to the violin and viola sectionals to observe and take some pictures. This is when trumpeter, Mike Buselli came in to give the younger kids a master class on improvisation while the older ones were having sectionals. It was interesting to hear his story about why he plays the trumpet and how he conveys his emotions through his instrument. After that, there were several kids geared up and ready to volunteer their improvisatory skills and prove that they could express emotions through their playing. 

After a few exercises with triads and the “blues” scale, it was time to put their freshly learned skills to the test! Mr. Buselli was able to get a few volunteers to join him in front of everyone else and improve an emotion on their instruments while the class had to guess what emotion they were trying to convey. They did this with a couple more groups as well and all of the kids who volunteered were quite impressive! After the improv class, it was time for me to head out. I was so happy to know that summer music programs in Indianapolis like "Strings and Jazzy Things" still exist today and it is evident that these kids are learning so much from it!

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.
 

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!

The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra turns over its stage to other musical ensembles in August and early September during Marsh Symphony on the Prairie. During this period, our Symphony musicians take a much-needed, well-deserved break away from their year-round schedule.

So, we’re sometimes asked… where are the ISO musicians during this time and what are they up to?  Here's a sample!

“[Our vacation plans are] certainly not exotic -- we plan to stay in Indy, work on cleaning up/organizing our home 3/4's of the time, exploring Indy and environs the other 1/4.   Plans include State Fair (seriously...), Baden Springs, and some new restaurants in Indy and Bloomington.  This may not be exciting to you, but it's very exciting to us!”

-Bev and Sylvia Scott

Beverly Scott, Assistant Principal Viola

Sylvia Scott, frequent ISO pianist

“Our family went to St. Joseph, Michigan, for a week. We also are going to Chicago for the weekend. But we have mostly stayed at home this summer.”

-Ruth Boerner, viola

“I will be composing during the break.”  www.jimbeckelmusic.com

-Jim Beckel

Principal Trombone & Composer*

*Don’t miss Jim’s world premiere piece In the Mind’s Eye: Images for Horns and Orchestra in concerts on May 14 and 15, 2009.

“My husband, John, and I will be taking our children to college at the end of August. First to return to school will be Katherine, just back from an archaeological dig in Athens where she found an ancient cooking pot.  She will be a senior at Washington University in St. Louis. Then Amy and David head east.  Amy is just completing a summer at a biological research center in Maine, and will return to Swarthmore College to continue working on her bachelor's degree in biochemistry.  David, proud of his Indiana roots, is making a Yale corn-hole set to take to school.  He has high hopes of learning to play the carillon at Yale, which happily has a silent practice keyboard as well as the one which activates the giant bells in Harkness Tower.  I am occupied practicing viola and piano, teaching viola lessons, and sewing on buttons!”

-Terry Langdon, viola

“I'll be traveling to New York City to attend the National Flute Association’s annual convention with my husband, George Evans. (My teacher, William Bennett, will be performing at the convention-- he's also traveling from London to Indianapolis in November for a masterclass and recital Nov 4 & 5.) While we’re in NYC, we’re attending a concert at the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center. Other than that long weekend, I'll be at home working on my book, “Flute for Dummies,” which will be coming out in December of this year.”

-Karen Evans Moratz

Principal Flute

“My husband’s brother used to play professional basketball in the NBA....for the Portland Trailblazers.  He runs a youth basketball camp in Portland, and my husband and I will be going out to work at it.  Norm will coach, and I'll run the concession stand.  (Whoopee!!!)  It will give us a nice chance to visit with family.  We'll earn a small salary....enough to cover our airfare.....so we plan to go out a week early and drive over to the Pacific coast.  I'm a photographer, and I plan to come home with some great pictures of the Oregon coast.”

-Christal Steele

Assistant Concertmaster

“I will be heading out to the Northwest to visit family in Spokane, Washington, and in north Idaho (Hayden and Post Falls). My sister and I plan to bike the section of the Hiawatha Trail that crosses the Idaho panhandle. We also are going to spend a few days at Hayden Lake, ID.”

-Nancy Agres, viola

“I’ve spent time racing on such races as the Port Huron to Mackinac Race onboard a 50-foot raceboat called Goblin. We finished 3rd in our section and 13th in our division.  I also raced a regatta in Harbor Springs Michigan on Goblin.   I will be on a boat 47-foot sailboat called Big Country for the Tri-State Regatta which is a three-day, three-state regatta over Labor Day weekend.  We race from Chicago to St. Joseph, Michigan, then from St. Joseph to Michigan City, Indiana, then race back to Chicago. Happy Sailing!”

-Rick Graef

Assistant Principal Horn