Lobbying for Christmas Cheer

The performance is copyrighted and, 

as the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra is performing 

numbers from the soundtrack of "Frozen," 

photos may not be taken of the performance.

 I can tell you that Angela Brown,

soprano with the Metropolitan Opera,

Ben Crawford, who sang on the soundtrack

of "Frozen" and performed as Shrek

in the Broadway musical, are featured performers

in the ISO's annual Yuletide Celebration.

There are dancers and singers in beautiful,

sparkly gowns, an aerialist performing to

"Do You Want to Build a Snowman,"

played by Time for Three, and a rousing 

chorus line of tap dancing Santas,

all backed by members of the 

Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.

Hot chocolate, wassail, and other drinks,

as well as iced sugar cookies, were popular

sellers during the intermission.

Everybody marveled at the music and dancing,

cheered and applauded the performers,

then left happily to continue shopping, return home, 

and to have dinner, hearts lifted by the

very fine performance they had experienced.

Please, come yourself.

If you can get tickets.

Winter Pattern

Friday night, I did a volunteer stint with

 the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra 

where I was privileged to hear percussionist 

Dame Evelyn Glennie perform.

The piece was the U.S. premiere of

Concerto for Aluphone by Anders Koppel.

The aluphone is an instrument invented

by marimbist Kai Stensgaard and  Michael Hansen,
an engineer who runs a design and manufacturing
business. The instrument made its debut at
the Opening Ceremonies for the 2012 London Olympic
 Games with Dame Evelyn as soloist.
The picture above made me think of a musical
staff, with the ice as bright, bell-light tones,
appropriate for the coming season.

Thank You Notes

Tuesday evening I attended a small appreciation 

dinner for volunteers working with the Indianapolis 

Symphony Orchestra. We were entertained by

members of the ISO, four women who are long-time

members of the orchestra's string section.

The blurry photos show musician Amy Kniffen's viola. 

Other guests were as intrigued by the shape of her viola as I was.
She told us that the maker, Hiroshi Iizuka, based the look 
and construction of his instruments on the viol family 

of instruments of the 16th Century, rather than 

those of the 17th Century whose shapes 

are more familiar to us. The distinctive shoulders 

on her viola, as well as it's curved bottom, 

help to make it easier to play.

One Slog Forward, Two Slips Back

Thursday afternoon, I walked to the store

to get a few provisions before another snowstorm

arrived. I saw these icicles hanging from a tree 

in a nearby churchyard. I didn't know

that icicles could be, of all things, windblown,

but I can't otherwise account for the 

unusual angles of this tree's icy foliage.

A fine snow has been falling steadily 

for the past four hours. Right now, it looks

to be about an additional four inches of snowfall,

on top of the snows from the past weeks.

Damn. I expect to go to hear the Indianapolis

Symphony Orchestra later Friday evening.

Warm Notes in the Frigid Air

The young woman in the silver gown is Jennifer Christen, 

principal oboist with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. 

Last night was her night in the spotlight, as soloist for Mozart's 

Concerto in C Major for Oboe and Orchestra, 

K. 285d (314). She performed beautifully, 

the notes rising and falling through the night air, distracting 

the audience away from the cold breezes they would 

face as they returned to their homes later that evening.

In the video below, she is giving a short explanation

about the preparation of reeds for her oboe and,

in the process, plays a few bars of the Mozart piece

she performed Friday night.  

Last night, I joined the ISO's Assistant Principal Percussionist,

Craig Hetrick, to promote upcoming ISO concerts 

and community activities. Among the people who stopped

to chat was a woman and her three daughters, 

one of whom plays oboe. The mother talked with Mr. Hetrick

about wanting to find suitable instruments to accommodate

her daughter's talent as her skills improved and grew.

She is now in sixth grade and her present oboe cost about

$3 thousand. One of the things I enjoy about these

evenings is the musicians coming out to meet the people

for whom they play. Overall, those I've met

have been intelligent, funny, and kind people,

just the sort one would want as friends. I saw the young

oboist later, who said she was going to talk

with Ms. Christen about lessons.

It seemed so cool to me that a twelve-year-old girl 

would easily have the opportunity to speak with

a professional about her future.

Right there in the lobby of the Hilbert Circle Theatre, 

on a cold night, over cups of hot cocoa.

One in jeans and the other in a silver gown.

Sparkling Orbs

After a few days' respite from subzero temperatures, 

we are once again in the deep freeze.

It's just been a month since the winter solstice and 

everyone is already sick of the whole thing.

On my way Friday evening to hear the 

Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra play,

I passed a florist's display window where the

glittery orbs in the arrangements

provided just about the only happy color

for blocks around.

Facets of the Day

Sitting at the Will Call table Sunday afternoon at the Circle Theatre, 

I looked up to notice the way the painted woodwork 

was reflected and broken up by the beveled mirrors opposite.

It made me think that perhaps the most beautiful and sublime order

can be appreciated a bit more when seen disjointed, 

like a jazz phrase brought to sight.

Again, just because I like the song --

and Mandy Patinkin.

Art in Indy: Childe Hassam

A storm front went through the Indianapolis area Sunday, 

bringing heavy rain and severe wind gusts. 

This photo was taken around 4 p.m. from a reception room window 

overlooking Monument Circle on the second floor of the Circle Theatre. 

The giant candy cane and toy soldier in the background 

are a part of the holiday decor on the Circle.  

The rainy scene reminded me of the city scapes by American Expressionist 

painter, Childe Hassam (1859-1935). The scene shown above,

Rainy Day on Fifth Avenue, was painted in 1893 and is among the

most familiar of Hassam's paintings portraying daily life 

in New York City. 

There were two concerts Sunday afternoon. The first was another performance 

by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra of the Ravel and Debussy works

scheduled for the weekend, while the New World Youth Orchestra, 

made up from talented middle and high school musicians

played a late afternoon concert. Among the pieces they performed 

was the Concerto in A minor for Piano and Orchestra 

by Robert Schumann. The pianist for the occasion was

Jeeyoon Kim, a native of Korea who, in addition to her concert 

and recital appearances, lives in Indianapolis where she

 teaches keyboard at Butler University.

After the Concert

Friday night, after working at the symphony concert, 

I went to catch the bus home at the Federal Court building a block away.

The contrast between the worlds inside the concert hall on

Monument Circle and outside the court building could not have

been more pronounced.

The concert consisted of performances of pieces by

Debussy and Ravel and involved the Indianapolis Children's Choir,

which participated in Debussy's La Demoiselle elue 

and Nocturnes. The children of the ICC have purpose and direction

in their lives, with knowledgeable people to guide their paths,

while the children I see at night, just a block away, have no one to guide them,

no positive activities or people to show them a way out

of the danger that dogs their lives on a daily basis.

The children in the choir have their teachers and conductors,

while the children who observed this scene shown in

the top photo often have only the ill behavior like that

of the man being arrested as an example of "adult" behavior.

Intermission

Friday night, during the intermission of an Indianapolis Symphony 

Orchestra concert, I looked up from my task as a volunteer 

to see the concert-goers enjoying the time to talk with friends 

over drinks and treats. The orchestra's venue, the 

Hilbert Circle Theatre, is a restored performance hall that was built on

Monument Circle in 1916 to replace a livery stable. It hosted movies 

and live acts for many years, until falling into disrepair in the 1970s.

When the ISO decided to move back downtown from

Clowes Hall, the Circle Theatre was restored to its original

Neo-Classical Revival style, re-opening in 1984.

The orchestra is world class, has world class conductors, 

and hosts some of the finest musical artists in the world 

in its intimate hall - its stage area specially configured to suit

the needs of the orchestra. Oddly enough, the lobby area

shown in these photos was actually part of the original

performance hall - a wood and glass wall has been constructed

to separate the auditorium from the lobby and mezzanine areas.   

Different Drummers

On my way over to the Circle Theatre, where I occasionally volunteer 

as an usher for the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra,

I found myself in the middle of a pep rally on Monument Circle. 

Just outside the theatre door, the marching band from 

Grambling State University was playing.

 Saturday, they will perform in the Circle City Classic parade, 

as well as at the half-time show for their school's football game

against Alcorn State University. While people will

talk about the football game, I've always thought of 

it as just an excuse to have some of the best marching bands

in the country appear; this year, Grambling's Tigers

will take on the Alcorn Braves in a marching, horn playing

and drumline extravaganza that will leave every one happy.

In the top photo a horn player watches the conductor,

while the cheerleaders perform their carefully coordinated stunts.

See those huge men behind the small woman?

Here is the reason for their presence -

Below is a video of the Grambling Tigers' participation

in the 2013 Presidential Inauguration Parade.

I was able to watch nearly all of the performance 

before I had to go to the theatre a few feet away.

Here's Dies Irae, from Verdi's Requiem, 

the piece I went to hear Friday night. 

It is two different worlds, but the same because

both have music in their souls. Each performance was

beautiful and heart-filling. There is no way the video

can duplicate the warmth of the sounds, the way the chords

reached inside me and made me cry.

It's music. I am happy to have experienced both.

Rainy Evening

It was a rainy evening in downtown Indy,

with warm temperatures and gentle showers.

People went about their business,

either returning home from work or,

like the couple below, approaching the entrance 

of the Circle Theatre for the gala opening

of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra's

fall season. 

Below, a group of young men prepares to park 

patrons' cars at a nearby garage

Bassoonist and Mummies

These paintings were done to relieve the usual wooden monotony of boarded over storefront windows. I think they were done by students and have been in place for several years. The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra has offices nearby (the concert hall is a restored theatre on the opposite side of this building's back wall) and it looks as though they may have sponsored the project.

I think the paintings are colorful and charming and I hope very much they aren't destroyed when restoration work begins on the building.

And just because everyone else includes videos in their blogs, I wanted to do it, too. So here is "Single Entendre" by Here Come the Mummies.

Tain't the ISO but it sure does party!