SPRING 2020
ISSUE 13
THE FESTIVAL ISSUE
Contributors
JENNIFER HUTCHINSON DELGADILLO is a MexicanAmerican artist and writer living on the Near Eastside of Indianapolis. CRYSTAL HAMMON is a freelance writer and an ardent fan of classical music and opera. She loves playing “the airline bump game” to earn free travel vouchers and blogs at CrystalHammon.com.
NICHOLAS JOHNSON, PH.D. is an assistant professor of musicology at Butler University, the musicology director of the Vienna Summer Music Festival and a local musician.
NICOLE O’NEAL is an Indianapolis musician and writer. She spends most of her days analyzing research and digital campaigns at a marketing agency, and most of her nights playing bass and singing in a rock trio. AMY LYNCH is an Indianapolisbased freelance writer and active vice president of the Midwest Travel Journalists Association. She enjoys live music and breakfast any time of day.
CORRIN GODLEVSKE is a senior marketing and strategic communication major at Butler University. She enjoys exploring the Indianapolis community and supporting local small businesses.
TOM ALVAREZ A principal of Klein & Alvarez Productions LLC, Tom Alvarez is a freelance journalist. For 40 years, he has covered theatre, dance and music for numerous publications and websites. He appears on WISH-TV’s Indy Style as a regular contributor and writes On the Aisle, a blog at Tom Alvarez.studio.
MICHAEL TOULOUSE has worked in broadcasting for nearly three decades, sharing classical music with radio audiences throughout Indiana. As an experienced interviewer and program host, he is known for immersing himself in a subject to highlight the fascinating details that often go unnoticed.
T F I
The Festival Issue SPECIAL THANKS TO NOTE MAGAZINE COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD AND CONTRIBUTING STAFF:
Crystal Hammon
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
Amy McAdams-Gonzales DESIGNER
Lisa Brooks, D.M.A. Lillian Crabb Rob Funkhouser Corrin Godlevske Auboni Hart Gregory Heinle Lindsey Henry Kyle Long Stephania Pfeiffer Eric Salazar Michael Toulouse Julian Winborn NOTE magazine is a publication of Classical Music Indy, Inc. To purchase or to subscribe, visit www.classicalmusicindy.org. For more information contact us at info@classicalmusicindy.org or 317-788-3291. Cover photo by Joshua Loveslife
02 Editor’s Note
04 Home Grown & Worldly
BLOOMINGTON’S LOTUS WORLD MUSIC
& ARTS FESTIVAL
09 On tour with Indy’s
classical musicians
14 My Music. My Story.
MARIAH IVEY
16 Today’s Classical Musician
PEDRO FERNANDEZ
18 Music Unites Programming
PECK CLASSICAL MUSIC LIBRARY
20 Legends
EDUCATOR AND PIANIST KATE BOYD
22 Music Unites Artist
VIOLINIST TRICIA BONNER
24 Neighborhood Music
GARFIELD PARK CONCERTS BRING
MUSIC TO THE COMMUNITY.
26 Classical Pairings
GOOSE THE MARKET, A FULL-SERVICE BUTCHER
SHOP AND SPECIALTY FOOD+WINE SHOP.
28 On Air
Dear Classical Music Fans and Friends, In this issue of NOTE, we explore music festivals from two angles. First, take a tour of world music with one of the nation’s largest global music festivals, Lotus World Music & Arts Festival, hosted each September in Bloomington, Indiana. Next, travel with local classical musicians as they share their extraordinary talents at music festivals throughout the U.S. I have felt a connection to Garfield Park since childhood and was flooded with summertime memories for our neighborhood music feature on page 25. Not only has Classical Music Indy shared a generous arts patron with Garfield Park in the late P.E. MacAllister, but both our organizations also share a deep commitment to welcoming new audiences to classical music. As you head out to your favorite local music festival, be sure to pair your experience with delicious items from Goose the Market, this issue’s feature for Classical Pairings. Thank to everyone who has listened to Classical Music Indy’s new 24/7 streaming service. You helped set a record for traffic to our website on our official launch date in December. I hope you’ll return again and again because each week we introduce you to a new featured artist. Classical Music Indy’s music streaming service is made possible through the generous support of the Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation. Finally, I am excited to announce Classical Music Indy’s newest podcast, Key Principals with Michael Toulouse. On each episode, Toulouse will interview the brightest talent in classical music as they visit Indianapolis to perform in our community. The first episode will be available later this month at www.classicalmusicindy.org. Classically yours,
Jenny Burch
President & CEO
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Interest in world music has exploded in the United States over the past two decades. Curiosity has been stimulated in part by global musicians who travel and immigrate, spreading adapted and anachronistic versions of music that originated in their home cultures. Add to that the free access everyone has to high-quality recordings of music from around the world and you have near perfect conditions for drawing music lovers to one of the most notable festivals of its kind, Bloomington’s Lotus World Music & Arts Festival.
Home Grown & Worldly IN THE HEART OF INDIANA, A FESTIVAL THAT BRINGS THE MIDWEST A WORLD OF MUSIC. ____
Photo by Daniel Axler
by Crystal Hammon
College towns are notorious incubators of idyllic concepts and transformative experiences. And so, it’s not surprising that Bloomington, Indiana is fertile ground for one of mankind’s loftiest visions — the belief that art and music are bridges to cultural understanding. That’s the basis for Bloomington’s Lotus World Music & Arts Festival, which began in 1994 as a one-night smorgasbord of global musicians and gradually evolved into a four-day extravaganza with a year-round educational mission in Monroe County and seven surrounding counties in central Indiana. The festival’s brainchild is Lee Williams, a Bloomington music agent who grew up in a military family that traveled and lived abroad. Those experiences cultivated Williams’ taste for European music. The festival he founded with help from a few friends is now one of the nation’s largest for global music. Shepherded by the Lotus Education & Arts Foundation, it draws thousands of regional and local fans, hundreds of volunteers, and a distant army of global-music enthusiasts who plan their pilgrimage a year in advance — an estimated 12,000 attendees in all. OPEN INQUIRY TO MUSIC AND CULTURE OUTSIDE THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE
Anna Wegelius, one of Kardemimmit’s four musicians, recognizes that her band isn’t exactly a household name. “The people who come are very loyal, and yet the music isn’t anything they’ve heard on the radio,” she says. “They come for the atmosphere, and they trust that the music chosen for the festival will be good.” Kardemimmit’s original compositions are based on ancient Finnish traditions, sung in their native language. “Their music is so sweet you don’t even have to understand the language,” says Tamara Loewenthal, executive director of the Lotus Education & Arts Foundation. Kardemimmit had the festival’s best-selling CD in 2019. American genres are represented, but they are only a small part of the mix. The goal is to highlight musicians outside the mainstream American experience. Diversity makes a powerful statement that informs the audience, according to Loewenthal. You’re more likely to hear authentic cultural ambassadors of music from different regions of the world than you are American musicians who have studied world music. “We really like it when someone is from the tradition,” she says. “We want someone who has the bonafides of a cultural tradition so that when they speak about life or culture, it’s not because they studied it; it’s because they grew up in it.” MORE THAN A MUSIC FESTIVAL The Lotus Education & Arts Foundation isn’t just an umbrella for the weekend-festival; it also organizes year-round outreach programs that make global music and culture available to people who might not otherwise experience them, including children, seniors and people who are incarcerated. Some artists are invited back for
The Festival Issue
The visiting musicians represent a United Nations of performing artists. On any given day, attendees may hear Latino musicians sing lyrics that reveal the mindboggling reality of living in a border town marked by checkpoints in all directions, or be touched by the otherworldly voices of master throat singers from Tuva, a small republic in Central Asia.
Unless you’ve attended the festival before, your chance of hearing a band you know is almost nil. The organization strives to bring fresh talent every year, along with bands from the past that have charmed audiences most. One of those groups is Kardemimmit, an all-female kantele band from Finland. They first performed at the festival in 2013 and returned in 2015, 2017 and 2019.
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The Festival Issue
Lotus Blossoms, a spring program that connects K-12 students in central Indiana with global music, dance and storytelling.
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Coincidentally, the artists often have overlapping interests with academic curricula. It can be a winsome match for schools like Unionville Elementary School in Unionville, Indiana, where a strong emphasis on environmental conservation gave students a special bond with Boukman Eksperyans, a Haitian band that visited as part of Lotus Blossoms. “Besides doing a fantastic performance, getting kids up, drumming and dancing, they also talked in depth about how keeping a sustainable environment is hugely important on their small island because people don’t have a place to go,” Loewenthal says. “Afterwards, the principal said, ‘What they did was just perfect.’” After their 2017 appearance at the September festival, Kardemimmit returned in the spring of 2018 to perform at an Indianapolis juvenile
detention center as part of Lotus Blossoms. “It felt like we were doing really important work, getting music to people who don’t typically get it,” Wegelius says. “They seemed so grateful to have music at what must have been a pretty hard time in their lives. That’s why I do this work. I like playing to audiences that don’t necessarily know that they want our band playing for them.” In addition to Lotus Blossoms and other outreach activities throughout the year, the Lotus Education & Arts Foundation also hosts performances and workshops at the Lotus Firebay, a performance venue below their Bloomington office. One of the biggest challenges, according to Loewenthal, is letting fans and supporters know that these yearround activities reach as many people in central Indiana as the festival. “Our mission includes these parts in equal measure,” she says.
As one of the city’s signature events, the festival is awash with engagement and support from local volunteers, businesses and Indiana University. With concerts and activities that run from Thursday through Sunday, the festival closes traffic on a stretch of Fourth and Sixth Streets to accommodate outdoor stages. Concerts also take place indoors at three churches, the BuskirkChumley Theatre and other venues within walking distance of the outdoor stages, making it easy for festival goers to move between performances.
“For the Midwest to have something as extensive as Lotus is notable,” she says. “Obviously, Bloomington has some assets that help make a world music festival possible, including a research university that has a significant footprint in music, language and international studies.” Institutions like the Mathers Museum of World Cultures on the campus of Indiana University make natural partners for the festival. Last year the museum hosted culturally-specific crafts at Lotus in the Park, a free event at Waldron, Hill and Buskirk Park designed to make the festival accessible to everyone. “Our mission is complementary because they are about exploring the world through arts and music, and we’re about exploring the cultural diversity of the world,” says Sarah Hatcher, head of programs and education at the Mathers Museum. “Of course, art and music are the cornerstones of culture and cultural expression.”
The Festival Issue
The festival’s strong sense of place is part of the secret sauce that has helped it thrive through changing times, according to Miah Michaelsen, deputy director of operations at the Indiana Arts Commission and Bloomington’s former economic development director for the arts. Michaelsen, who is also a Bloomington resident, attributes the festival’s uniqueness to its visual arts component, inclusivity and celebratory atmosphere.
Photo by Natalie Speth
Photo by Joshua Loveslife Photo by Natalie Speth
Photo by Natalie Speth
A LOCAL HERITAGE, AN INTERNATIONAL LENS
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Photo by Daniel Axler
Within days of their arrival in Bloomington, the estimated 6,300 international students who attend Indiana University may hear music from their native cultural background, a warm welcome to those who may already feel a little homesick. All IU students have easy access to the festival through Lotus in the Meadow, a free on-campus event at Dunn Meadow on the corner of Indiana Avenue and 7th Street. Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton says the city reaps more than economic benefits from tourists in town for a weekend festival. “It’s a manifestation of being a community that punches above our weight globally,” he says. “We have all these relationships with musicians from around the world who come back and tell the audience how much they love being in Bloomington. These are people who perform often around the globe, carrying the story of Bloomington and a sense of our Midwestern city.”
The Festival Issue
The festival is also an academic laboratory for students at Indiana University, according to David McDonald, Ph.D., a researcher and associate professor of folklore and ethnomusicology at Indiana University. McDonald teaches classes about world music to students from the Midwest and southern Indiana. Only a few have ever heard world music or had any meaningful exposure to world cultures.
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“The Lotus Festival is one of the most important musical events both here in Indiana, but also in the nation,” he says. “It brings together musicians and artists from all over the world into one celebratory environment, all committed to exploring the diversity of human experience through music and sound. As a community member, I absolutely adore attending the festival, dancing, volunteering and being part of it. It is one of the very few events in any town I’ve lived where you see people from adolescence through retirement dancing side by side to a style of music they perhaps have never heard before. To me, that’s an incredible opportunity for community building and also for exploration of various cultures around the world.”
In a world fraught with division and conflict, Hamilton says music builds much-needed empathy and understanding between cultures. The festival also dispels unflattering myths the world may have about the United States. “Because we’re from a Midwest city in a red state, it can be surprising to find a welcoming, open atmosphere that may not jibe with some of the international news descriptions of what’s going on in America.” Hamilton also sees the festival as a source of local inspiration for dreamers, innovators, entrepreneurs and others who conceive new ideas. “A small group of people imagined this festival 26 years ago,” he says, “and look at how it’s woven into the fabric of our community.” ■ Plan your visit to the Lotus World Music & Arts Festival in Bloomington starting in August, when the schedule goes live at lotusfest.org. Tickets can be purchased at the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre box office, 114 East Kirkwood Ave., Bloomington, Indiana. Or visit bctboxoffice.org.
On tour with Indy’s classical musicians
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By Crystal Hammon
The Festival Issue
For nine months out of every year, Indy’s classical musicians spend most of their time rehearsing and performing with local artists here at home. But when spring and summer roll around, some classical artists begin a series of creative sojourns that do double duty, rejuvenating them as musicians and advancing the art form in far flung places. Inside, glimpse a few American music festivals that give Indy’s classical musicians an inspirational jolt.
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SOPHIA CHO
Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO) violinist Sophia Cho’s first major festival experience as a professional musician came four years ago at the Britt Music & Arts Festival in Jacksonville, Oregon. Drawn by the festival’s level of musicianship and the beauty of the region, Cho is one of four ISO musicians, including Conrad Jones, Michelle Black and Sherry Hong, who participate in the three-week festival during July and August. “It’s nice to go somewhere for a chunk of the summer and meet different people who come from all across the country,” she says. “There aren’t a lot of chances to play with people outside your community during the year. Summer is a great time to venture out and collaborate with other musicians.”
The Festival Issue
Cho and her ISO colleagues rehearse weeks ahead of the Britt Music & Arts Festival. When they arrive, they’re ready to play. “If you’re interested in going out to explore the area, you don’t want to be inside learning music you could have learned beforehand.” The festival’s outdoor venue draws a mix of high-performance musicians whose interests go beyond orchestral music — a departure from her regular ISO season.
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When the Britt Festival ends, Cho hops on a plane and heads to the Caroga Lake Music Festival, a five-week chamber music festival in New York’s Adirondack Mountains. Founded by one of Cho’s former classmates, the festival has a significant outreach effort that offers the surrounding area free access to classical music. Youth programming has a strong storytelling component aimed at engaging toddlers and school-age children with classical music. Visiting musicians also go to bars, cafes and senior centers, playing mashups and lighter classical fare with broad appeal. Cho adores the atmosphere. “I just
Photo by Lexi Marie Photo
ISO VIOLINIST
love the feeling of looking out into the audience and clearly seeing people enjoy classical music for the first time.” Cho grew up in Chicago where everyone had easy access to classical music. The communities near the Caroga Lake festival aren’t so lucky. “After a concert, people tell us, ‘I’ve really enjoyed this. We don’t get a lot of these concerts, and I look forward to this every year. You guys bring such joy to the community,’” she says. “Statements like that are very powerful. It’s incredible to see how grateful people are.” Cho says festival audiences tend to mix more freely with musicians than they would in a concert hall. “I think it’s a great thing,” Cho says. “We get to be spokespeople for the ISO and bring our Indy pride everywhere we go, and show our skills as musicians of the ISO. I think it’s really important and necessary to spread the word and be good examples of what the ISO is all about.”
INDIANAPOLIS CHILDREN’S CHOIR Music as a form of diplomacy is an idea that isn’t lost on music organizations — or on civic leaders. The Indianapolis Children’s Choir (ICC) plays this role so often that the mayor’s office recognized them as the official singing ambassadors of the city. In 2018 the choir was invited to perform at the Shift Festival of American Orchestras at Kennedy Center. This summer the ICC will perform at the prestigious Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, South Carolina in conjunction with their annual summer tour. “We take our title out and represent the city as best we can, whether we’re here at home or on tour,” says Joshua Pedde, artistic director for the ICC. Pedde says summer tours and festivals are transformative experiences that alter the lives of middle-school and high-school musicians. Choir members learn the value of teamwork and develop the self-discipline to achieve strenuous musical goals. For the Shift Festival, the choir performed Credo, by Pender Redski, a contemporary Polish composer. The challenging piece was suggested by ISO conductor Krzysztof Urbanski, who wanted to highlight
Indy’s remarkable musical assets. The piece required students to sing from memory in Latin, Polish and German. Participation in a major festival is a financial commitment. Vigorous fundraising and donorsupported scholarships help cover travel expenses, but families and students bear part of the cost, too. “One young man in our high school division mowed lawns all summer for the Shift Festival,” Pedde says. “In the fall, when it was time to bring the deposit, he brought in a shoe box with $1,200 in cash he raised from mowing lawns. The children’s choir teaches these kids life lessons. When you commit to something, how do you make it happen?” Pedde says music festivals are a big bang for a music lover’s buck — an opportunity to hear a variety of music in a short period of time. “People who are new to classical music and all its genres should go to a festival,” he says. “You may not like one thing, but you’ll fall in love with another.” For anyone willing to travel, Pedde recommends the Spoleto Festival, which covers the classical music gamut.
The TheFestival Vinyl Revival Issue
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JORDAN MUNSON
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR OF THE NIEF-NORF SUMMER FESTIVAL
Like many festivals, the Nief-Norf has a competitive element that’s designed to attract the most accomplished performers and composers. “It ends up being a pretty cultivated group of musicians — people who are highly intelligent and very thoughtful about how they approach all this complex work.”
The Festival Issue
Munson is a classicallytrained percussionist and educator with interest in new classical music. His emphasis at IUPUI is teaching music that is played using technology as an instrument. He got involved with the Nief-Norf Summer Festival in 2015 during the organization’s fifth year.
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Many of Munson’s festival colleagues have similar roles with nine- or 10-month teaching contracts. Summer is their time to discover avante-garde composers and artists. As a playground for new music, the Nief-Norf festival affords Munson the opportunity to network with other musicians and become a better musician, composer and educator. The focus on new music is a magnet for some graduate and post-graduate musicians. “They [students] don’t often get to choose what they play at a music conservatory,” Munson says. “The directors [at conservatories] curate the music
they play, so getting to hear and play music that you don’t otherwise see a lot is exciting for many musicians.” Nief-Norf also appeals to professional musicians who are starting their careers. A young composer can have his/her work played by an elite group of musicians and walk away with audio and video recordings of those performances. That often leads to commissions later on. “In fact, a lot of composers get commissions just from being at these festivals,” he says. “That’s really what attracts young musicians to the festivals — getting to work with established and emerging living composers and making connections with other performers who are interested in the same things.” Photo by Fistful of Tigers, Knoxville, Tennessee
Take a tour of American music festivals in any genre and you will spot a common thread. They all tend to showcase the cream of the musical crop. That’s not an accident, according to Jordan Munson, senior lecturer of music and arts technology at IUPUI and technical director of the Nief-Norf Summer Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee.
In the realm of new classical music, Munson attributes the proliferation of festivals to three things: 1) globalization, 2) the rise of social media, and 3) a DIY mindset. Rather than searching for hard-to-get orchestra or teaching jobs, musicians create their own organizations, promote their own tours, commission new works and grow their own fan base. This trend mirrors what’s already happened in other genres. “There is more of an entrepreneurial spirit in new classical music than maybe there was 20 years ago,” he says. “That may be connected to the fact that there are fewer orchestra jobs. Ensembles are responding by doing a diverse lineup of things to promote themselves.” ■
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My Music. My Story.
Mariah Ivey ____
Words by Jennifer Delgadillo Photo by Corrin Godlevske
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HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT CLASSICAL MUSIC?
Spoken word artist, musician, educator and community activist Mariah Ivey is making a difference with all she does. She is a program facilitator at the Peace Learning Center, founder and host of That Peace Open Mic at the Indianapolis Central Library and a musician for the band TribeSouL. WHAT ROLE DOES MUSIC PLAY IN YOUR LIFE?
Music is my life. Music is an intricate part of my life whether I’m performing it, listening to it, meditating to it or drawing inspiration from it. There’s always a song that goes with every moment. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE KIND OF MUSIC TO LISTEN TO FOR PLEASURE?
I listen to a lot of neo-soul music: Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, India Arie, Musiq Soulchild, lots of neo-soul for pleasure. Also reggae. I love reggae music. Chronixx and Jah9 are two of my favorite reggae artists. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE MEMORIES LINKED TO MUSIC?
When I first discovered Lauryn Hill, that was a pivotal moment for me. Lauryn Hill is my all-time favorite artist. And when I found The Miseducation. It was actually my brother’s CD. I remember stealing it from him. I had her music on repeat. It was the first time I’d actually seen a black woman be a master at all of her gifts, as a poet, a vocalist, a musician and emcee. She did it all and I wanted to be like that. I aspired to have that kind of impact with my music.
I feel like classical music goes unappreciated sometimes in some communities because it’s not as prevalent within communities of color. However, there are classical musicians and artists of color. Those voices and those artists deserve to be lifted a little bit more and centered a little bit more. It’s a necessary genre that deserves a little bit more attention and credit. Who are your favorite composers or musicians? Classically, Nina Simone. She was a classical pianist and her music had evolved and become a lot of different things in her career. But I know that’s how she initially started, and if it wasn’t for Nina, we wouldn’t have a lot of artists who exist today. IF YOU WERE A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT, WHAT WOULD YOU BE AND WHY?
I would be a bass guitar, not only because I’m learning how to play one, but because the bass is such an essential part of a band. Without the bass, there’s something missing. It is the thing that brings everything together — those low, melodic, funky notes. WHEN DID YOU DISCOVER THAT YOU WANTED TO BE A MUSICIAN?
I knew it as a kid. I come from a family of musicians. My mom is a vocalist. I have seven aunts; they all sing. My father is a musician; he’s a drummer, he’s a poet, he’s a playwright. My sisters are dancers, and my brother is very artistic and creative. So, I knew it was always in me. But it wasn’t until I discovered artists like Lauryn Hill and I studied the black arts movement that I realized I could use my art to evoke change, mobilize people and change the narrative. I could use my art to center and uplift voices that have gone unheard. I saw that these weren’t artists who just wrote leisurely. They literally needed this. They ate, slept and breathed art. And that’s when art and music took a new meaning for me, and I knew that’s what I wanted to do. ■
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Today’s Classical Musician
In charge of the groove PEDRO FERNANDEZ ____ Words by Nicole O’Neal Photo by Mike Muszynski
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What’s that magical moment that sparks a percussionist? Is it a five-minute drum solo on a big stage under bright lights? Is it a big cymbal crash at a climactic moment in a middle school band recital? For Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra percussionist Pedro Fernandez, it was the sound of rain. “I remember that I was in my dad’s car listening to a slow ballad in Spanish, and hearing something that sounded like water drops,” Fernandez says. “I just thought that those effects were the coolest thing. Then I learned that the effects were created by percussion instruments and tried to figure out how to do all that stuff.” That curiosity led this Panama City, Panama native to start playing percussion at 8 years old. By age 15, he was sure it was what he wanted to focus on. “I was struggling to come up with something else that I wanted to do,” he says. “I thought about engineering, graphic design, administration. And for a moment, I would be interested, but never to the extent of playing music. What I enjoyed the most at that time was playing with the youth orchestra, playing in the school band. That’s all I was looking forward to.” Performing in the orchestra allowed Fernandez to hear music in a new way. And, as a percussionist, he could be in charge of the groove. Fernandez enjoys the challenge of deciding which instrument to use to complement what is happening within the music. He believes it is part of a percussionist’s artistic license to decide which cymbals will give just the right effect or whether to use a low- or high-pitched instrument to accompany the brass section. He must anticipate what’s going to happen next in a symphonic piece and work out how to achieve that sonically. Unlike other orchestra members, he has a myriad of instruments to select from to change the scope and emotion of a piece. That emotional quality spoke to Fernandez while rehearsing for a youth orchestra performance in Venezuela. He had what he describes as an out of
body experience while playing Gustav Mahler’s Fifth Symphony. “That was certainly the most powerful first rehearsal I ever had,” he says. “The level of playing was so high. Everybody was so intense and into it. And Mahler’s music is just gorgeous, intense and full of all sorts of feelings. And that was the moment that I realized that I needed to leave Panama, my home country, to pursue music professionally.” Fernandez came to the United States to study at Sam Houston State University where he earned his bachelor’s degree. He later completed his graduate degree at the University of Miami. Additionally, he’s held positions with the Houston Ballet Orchestra, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra. Fernandez joined the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra after successfully auditioning in 2015. But even with all of his training and skill, it’s the emotional connection to a piece that gives him the most excitement. In 2011, he had the chance to perform with the Seraphic Fire vocal ensemble in Miami, Florida for a Random Act of Culture event. They performed Carl Orff ’s Carmina Burana in the crowded Aventura Mall. Seeing the reactions of the audience made an impact on Fernandez, not only because of the surprise factor, but also because the piece has become so familiar to people. The piece is used so often in films and commercials that even someone who doesn’t listen to much classical music may recognize it. It’s this connector that Fernandez hopes will invite new and returning audiences to the 2020 season of the ISO. “Many films and songs in popular music take their main theme from a classical piece,” he says. “Listening to classical music can be like reading a book. Some books are unbelievably good, you just can’t stop. With hundreds of years and all of these different countries putting out music, I’m sure anybody can find something that they can turn to, or that maybe they’ve been listening to for a long time without realizing it.” ■
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MUSIC UNITES PROGRAMMING:
Expanding a music library that gives voice to unheralded musicians ____
by Crystal Hammon
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The world of classical music, like many other aspects of life, is marred by a troublesome legacy: the treasure trove of minority artists and composers — females and people of color — whose work has been marginalized, ignored or underrepresented due to race and/or gender identities. Recognizing these injustices, many American orchestras have taken reparative steps. Those efforts are infusing orchestral repertoires with works by minority composers and ensuring that minority artists get a fair shot at joining orchestras.
The problem of equity in classical music goes beyond live performance, according to Classical Music Indy CEO Jenny Burch. “We have many of these artists and composers in our Peck Classical Music Library,” Burch says of the collection used to program and broadcast classical music on the radio. “The problem is that they aren’t catalogued in a way that allows us to place them in a regular rotation on our syndicated radio program.” Moreover, on-air hosts like Classical Music Indy’s Michael Toulouse have an inherent problem: they can’t always be sure they are drawing music from well-rounded collections that represent the gamut of composers and artists. Unless radio makes a deliberate effort to evaluate classical music collections, to fill voids, and to index music with searchable tags, many of these artists and composers will remain relatively unknown. Closing that gap is the impetus for a Classical Music Indy project that begins in 2020, thanks to a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. The project aims to expand the Peck Classical Music Library and to promote it as one of the community’s cultural assets. Burch says the grant also pays for an intern to transform the library’s indexing protocols and to assess the existing collection. The project is enhanced through Beckmann Emerging Artist Fellow Joshua Thompson, a concert pianist who is evaluating the collection’s completeness. His fellowship research and subsequent recommendations will guide future purchases that could strengthen the collection and influence Classical Music Indy’s take-home, music-education guides for children. “The highest percentage of our afterschool music education program participants are African American children,” Burch says. “If we want kids to continue to listen to classical music, then they need to see themselves reflected in it.”
ROTATION MATTERS Getting this music into a regular broadcast rotation isn’t a small thing, according to Burch. “Radio can have a transformative effect on anyone who hears it,” she says. The ultimate goal is to offer local listeners a chance to connect with the greatest voices in classical music — without barriers. Classical Music Indy learned how important a well-indexed collection can be for radio programming through a previous project supported by the Eloise Paul Women in Music Fund. That financial support helped the organization find and index female composers within Peck Classical Music Library. “Before we knew it, we had playlists that reflected input from composers like Florence Price,” Toulouse says. Price became the first African American composer to have a symphonic composition performed by a major orchestra in 1932. In 1925 and 1927, she was awarded the Holstein Prize. The award, offered through the now-defunct Opportunity magazine, promoted and advanced the reputations of talented black artists. “I’m confident that the discoveries we make in programming music will lead to discoveries for our listeners,” Toulouse says. “We hope that we’re making it possible for people in the community to appreciate these neglected voices.” ■ For more on underrepresented voices in classical music, subscribe to Classical Music Indy’s latest podcast, Melanated Moments in Classical Music, on your favorite podcast platform.
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LEGENDS:
Striking an empathetic chord AS AN EDUCATOR AND A PIANIST, KATE BOYD IS
KNOWN FOR MEETING PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE. ____ Words by Tom Alvarez • Photo by Adreia Hawkins
When classical pianist Kate Boyd was 16, she spent a life-changing year as an exchange student in Germany. With only a few years of high-school German under her belt, Boyd longed to communicate with others. Setting her mind to it, she became fluent in German within four months. That’s the kind of focus and drive that resulted in Boyd’s success as an acclaimed teacher and performer later in life.
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A professor of piano and piano area coordinator at Butler University, Boyd also serves as the head of the piano faculty of the internationally-renowned Interlochen Arts Camp in northern Michigan. Recognized as teacher, Boyd has received numerous awards and prizes, including the 2019 Teacher of the Year from the Indiana Music Teachers Association and the 2017 Outstanding Professor of the Year from Butler University. Other awards and prizes include a Fulbright scholarship and several fellowships. Boyd received her Bachelor of Music from Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Russian pianist Sedmara Rutstein. She earned a Master of Music
and Doctor of Musical Arts at Stony Brook University under the tutelage of renowned pianist and pedagogue Gilbert Kalish. She also studied with several other distinguished teachers. In addition to teaching, Boyd is an active soloist and chamber musician and has performed solo recitals at prestigious concert halls worldwide. As a faculty member at Butler University, she has appeared as a soloist with each of the university’s large ensembles. An advocate for new music, Boyd has performed many world premieres and recorded two CDs. Finally, Boyd is a founding member of the New York-based Oracle Trio, a piano trio that performs works from the 18th century to the present. In addition to her work with the Oracle Trio, Boyd regularly collaborates with musicians and artists from various disciplines. Explaining the piano’s unique place in her life, Boyd says she can’t imagine her life without it. “My relationship with the piano goes back further than my relationship with any people in my life, except for my biological family,” she says. “The piano is a medium. It allows the music I play to come to life. It is a tool that, if worked with skill and refinement, allows composers to speak and the notes on the page to sing.” Teaching has only improved her as a performer. “I have to explain things as I observe students play,” she says. “I have to articulate what I see, and what I hear, and how to make it better. I need to meet them where they are and help find an appropriate challenge that is going to push them — that is going to encourage and not discourage them.” Likewise, Boyd says playing makes her a better teacher. “If I am performing, I bring that experience into my lessons and demonstrate it though my playing,” she says. “I also contribute an understanding of what my students are going through as they learn music to bring to performance level.”
Louie Hehman, one of Boyd’s former students, says Boyd taught him to become more interested in the process of improvement than in the end product. “What I learned from Dr. Boyd is that practice is really a means of self-betterment — the same as exercise or meditation,” Hehman says. Now a doctoral candidate at the University of South Carolina, Hehman says Boyd’s influence helped him reach new musical and personal heights. “Focusing on process instead of performance made both process and performance stronger than I could have ever imagined,” he says. Boyd sees music as a transformative force. “It allows us to transcend the daily grind, the menial tasks we are all burdened with, and the quotidian concerns that occupy much of our days,” she says. “It allows us to connect with something universal to the human spirit.” Among her Butler colleagues, Boyd wants to be known as a faculty member who gives to the university community and is visible in the music world at large, serving as a bridge between the ivory tower and the real world. She hopes her legacy will be as someone who found meaning in making music, teaching and collaborating with other musicians on interesting, new projects. ■
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music unites artist
All in the Family VIOLINIST TRICIA BONNER LIVES AND BREATHES THE MUSIC AROUND HER.
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Words by Amy Lynch • Photo by J.T. Smith Photography
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Growing up in Dayton, Ohio with ten siblings, Tricia Bonner’s childhood was steeped in the sounds of music. “I was born into a home where there was always music playing,” she recalls. “We’d crowd around our upright piano and sing in four-part harmony. I remember sitting in front of the stereo speakers listening to what I called the ‘Cowboys and Indians’ song while my brothers raced around reenacting a John Wayne movie, feeling the music vibrate down my spine. I later learned it was actually Beethoven’s Fifth.” Violin came into the picture when Tricia heard a performance at church. Awed at the “warmth and brilliance” of the instrument, she was excited to begin lessons, but quickly discovered that practicing was harder work than she’d expected. By the time she reached her teens, Tricia was starting to see music not just as an extracurricular hobby, but as a viable career path. “When I was 14 or 15, my dad took me on a drive and asked me what I wanted to do with my life,” she says. “I realized I had just a few years left at home, and if I really wanted to pursue music, I needed to get serious about it.” After several years of playing with regional youth and community groups, the tipping point for Tricia came in summer 2005 during the MasterWorks Festival at Grace College in Winona Lake. “I’d participated in orchestras, but not in a symphony of conservatory faculty and professionals playing alongside the students,” she describes. “When we played Dvorak’s New World, that was it for me. I was sold.” Another summer music workshop introduced Tricia to Butler University Artist-in-Residence Larry Shapiro, who she would later study under, earning a Bachelor of Music in violin performance from the Jordan College of the Arts School of Music in 2013. The diverse niche Tricia has been able to carve out for herself since has proven highly satisfying, including performances with Classical Music Indy and regional orchestras, participation in Music
Unites, weekly private lessons for 30 students, and high school orchestra coaching. “For working musicians, Indianapolis is booming with opportunities,” she explains. “In a typical week, I could be playing Irish jigs with the Indianapolis Ceili Band, teaching lessons, performing with the Carmel Symphony and playing at a wedding. It’s challenging, but I thrive on the variety.” In 2014, Tricia co-founded Ascending, a violin/ piano duo, with her sister-in-law Caitlin Frasure as a way to showcase new original works and commissions through collaboration with living composers. “Caitlin and I both went to Butler and loved to play for composition students’ recitals,” Tricia says. “After we graduated, we decided to keep it going through our composer friends. We would contact them, they’d write for us, and the project has grown over the past few years.” Together, Tricia and Caitlin have performed at concerts and festivals throughout North America and released their first album of commissioned pieces last year. Although Tricia enjoys all genres and loves adapting to whatever piece she’s playing at any given time, she highlights classical music as the common thread. “For those who are listening to it and those who are playing it, classical music connects across countries, cultures and history,” she expands. “Yet, it’s very much alive and ever-changing as an art form.” Music not only provided Tricia with a career, but with a husband. She met fellow violinist Reid Bonner when the two shared a music stand during a symphony performance in Danville, Illinois. Through conversation, they discovered they lived just a few miles apart back in Indy. Carpooling led to other gigs, which led to dating, and the rest is history. “Now we’re stand partners for life!” Tricia laughs.
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Learn more about Tricia’s work at ascendingduo.com.
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NEIGHBORHOOD MUSIC:
The sounds of summer GARFIELD PARK CONCERTS BRING MUSIC TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD. ____
Words by Amy Lynch • Photo by George Benn
No need to hire a babysitter. No constantly shushing the kids, and no one has to get dressed up in their itchy “nice clothes.” Outdoor summer concert series offer a unique set of benefits, both for the musicians who perform in them and for the listeners who gather to hear them play. On the near south side of downtown Indianapolis, Garfield Park was originally established in 1889, making it the oldest in the city, and a local favorite spot for summertime fun and live music. Named in honor of P.E. MacAllister, a co-founder of Classical Music Indy, arts supporter and one of the park’s most philanthropic patrons, the MacAllister Center Amphitheater constructed in 1922 serves as home base for a full slate of concerts, music festivals, movie screenings, theatrical performances and other cultural events held throughout the summer season, often at minimal or no charge to attend. The yearly summer schedule usually includes up to 10 classically-oriented concerts and recitals by local symphony orchestras, chamber groups, jazz ensembles, bands and quartets. “The classical performances are often subsidized by participating organizations,” explains George Benn, production arts manager for the Garfield Park Arts Center. “By inviting the community and professional orchestras to this venue, arts groups touch an appreciative audience that otherwise might never get an opportunity to experience their craft, and we’re all culturally enriched by the collaboration.” For a long stretch of time, the amphitheater was the only outdoor venue of its kind in Indy, hosting concerts and weekly repertory plays that attracted visitors by the thousands. In later decades, it became the place to see World War II Starlight Musicals and Shakespeare in the Park productions. Renovated in 1997, the facility now offers seating for 1,200 people with additional open space for blankets and lawn chairs, bringing the total capacity up to 3,000. The structure is also included in Garfield Park’s designation as a National Historic Place.
The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra has been performing at MacAllister Amphitheater since 1936 when the organization was just taking shape, highlighting a range of different classical music selections at each show. Getting out of the formal music hall and into the freshair setting offers a valuable opportunity to introduce new audiences to the classical genre in a laid-back, family-friendly atmosphere. “A park performance is open for listeners to come and go as they wish, bring their picnics and chat with neighbors during the program,” says Kristin Cutler, director of communications for the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. “While we don’t consider our indoor concerts to be stuffy or formal, our outdoor performances are certainly more relaxed. Garfield Park patrons still get to hear amazing music performed by the incredibly talented members of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. We are honored to bring the artistry of the orchestra into the community for all of our neighbors to enjoy.” Because listeners are free to move around at will during the shows, the al fresco concerts are ideal for families with young children who tend to get restless when forced to sit still and be quiet for too long. And, the fact that there are scenic open spaces, gardens, bike trails and a playground nearby to explore is a huge attraction. As attendance has grown steadily over the years, the Garfield Park summer concert series is something loyal listeners mark their calendars for. “This is one concert series the public depends on each year; we are expected to offer it without exception,” Benn says. “The neighborhood looks forward to next season as each season ends. The production team will continue offering quality entertainment to our audiences, expanding where we can and enhancing each experience as we plan for the future.” ■
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Classical Pairings GOOSE THE MARKET, A FULL-SERVICE BUTCHER SHOP AND SPECIALTY FOOD+WINE SHOP. ____ By Nicholas Johnson, Ph.D.
The good people at Goose the Market know what they are doing. They have some of the best meats and cheeses in the city. More importantly, they believe everybody is a chef, and they are eager to help guests learn how to make amazing meals at home. When you visit, go downstairs first. There you’ll see their impressive wine and beer selection and sample charcuterie. They call this space their Enoteca, a traditional Italian spot to sample wine before taking a bottle home. Here are some musical selections that pair perfectly with an amazing charcuterie tray prepared by Goose the Market’s Michelle Jordan.
FOOD:
Fromage Fort THE MUSIC:
Joaquín Turina, Piano Trio No. 2 in B minor, Op. 76 (1933) A hot bowl of melted cheese served with fresh bread. Is there anything better in life? Order it on the side. (It’s not included on the menu’s charcuterie tray.) It’s a glorified queso, and it varies depending on which cheeses are fresh and ready to be melted together. Mine was spicy and smoky with just enough mushroom and blue cheese notes to make it complex. Turina’s music melds the best of all worlds. A Spanish master of chamber music, Turina never shied from combining German, French and Italian musical sensibilities, adding a thoroughly Spanish flair of romance. The first movement matches the romance and decadence of the fromage fort. Turin wrote the piece after spending time in France, and the influence of Ravel is palpable. But it’s the scurrying second movement, mimicking a pair of dancers whisking by in a dimly-lit tavern, that captures the mind. THE FOOD:
Rabbit and Pork Cheek Terrine THE MUSIC:
Sergei Prokofiev, Romeo and Juliet, Act 1, No. 13 Game can be tricky, but again, Goose chefs know what they are doing. The rabbit’s gaminess is perfectly complemented by the sweetness of pork cheek. Similar to a French pâté, a terrine is sliced cold
and served on crackers or bread. Add some house Bavarian mustard for a kick. The flavor is bright and fresh with an old-world quality in its natural flavor. Prokofiev was a master of conjuring old-world feelings. The Dance of the Knights is powerful and time-honored. Listen to the dramatic horns and march tempo. Imagine returning home with a triumphant hunting party, carrying boar and hares ready to be feasted on that evening. This terrine is perfect for the old nobility. Treat your ears as well. THE FOOD:
Blue D’vergne cheese, served with dried cranberries THE MUSIC:
Christoph Willibald Gluck, Mélodie, from Orphée & Eurydice Michelle describes this cheese as “fit for Marie Antoinette.” I have to agree. It’s decadent, mature, warm, and lasts on the palate a long time. Tart dried cranberries make it a divine combination. Marie Antoinette’s favorite composer was Christoph Willibald Gluck. His operas solidified the musical bond between Vienna and Paris. The French premiere of his tale of Orpheus in the underworld included this additional work, suitable for the French custom of dance numbers during an opera. It is a tenderly gorgeous composition, with the sophistication to complement this mature blue cheese. The tartness of dried cranberries reflects the longing for lost love that saturates Gluck’s masterpiece. ■ Season 2 of the Classical Pairings podcast launches on March 23. Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform.
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ON AIR:
Sobriety Fest AT SOME CLASSICAL MUSIC FESTIVALS, THE TONE IS STRICTLY SOMBER. ____ by Michael Toulouse THE FANTASIA ON A THEME BY THOMAS TALLIS, AN EARLY MASTERPIECE BY ENGLISH COMPOSER RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS, COULD HARDLY BE MORE FAITHFUL TO THE ORIGINAL MATERIAL. THE THEME IN QUESTION IS A SETTING OF PSALM TWO, A LAMENT ABOUT THE FUTILE SCHEMES OF KINGS. VAUGHAN WILLIAMS’ WORK TAKES THAT MELODY AS THE STARTING POINT IN A SOLEMN MEDITATION FOR STRINGS. IT WOULD NEVER FLY AT A BIRTHDAY PARTY OR POLITICAL CONVENTION. YET THE MUSIC WAS FIRST PERFORMED AT THE THREE CHOIRS FESTIVAL IN GLOUCESTER.
That 1910 premiere illustrates how a classical music festival is different. It’s not Lollapalooza. The order of the day is often somber reflection. The Leeds Festival, for example, hosted the first performance of A Shropshire Lad, a wistful piece of music by George Butterworth. It premiered three years after Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia and three years before Butterworth’s tragic death in World War I.
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English festivals haven’t cornered the market in understatement. Ethereal string sounds highlighted the 1983 season of the Eastern Music Festival, a summertime event based in North Carolina. The festival commissioned and premiered Czech composer Karel Husa’s Symphony No. 2 (Reflections), a threemovement work that begins and ends in hushed, sustained violin harmonics.
Programming at classical festivals skews toward the serious. That’s true even when the music isn’t brand new. Take, for example, Tan Dun’s Elegy: Snow in June. Based on the story of a woman wrongly executed, the Chinese composer’s work is a lament for all victims. It was first performed and recorded in 1991 and was featured at the Aspen Festival just two seasons ago. The mood at a classical music festival may not always be bright, yet it’s difficult to find fault with that. Shouldn’t an artform so central to life reflect the up-and-down nature of life itself? ■
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