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Indianapolis Symphony
Posted: Oct 03, 2007 in Culture
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The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra is one of only 18 full-time Orchestras in the U.S. It's a jewel in the city's crown, but is often overshadowed by SPORTS. What the ISO needs is Sex Appeal. It's time to overcome the stereotyped impression that the Symphony is for conservative and stodgy blue-hairs. Recently, I was encouraged by the hiring of a prolific world-class violinist as the new Concertmaster - Zach DePue. At 28, he is the youngest and dare I say, hottest Concertmaster in the U.S. No really! He is sooooo cute! Just adorable! *sigh. ok, cute and adorable may not fill the hall. Like I said, we need Sex Appeal. Zach is the closest we've got, so we'll have to make the best of it. Maybe he could just unbutton his shirt a little. Let his hair grow a little longer, wear an earring. Ideas?
Without actually resorting to the "s" word, I totally agree Zach De Pue has potential to build the ISO. At the Strauss/Tchaikovsky concert, he was dynamic on stage and helped unify the strings. Do you think his crossover group Time for Three will make the ISO more accessible?
It's time for me to bite on another concert; have not seen De Pue in action yet ... Any suggestions on an upcoming performance for someone who has attended before but is far from experienced at symphony appreciation? (Not including Yuletide)
re: tf3 ... I enjoy seeing next-gen groups; while the tie might draw some additional attendees, I still think the genre will remain niche. (Just my $.02).
For those interested, tf3 has its own site: http://www.tf3.com ... complete with audio files.
I would encourage everyone to really take a hard look at the alternative Programming the ISO has to offer. They are certainly trying to beef up the offerings for… shall we say the -darker haired set-. Look into the Happy Hour concerts Tix are VERRRY reasonable and usually there are deals on drinks and food.
Also there seems to be an increase of people WITHOUT children Attending the Discovery and Family Concerts. Those are traditionally Programmed for -young people- through the ISO's education department, however, There are people that are enjoying the accessibility of the music and the fun They bring. This coming Sunday they have some GENIUS actor hosting A wonderful program called Creepy Crawlies-Music About Bugs.
And Speaking of Zach… here are some MP3 links From The DePue Brothers' new CD, Classical Grass,
One possibility that's on the Classical Series but not too heavy duty is the ISO's upcoming "Halloween Treats" Oct. 25-27. It's a multimedia show that promises to be entertaining. It's the local premiere of "Frankenstein!" with the composer H.K. Gruber narrating. At the evening shows (26 & 27), two visual artists will create works onstage.
That's an awesome suggestion, Whitney! After seeing the stellar performance of that amazing talent hosting Creepy Crawlies... What is his name???
Tito Munoz, I think, Ty...
oh yes Tito is conducting...
(i am hosting)
Time For THree is AMAZING - I wish the ISO would host them more frequently this season. Especially for a Happy Hour, that would be IN-SANE. Yes, Ty, I hear great things about that amazing,wonderful actor hosting the Bugs concert!
The word I'm hearing is that Time for Three reduced its touring schedule slightly because of Zach De Pue's new gig in Indianapolis. But the group still plays 80 concerts a year. And that, combined with the fact that Zach lives here, makes me think Tf3 will play more for the ISO and maybe elsewhere around town.
They tried to appeal to younger crowds and thirty-somethings with kids. Over the spring/summer, they had this series that I refer to as "Symphony Lite" and sometimes "McSymphony." It's actually called "Happy Hour." One and a half hours of short pieces interrupted by Classical Music for Dummies info from Jennie DeVoe and whoever happened to be the guest conductor. And lots and lots of AT&T plugs, complete with a giant flat screen t.v. showing the logo.
I went to one in May. They offered coffee and box dinners beforehand. My guest and I were kinda excited about that, until we discovered that the coffee wasn't complimentary (or particularly good) and the dinner consisted of a lukewarm steakburger from Steak N' Shake (with no condiments, thank you) and a napkin. Being a vegetarian, I was dismayed. And hungry.
Still the concert was nice. They played some Debussy and Ravel (two of my faves). Although I could've done without all the "did you knows," Jennie's flirting shamelessly with the conductor and obligatory, "let's thank the sponsors" breaks.
There was a fairly diverse crowd there, so not all your typical symphony-goers.