Indianapolis Summer Events

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