A Little Something Extra

Indianapolis Business Journal publisher Greg Morris confesses in this week's edition that because of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra's Pops Series, he has been "transformed, and is now a raving fan" of the symphony. 

As a Catholic, I'm quite familiar with the word confession. I know I should be doing it more often (sorry Father Bill).  But confessions are tough--they can bring about an admittance of failure, of imperfection. In the end though, confessions should bring some relief, maybe even a bit of happiness. Mr. Morris confesses he's been "a holdout for years," regarding symphony performances. He's not alone.  We've heard that confession before.

I love bringing new people to the symphony. I love getting them to confess that they enjoyed themselves when they predicted otherwise. In March of this year, I brought several friends to the ISO's Music of Pink Floyd performance. One of my friends brought his 17 year-old son, who was a big fan of classic rock and a self-taught guitar player. To him, the symphony was for an older generation. He couldn't imagine a full orchestration to "Comfortably Numb." I watched him throughout the performance, and I saw focus, amazement and smiles.  He confessed -- the symphony was surprisingly for him. 

In 2009, I received an email from Jennifer, who confessed to being a newbie to our Marsh Symphony on the Prairie series. She wrote: "I have lived in Indiana all my life and last night I finally took the time to enjoy an amazing performance at Symphony on the Prairie. What a great little secret...that was shared with 7,500 plus other people. The vocals were truly outstanding and the talent of the ISO is more than I could have ever expected."  I've heard similar confessions from longtime Indiana residents. 

My own personal symphonic confession is this: I never gave Gustav Mahler's music a try.  I assumed it would be too challenging. All it took was an open mind, a little background, a gentle push from fellow Mahlerites, and poof, I'm a Mahler newbie and a Mahler fan. And next year...the ISO plays Mahler 5. I'll be thinking about other newbies who I could bring along.

Confessions don't have to be public. They are typically voiced behind four walls and a sliding window. But I wonder - if you haven't attended an ISO performance, what stops you?  If you're a newbie, what brought you to the Indianapolis Symphony? Or any symphony for that matter?

Feel free to confess. I promise, all will be forgiven.