50th Anniversary Edition
FALL 2018
ISSUE 08
Celebrating radio.
Contributors
CRYSTAL HAMMON
NICHOLAS JOHNSON,
CHANTAL INCANDELA
is a corporate storyteller, frustrated golfer and devoted fan of classical music and opera. She loves to play “the bump game” for free travel vouchers and blogs at DressedHerDaysVintage.com.
PH.D. is an assistant
is marketing coordinator for Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra in Nebraska. She also plays double bass and frequently writes about music and musicians.
professor of musicology at Butler University, the musicology director of the Vienna Summer Music Festival, and a local musician.
50 years of classical radio
SPECIAL THANKS TO NOTE MAGAZINE COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD AND CONTRIBUTING STAFF:
Cultural Manifesto on 90.1 WFYI Public Radio and performs as a DJ at a variety of clubs and cultural events around Indianapolis.
to art school to become a writer. He enjoys Tchaikovsky, Charleston and chocolate.
DESIGNER
Tierney McGuire Anna Pranger-Sleppy Eric Salazar Michael Toulouse
50 Years of Classical Music On-Air 08 Vintage Voice
VINTAGE SPEAKERS FIND NEW LIFE
WITH IUPUI MUSICIANS
10
Radio Isn’t Dead
THE DIGITAL AGE HAS ITS OWN MANTRA FOR
CAREER SUCCESS: CHANGE OR DIE
13
My Music. My Story.
HOW YOUR NEIGHBORS AND FRIENDS
ARE CURATING MUSIC
18
MYTHS, LEGENDS AND OBSCURE FACTS FROM
100 YEARS OF RADIO HISTORY
20
Maestro of Peace
FORMER ISO CONDUCTOR PROMOTED
RECONCILIATION AFTER WORLD WAR II
23
Music Imitates Nature
To subscribe, visit www.classicalmusicindy.org. For more information contact us at info@classicalmusicindy.org or 317-788-3291.
AN ORIGINAL COMPOSITION CELEBRATES
INDIANA’S NATURAL WONDERS
24
A Viola Plays in Baghdad
NOTE magazine is a publication of Classical Music Indy, Inc.
Radio Shorts
26
Kyle Long Amy McAdams-Gonzales
50 YEARS OF CLASSICAL MUSIC ON-AIR
04
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
BURTON RUNYAN went
Whit Bones Lisa Brooks, D.M.A. Rob Funkhouser Crystal Hammon
KYLE LONG is host of
02 Editor’s Note 03 Unwavering Purpose
28
31 32
BLOOMINGTON VIOLIST DENA EL SAFFAR
Music and Dance
GREATER THAN THE SUM OF TWO PARTS
From Porch Pickin’ to Percussion
MEET MUSIC UNITES ARTIST COREY DENHAM
On Air Classical Pairings
TOAST OUR ANNIVERSARY WITH A CELEBRATORY
PAIRING OF COCKTAILS AND OPERA
Dear Classical Music Fans and Friends, To celebrate our 50th anniversary, this issue of NOTE pays homage to America’s most consumed media: radio. Classical Music Indy was incorporated as a radio broadcaster under the name Fine Arts Society of Indianapolis in 1968. Our founders’ vision was to bring classical music to the airwaves of Indianapolis, and we have stayed true to that vision. Learn more about how our founders kept classical music on the air in Indianapolis on the following pages. We can’t properly celebrate our radio roots without honoring two founders who still participate in our organization: Gerald Hinchman and P.E. MacAllister. For over 50 years, these gentlemen have represented the best in volunteer leadership, giving decades of their time, talent and treasure. We are truly indebted to them for our continued success. Beyond the power of radio, this issue highlights a new classical composition by a local composer, a unique collaboration with music technology students under the direction of IUPUI faculty, and new ways Classical Music Indy teaches music composition to young students. We were also curious to know how local people consume music regardless of genre. On page 13, we share how music fans are using technology to find and curate new music. And finally, our Classical Pairings contributor suggests a spirited way to toast our 50th anniversary – a new cocktail created by local restaurant and bar favorite, Bluebeard. I hope you’ll visit and request this perfect beverage to toast Classical Music Indy’s past, present and future. Cheers to 50 years! May you always enjoy classical music on-air, online and in the community.
Unwavering Purpose 50 YEARS OF CLASSICAL MUSIC ON-AIR ____
For classical music fans in Indianapolis, tuning into highquality radio programming has been a reality for over 50 years. But without a handful of founding members whose passion, dedication and volunteerism were second to none, it might not have happened at all. Radio stations were bought and sold, formats changed, and fire even destroyed its recordings collection, yet the Fine Arts Society of Indianapolis (now Classical Music Indy) has thrived through a singular focus: to inspire people in the community with the power of classical music. For its 50th anniversary, Classical Music Indy celebrates a history as vibrant as the music it champions – five decades of dramatic change, award-winning accomplishments and determination to give Indianapolis the best listening experience in classical music radio. ____
Jenny Burch 02
President & CEO
“Norbert Neuss put us on the map.”
04
WAIV-FM’s program format becomes exclusively classical - THE FIRST COMPLETELY CLASSICAL MUSIC FORMAT ON INDIANAPOLIS RADIO. In the same year, WAIV-FM is sold by its owners, and co-founder Norbert Neuss, with the help of his friends, enables the Fine Arts Society to purchase that station’s 2,500-piece classical record library. Neuss stores the collection in the Lilly Pavilion at the Indianapolis Museum of Art (now Newfields) until a new home can be found.
Co-founders Norbert Neuss, F. Bruce Peck, Frank P. Thomas and Willis K. Kunz INCORPORATE THE FINE ARTS SOCIETY OF INDIANAPOLIS AS A 501(C)3. Other co-founders, including P.E. MacAllister and Gerald V. Hinchman, are recruited to play vital roles in the new charitable organization’s success.
Upon hearing INDIANAPOLIS PUBLIC SCHOOLS was constructing a new radio and television center (WIAN-FM), the Fine Arts Society approaches school officials to augment the station’s instructional programs. The new partnership results in “Second Programme,” a Fine Arts Society classical music program that airs during prime evening hours and doubles the station’s programming. For the first time, the Fine Arts Society brings Indianapolis radio audiences select student and faculty concerts from the Indiana University School of Music in Bloomington, now known as the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.
With the Fine Arts Society’s programming hours, WIAN-FM QUALIFIES AS A CHARTER NPR STATION (now WFYI-FM).
1973
1969 1968
Hoping to increase the availability of classical music on the radio, a group of research chemists at ELI LILLY AND COMPANY pooled their resources and sought a broadcast outlet for classical music on the air. The result, “Lively Arts Station,” goes live on WAIVFM. Programming includes a variety of classical music, jazz, folk music, editorials, interviews, poetry and religious discussions.
1967
1961
50 Years of Classical Music On-Air
1971
-P.E. MACALLISTER, CHARTER & LIFETIME BOARD MEMBER
THE GRANT FIRE destroys the Fine Arts Society classical music library. The Fine Arts Society starts to rebuild its collection.
Photo by Roger Birchfield IFD
05
“It gets in your blood, the drive to make something successful.”
THE METROPOLITAN OPERA selects the Fine Arts Society to join its national radio broadcasting network.
06
After a community assessment, THE FINE ARTS SOCIETY OF INDIANAPOLIS BECOMES CLASSICAL MUSIC INDY to better reflect the organization’s mission and vision. This change includes a shift to producing syndicated classical music broadcasts. Syndicated programming expands beyond Indianapolis to three other Indiana radio markets.
Classical Music Indy pilots MUSIC UNITES community outreach programs. Music Unites programs always feature a local professional classical musician, taking classical music out of the traditional concert hall and into the community.
2018
The PECK CLASSICAL MUSIC LIBRARY is named in honor of cofounder F. Bruce Peck. Today the collection has tripled in size to over 8,000 classical music discs and digital recordings.
2014
The Fine Arts Society wins the prestigious GEORGE FOSTER PEABODY AWARD. The honor is only the fourth ever received by an Indiana broadcast entity in the [then] 48-year history of the award. Judges note being most impressed by how the Fine Arts Society financed its operations exclusively from private sources.
2005
Photo courtesy of Eli Lilly and Company Archives.
2015
2001 Co-founder member Norbert Neuss retires, and the NEUSS SOCIETY is named in his honor.
1993
The Fine Arts Society partners with INDIANA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY (now UIndy) to air its programming on WICR-FM.
-GERALD HINCHMAN, CHARTER & LIFETIME BOARD MEMBER
1986
1983
50 Years of Classical Music On-Air
CLASSICAL MUSIC INDY CELEBRATES ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY ON-AIR, ONLINE AND IN THE COMMUNITY.
07
Vintage Voice VINTAGE SPEAKERS
FIND NEW LIFE WITH IUPUI MUSICIANS ____
by Crystal Hammon
08
Imagine the educational value of a pair of mid-century RCA speakers to music technology students in 2018. How relevant is 60-year-old technology to the way sound is projected today? Last summer, Classical Music Indy (CMI) invited Doug Bielmeier, Ed.D., an assistant professor of music technology at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), to answer that question. After examining the vintage speakers, Bielmeier decided their unique acoustic qualities offered a chance to blend old and new in an innovative learning experience for students. Originally made as RCA prototypes, the speakers were donated to CMI by Christine Plews and John Halter. Their cousin Jerome Halter owned the speakers before his death in 2009. The retired RCA sound engineer’s Indianapolis home was a paradise of sound gear and recordings. As Halter’s only heirs, they were pressed to find a good home for all of it—including the speakers. “They are so unique, and we really wanted to get them in the hands of someone who would appreciate them for what they are,” says Plews. “I think our cousin would be absolutely thrilled to know that they are being used to teach young people and advance the profession he cared about so deeply.” The smooth, bagel-shaped speakers became the basis of an independent study course Bielmeier designed for four IUPUI music technology students. Together, they restored and later debuted one of the speakers at a live community concert of original electronic music. The May 7 concert at Square Cat Vinyl in Fountain Square included CMI’s Assistant Director of Community Engagement Eric Salazar, who is also a classical clarinetist.
“Restoring, repairing and creating new music to be performed on the vintage RCA speakers helped them make connections to our rich musical history while forging a path to the music of tomorrow,” Bielmeier says. “It became a way to relate what they do on computers with the music-production practices of the analog era.” IUPUI’s music technology students are musicians who learn how to record, compose, manipulate and perform all kinds of music. In today’s media-driven world, a computer isn’t just a computer— it’s also a musical instrument. To get into the program, many students audition using a laptop the way other musicians use a clarinet or a piano. Their mastery of software is akin to that of any virtuoso instrumentalist. Making electronic music is often compared to what a disc jockey does, but Christian Rangel, a student enrolled in the course, says the comparison misses the mark. “I don’t DJ,” he says. “I perform everything live. I trigger all my own audio. I play my own chords and melodies.” At the May concert, Rangel performed Grasp, an original composition that blends electronic music with manipulated sound clips drawn from open-source NASA archives. “The speakers are like a vintage voice talking to the crowd,” he says. “They’re a work of art in themselves, and it was so cool to play my music with something of such a unique caliber.” Rangel says the project inspired him and his classmates to keep pushing boundaries, giving audiences new ways to hear music. ■
Students enrolled in the Speakerless Independent Study Course were: Christian Rangel, Alex Hauptmann, Kathryn Holland and Keher Neote.
09
THE DIGITAL AGE HAS ITS OWN MANTRA FOR CAREER SUCCESS: CHANGE OR DIE. Most college students internalize these words as a rule for survival, but the 2018 graduates of the radio program at University of Indianapolis are playing by a slightly different set of rules than their peers. By the time their diplomas arrived in May, half of them had jobs in the field—many as on-air talent. They’re the future of radio, and they’ll succeed by delivering the same special sauce that has kept radio vibrant for the past 100 years. “Radio has always been an interactive medium—much more so than all the others,” says Scott Uecker, a veteran broadcaster and faculty member at the University of Indianapolis electronic media program. “We are the intimate media we have always been. Radio is live and it’s local. If we do it well, we connect with listeners like no one else can.” No one denies the onslaught of competition coming from new media. But radio is still an industry darling in terms of advertising revenues, thanks to the size and scope of its listening audience. No other medium enjoys the daily relationship Americans have with AM/FM radio. With 270 million listeners each week, radio has a bigger audience than television, smartphones, computers or tablets, according to the 2018 Audio
by Crystal Hammon
Today Report by The Nielsen Company. Ninety-three percent of adults 18 and over are tuning in to radio. What’s more: its robust audience draws people of every age, gender and ethnicity.
NOTHING BEATS LOCAL RADIO TALENT Uecker says the fuel for radio’s enduring popularity is the personal connection between each listener and the on-air personalities that bring us music. For that reason, the future of radio may depend on the industry’s ability to cultivate new on-air personalities who can entertain, inform and relate to listeners. That’s especially true for classical music, which has only a fraction of the total listening audience. “Yes, the music is incredibly important because that’s how people decide what stations to preset in their cars, but what we put between the music must be valuable to listeners because there are so many similar and readily-available substitutes for radio,” says Uecker, who also serves as general manager at WICR on the University of Indianapolis campus. Uecker believes radio alternatives will never be able to outperform local radio talent doing what they do best. “Every station in the market can play the exact same songs if they want to,” he says. “At WICR, if anyone wants to come on the air [in the local market] and go against us in the classical format, we’ve got Michael Toulouse. We’re going to win. People are listening to hear what he has to say about the music.”
11
Toulouse is the program director and host of Classical Music Indy’s signature program, Classical Music with Michael Toulouse. His syndicated program airs on WICR as well as other stations. “I’ve been around long enough to witness a lot of change in broadcasting, but no matter what the current technology is, people will always be communicating,” Toulouse says. “That’s our real job and our bigger mission—communicating about the music.” Covering central Indiana’s classical music scene gives Toulouse a strong local following, but he also hears from people who follow from afar through online listening and syndicated broadcasts of his show. “As I speak into the microphone, I want people to have the sense that I am talking directly to them, that I’m a companion, listening along with them.”
CULTIVATING AN APPETITE FOR CLASSICAL MUSIC
Radio isn’t dead.
For Classical Music Indy and other like-minded organizations that want to spread passion for classical music, radio stations like WICR make natural allies. Radio and online listening are still the most popular ways to consume audio, and they make classical music affordable and accessible to everyone. Radio’s classical music audience has been stable for the past five to seven years, and stations that play it are committed to recruiting new fans.
12
“Our challenge at WICR is the same as any performing classical music group,” Uecker says. “We have to find ways to get younger audiences to listen to the music, and we hope some of them will develop a love for it. It’s not that young people don’t like classical music; they just don’t know it.” In the local market, one of the most visible champions for giving people their first taste of classical music is Kyle Long, host of a public radio program at WFYI, Cultural Manifesto. “My show isn’t tied to any particular genre or time period,” Long says. “I will have a classical musician or composer in the same episode as a rapper from the community. I am trying to engage a wide audience and encourage people to open up and listen to things outside their typical diet of music.” As America’s broadest and most inclusive path to classical music, public radio has a growing audience, especially among listeners who are bored by corporate dominance and generic ideas. Their craving for local content gives Long creative freedom to explore arcane topics and to mine the local music ecology. “The same impulse that drives people toward the local food movement is driving them to the kind of radio programming we’re doing at WFYI and the kind of programming Classical Music Indy is doing, as well.” ■
On our 50th anniversary, we celebrate radio’s power to share music that stirs our imaginations, gives us refuge and transports us to places we’ve never been before. Keep reading and see how the digital age is changing the way we listen and expanding our taste in music.
My Music. My Story. MUSICAL SCORES AREN’T JUST FOR MOVIES. HERE’S HOW YOUR NEIGHBORS AND FRIENDS ARE CURATING MUSIC TO ACCOMPANY THEM THROUGH EVERY ASPECT OF LIFE.
____
by Crystal Hammon
I listen to various types of music, but R&B and Hispanic are my favorites. I’ve grown up listening to R&B, and I started listening to Hispanic music when I became interested in Hispanic culture. When we’re in the car, I listen to the radio. At home, I listen to a playlist I have set up in SoundCloud. I listen before school and when I get home in the afternoon until late at night. I turn to music when I’m sick or when I’m in a good mood. Usually, it makes me feel happy. Favorite groups: Migos and Destiny’s Child. TAMILA W.
a fifth-grade student at Christel House Academy West
11 13
My Music. My Story.
MALLORY MORENO
Digital Media Manager, WICR, University of Indianapolis
LISA BENJAMIN
Information & Technology Coordinator, Coburn Place
I listen to music every single day. I tend to use my ITunes to go back through albums I haven’t listened to in a while or to rediscover old favorites. You can get a good survey of new albums or new groups on YouTube, especially if they aren’t on Spotify. When I’m traveling long distances, sometimes an FM station doesn’t hold out very long. Trying to find a station can be annoying. I’ll usually listen to whatever music is on my phone to avoid burning through data. If I’m looking for new music in my favorite genres—progressive or post-progressive rock—it will be in the morning before work, based on website reviews from ProgReport.com, Prog-Sphere.com or ItDjents.com. To find new classical music, I’m a little biased toward New Amsterdam Records, one of the big, new classical music labels in the United States. They are releasing most of the new classical albums that interest me.
MACKENZIE LAMONT, PH.D.
Composer, percussionist and graduate of University of Indianapolis and the University of Cincinnati CollegeConservatory of Music, music faculty at Frostburg State University
My Music. My Story.
14
I’m all over the place with my listening habits. I listen to music every single way that you possibly can. I feel like a lot people my age do that, too. Radio has been a constant, and it’s probably the easiest way to listen to music. When I listen to radio, I feel like I listen differently than other people. I want to critique it. I’m constantly paying attention to what songs they are playing, what’s popular and who is popular. Despite all the other avenues for listening, it’s [radio] still a thriving industry. That said, I use those other avenues, too. I have Spotify on my phone, and I use it to look for music and search for new artists.
I listen to music pretty much all the time. I love cranking up the tunes in my car. I listen to my iPod all day at work. At home, we have a stereo system that plays throughout the house, including outdoors. Experiencing music live is the best way to listen, though. Some of my favorite bands allow taping and streaming of their shows, which is a great way to get that live vibe when going to a show isn’t possible. I believe in supporting artists whose work I enjoy, and I purchase a lot of music, mainly digitally, but sometimes CDs, too. I don’t use streaming services like Spotify or Pandora partly for that reason, but I do appreciate how the Internet has made so much music available that wouldn’t have been heard otherwise.
15
At one time, my sister and I had a collection of over 4,000 different discs. Streaming is now my favorite way to listen because I can program what I want and make my own playlists, whether it’s cool club music, electric blues, Delta blues or soothing music to chill with. You can be specific to whatever your mode is. When I’m cleaning the house, I can put in strong upbeats to get me fired up and going. To me, that’s the beauty of streaming. I listen to music all day long. Music keeps us chugging along and happy in the store. I’ve created a Bob Dylan and Van Morrison station and it has their music plus a lot of music they thought was good. When I set diamonds, I love to listen to country music. It doesn’t highlow you. It’s kind of working-man-pullsyou-through. Repetitive, fine motor work doesn’t need crashing drums or guitars. Also opera is just fantastic to work by.
DAVID FISHMAN
16
Lately, I’ve carried an ITunes subscription for my family. Its For You section makes it very convenient to find new music. It pulls me away from the radio by creating playlists and stations based on my likes, but it also throws in new stuff that keeps you moving in different directions. I like that because you can get very stuck in what you know, and you don’t hear any new music. My radio listening is mainly for morning and afternoon news, and sometimes, 88.7 WICR for classical music, or 105.7 WYXB, which is family-friendly soft rock.
NATHAN TUTTLE, CEO
Head of School, Edison School of the Arts for kindergarten through eighth-grade students
For me, music is a primary focus of my every day life. Everything I do revolves around it. It’s my source of creativity. When I’m working on a collection, I find songs that stimulate me. I daydream and visualize what goes with the music. That’s how I create runway shows. People will ask me, “What are we going to see?” And I’ll say, “I don’t know yet because I haven’t found the right music.” I listen to music more than I watch TV. In my boutique and workspace, I’m constantly listening to YouTube. I like the way they arrange two or three hours of uninterrupted music. It helps me maintain a certain energy. In the car, I have Sirius radio, but I notice it becomes redundant—no different from a radio station. It’s just not unique enough for me. I like chill, progressive trance music or instrumental music with a strong bass line.
NIKKI BLAINE
Owner/designer, Nikki Blaine Couture
My Music. My Story.
My Music. My Story.
Co-owner of Fishman Fine Jewelers, Carmel
I listen to everything from classic rock to gospel and everything between. At school, we play classical, jazz and piano music every day for eight to 10 hours a day.
17
RADIO’S FIRST CULTURE WAR
Radio Shorts MYTHS, LEGENDS AND
OBSCURE FACTS FROM 100 YEARS OF RADIO
____ by Crystal Hammon
18
At the beginning of 1920, there were no radio stations. Two years later there were roughly 600. In the early days of radio, nearly everything on the airwaves was experimental. Skirmishes over purpose and content were rampant. Some people, for example, considered classical music on the radio a possible answer to America’s labor problems. If everyone listened to Bach and Beethoven, some thought Americans might live in perfect harmony without labor strikes, racial strife or class warfare. “Among the upper bourgeoisie in the early 20th century, [there was a belief that] the spread of ‘good music’ equaled the spread of moral and political goodness— that initiatives of cultural uplift could counteract vice and criminality, promote temperance and chastity, pacify class antagonism, neutralize labor unionism and hasten the integration of unassimilated immigrant groups into the AngloProtestant mainstream,” writes Cliff Doerksen, journalist, historian and author of American Babel: Rogue Radio Broadcasters of the Jazz Age.
WOMEN IN RADIO The first woman radio DJ in Indianapolis was Gwendolyn Schort Burris, a private drama teacher and Butler University graduate who was invited in 1937 to co-host Tea Time Tunes, a radio program at WFBM—the ancestor of WRTV. “In those days, women just did not do anything,” Burris said in a 1977 interview. “I just couldn’t believe it. Here I was, a little nobody, and yet I was going to become a radio personality.”
Burris went on to host Apron Strings and Wishing Well, radio shows that targeted women. Wishing Well was sponsored by Kittle’s Furniture. “The thing that we tried to do was entice the listening audience to [go in and pick up] a contest blank and wish for something,” Burris said. “Wishes came true each week because the company would have me read the letters they selected.”
RADIO FACT & FICTION Practically everyone knows about The War of the Worlds, the famous Orson Welles radio drama from the Golden Age. Two things you might not know about that broadcast:
1.
2.
For decades, a myth circulated that the show caused widespread hysteria. American newspapers started that legend. They were so threatened by radio’s growing advertising revenues that they jumped at the chance to discredit radio as a credible news source by exaggerating the show’s effect. The radio waves from the original 1938 broadcast of The War of the Worlds are not dead. They’re traveling in space a mere 80 light years away. That’s because sound waves travel at the speed of light— forever. ■
19
Maestro of Peace FORMER ISO CONDUCTOR PROMOTED RECONCILIATION AFTER WORLD WAR II ____ by Kyle Long As the conductor for the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO) from 1937 to 1955, Fabien Sevitzky is widely credited for bringing the ISO to national prominence, in part because he understood the importance of mass media in establishing the orchestra’s reputation. He secured important recording and broadcasting opportunities for the ISO and believed that radio could be harnessed for the greater good, as revealed by one of the maestro’s finest moments near the end of his ISO career. Fabien Sevitzky was born Fabien Koussevitzky in Vyshny Volochyok, Russia in 1891. Sevitzky shortened his family surname at the request of his uncle Serge Koussevitzky, the famed conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The elder Koussevitzky was understandably concerned about the potential for confusion between the two identically named maestros. Throughout his career, Sevitzky lived in shadow of his venerated uncle, but his contributions to classical music are unforgettable. Decades before the concept of diversity entered the national dialogue, Sevitzky realized that classical music was in need of greater cultural representation. During the Jim Crow era, Sevitzky’s ISO featured black guest soloists, performed at Crispus Attucks High School and forged relationships with Ruth McArthur’s Indiana Avenue conservatory.
INDIANA HISTORICAL SOCIETY, M0614
Sevitzky countered the near-monopoly of European and Russian composers in the concert hall by championing the work of new voices from across the Americas and the Far East. He was an ardent supporter of the trailblazing black composer William Grant Still, commissioning work from Still and conducting the premiere of Still’s 1960 opera, Highway 1, U.S.A. Sevitzky also played a role in bringing the work of South American composer Astor Piazzolla to international attention. In 1953 Sevitzky traveled to Argentina to conduct Piazzolla’s symphonic work Buenos Aires and awarded the composer a scholarship to study music in Paris with Nadia Boulanger. In April of 1954 Sevitzky programmed Buenos Aires on an ISO bill, marking the first major U.S. performance of the Argentinian master’s work. Today Piazzolla is remembered as the king of tango, and his music is celebrated around the world. One of Sevitzky’s most interesting artistic relationships featured the Japanese composer Akira Ifukube. In 1936 Sevitzky conducted the world premiere of Ifukube’s Japanese Rhapsody with the Boston People’s Symphony Orchestra. The young composer was so grateful to Sevitzky that he later dedicated the piece to the maestro. So began an enduring long-distance correspondence between Sevitzky and Ifukube that would survive the tumultuous period of Japanese and American hostilities during World War II.
21
music in the community There is relatively little scholarship on Sevitzky’s life, but one thing is clear: the maestro believed deeply in music’s power to influence social change. Sevitzky also believed music could be used to incite war. Horrified by the nightmarish reports of Nazi war crimes emerging from the Second World War, Sevitzky generated national controversy in July of 1945 with a series of sensational remarks connecting German music to the rise of Nazism. If music could be used to start war, Sevitzky believed it could also inspire goodwill and peace among nations. In that spirit, Sevitzky summoned the compositional talent of his old friend Akira Ifukube to plan what would become the most dramatic musical gesture of his tenure with the ISO. Ifukube had promised Sevitzky the debut performance of his Sinfonia Tapkaara. Sevitzky seized the opportunity to construct a program that would function as a musical olive branch to Japan. Sevitzky’s premiere of Ifukube’s symphony was scheduled for January 26, 1955 at the Murat Theater, just ten years after the United States’ cataclysmic detonation of atomic weapons in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The concert was titled A Salute to Tokyo, Japan and ambitiously billed as ”America’s first cultural contribution to the people of Japan since the end of hostilities.” A commission to score a rather odd Japanese film, depicting the psychological terror of wartime Japan interrupted Ifukube’s completion of Sinfonia Tapkaara. Godzilla
22
premiered in Nagoya, Japan in October of 1954. The film’s iconic title character represented a metaphor on the dangers of nuclear weaponry and reflected the atomic destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The ominous brass motif Ifukube created for Godzilla is one of the most famous themes in international cinema and remains the composer’s best-known work. It’s unclear if Sevitzky was aware that record numbers of Japanese moviegoers were experiencing Ifukube’s music in 1955 as they packed theaters to marvel at the awesome spectacle of Godzilla. The maestro wasn’t content with his Tokyo tribute being confined to Indianapolis. With the assistance of Indy’s long running AM powerhouse, WIRE, Sevitzky recorded the concert and planned its broadcast in Japan. Immediately after the concert, a recording was flown to Japan and “broadcast over 61 Japanese stations to a potential audience of more than 3,000,000 persons,” according to a January 26, 1955 report in The Indianapolis Star. There are no available English language records of the Japanese response to Sevitzky’s broadcast of international goodwill. In fact, there’s very little record of his gesture at all. Nevertheless, his message of civility and peace calls out to listeners today as an enduring beacon of hope. ■
Music Imitates Nature AN ORIGINAL COMPOSITION CELEBRATES INDIANA’S NATURAL WONDERS
____
by Eric Salazar & Anna Pranger Sleppy Nature is mystifying and beautiful. The calls of a bird or shades of color on a flower surround us, yet often go unnoticed. In celebration of nature’s majesty, Classical Music Indy partnered with Indiana’s Fort Harrison State Park to draw attention to the wonders of Indiana’s locale. The idea: create the first-ever classical composition that pays tribute to the unique natural assets of one of Indiana’s most beloved state parks, and present the music in a concert series. Thanks to the Indiana Arts Commission’s Arts in the Parks and Historic Sites program, Classical Music Indy commissioned local composer Rob Funkhouser to write this new piece, which premiered at the park on April 28. Funkhouser is “a composer, performer and instrument builder who can never quite sit still.” The Butler graduate has released recordings on various music labels in three countries and maintains an active career as a performer in central Indiana. In addition to the Fort Harrison commission, his recent projects include music for Parade 2017, a dance
choreographed by Rebecca Pappas and facilitated by No Exit Performance, as well as a new work for Forward Motion, a local ensemble. Funkhouser’s Three Peacetime Images for Fort Benjamin Harrison State Park tells the story of the park’s creatures in three movements. In the first movement, percussion instruments imitate woodpeckers with varying rhythmic patterns, ranging from steady to sporadic. The second movement’s melodicas and alto saxophone stand in for frogs croaking in the night. As a finale, Funkhouser raids the collection of Rhythm! Discovery Center, incorporating one-of-a-kind “plank marimba” to evoke the visual excitement of lightning bugs through the audible sensation of mallets on wood. A local trio of percussion and saxophone artists will perform the piece live on Saturday, September 22 at 2 p.m. at Fort Harrison State Park. The performance is free, but the park has an entrance fee per vehicle. More information can be found on Classical Music Indy’s Facebook Event page. ■
This activity is made possible with support by the Indiana Arts Commission, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, and Fort Harrison State Park.
23
A Viola Plays in Baghdad ____
by Burton Runyan
Bloomington violist Dena El Saffar grew up surrounded by Arabic music, but it wasn’t until she visited Iraq that she finally understood it.
“I had been playing very serious, classical things. And as soon as I started playing [with my cousins] it was like a big dance party,” El Saffar says. “I don’t think anyone had really danced to my viola music before. That was a pivotal moment for me.”
When she was 17, the Iran-Iraq war had ended, and she was able to accompany her father on her first trip to visit family in the capital city of Baghdad.
“My favorite situation is playing for a mixed audience,” she says, describing the cultural interactions that happen when Hoosiers hear her perform a classical vocal tradition that has been around for centuries—the Iraqi maqam.
“I’ve reflected back so much on that trip,” she says. “There was a lot of build up, wanting to go—it started really young for me.” It was the perfect age to appreciate the journey. “At that age, you really start to become more self-aware. Asking yourself, ‘Who am I compared to my peers?’ I wanted to be an individual and to know my roots instead of being like everyone else.” El Saffar is glad she made the trip when she did. Shortly after her return, the Gulf War erupted, followed by a series of conflicts that still impact the region. “It was as if I had a premonition I may never be able to go back, because I told myself, ‘I’m going to absorb every experience, every landscape, every building.’ I don’t think I’d felt that way about anything before. I think that awareness deepened my experience there.” Her age also afforded another moment of serendipity. Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, El Saffar was an accomplished violist. She was preparing to go to conservatory to study classical music and brought her viola on the trip to stay in practice. When El Saffar’s cousins asked her to play along with an Iraqi pop song, she obliged, and their excitement set her life on a new course.
After returning from Iraq, El Saffar formed the Bloomington-based band, Salaam. Today, they get radio airplay, take interviews with National Public Radio and play for crowds at festivals, pop-up concerts and private parties across the country.
Americans tend to be very circumspect and stoic—even meditating—whereas people from the Middle East clap and dance, which brings about a fun realization for Americans who haven’t experienced the music as it’s played on the streets of Baghdad. “It’s such a loosening up, and I love that because that’s the kind of cultural interaction I love to create. It’s humanizing, which is what we all need right now.” That trip to Iraq helped El Saffar connect to her family roots and introduced her to a new genre of music, showing her how music can bring people together across boundaries. “One of the things that has stayed with me is the soundscape in Baghdad,” she says. “All the different mosques broadcast the call to prayer at the same time. It sort of clashes in a really great way. You hear the near ones and the far ones, and they’re all in different keys and voices.” El Saffar found beauty in classical music and discovered humanity on the streets of Baghdad. Today, she brings the two together in the heart of the Midwest. ■
25
THE ENERGY BETWEEN A DANCER AND AN AUDIENCE CAN BE A POTENT, PALPABLE THING. MUSIC AND DANCE:
Greater than the Sum of Two Parts ____
by Chantal Incandela
Often we hear of artists “feeding off ” the energy of an appreciative audience and vice versa. Add the energy between a musician and dancer, and you get an extra element of excitement for performers and audience alike. “We dance to canned music most of the time,” explains Mariel Greenlee, dancer with Dance Kaleidoscope, describing the relationship dancers have with prerecorded music. “It feels like a conversation. And when you add another person to the mix, it feels a little more alive. It makes the music seem like a living, breathing thing that you dance with like a partner.” Helping her create this connection in October is the music of George Gershwin and Claude Debussy in Music of the Night, played by Eric Zuber, a 2013 American Pianist Association finalist. Each artist views the collaboration through a distinct lens. Zuber, who has a special relationship with Gershwin’s music, has collaborated with other musicians before, but never with a solo dancer. Nevertheless, he appreciates what it will bring about. “Participating in a multi-disciplinary collaboration like this can really expand one’s horizons and change the way one thinks about music,” Zuber says. “Working with and studying the movement of dancers, instrumentalists can gain a number of insights into musical
flow, phrasing and other such important elements that can benefit our interpretations of solo music. I’ve always enjoyed the process of creating something special together in a spontaneous way.” Now in her 14th season with Dance Kaleidoscope, Greenlee has danced to this repertoire before, but never accompanied by a live musician. She finds the collaboration with Zuber easy, fun and exciting. “In dance, you’re in a hyperactive listening frame of mind,” she says. “You’re also hyperaware of your body, which is your instrument. Things happen, and you’re like ‘Oops, I accidentally balanced that in a way I haven’t before, but then I was late. But then he sped up and I sped up, and we were together, and it was a magical.’” There’s a hyperawareness for Zuber as well. “When working with dancers, I expect it to be more akin to solo playing, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to have my attention fixed constantly on how I can musically assist what the dancer is attempting to convey on stage,” he says. Greenlee describes her role as dancer as “the physical embodiment of music.” She feels closely connected to all music—especially when it comes from a live artist. “These moments can’t be forced,” she says. “They only happen as two living, breathing things together. It’s magic.” ■
For Music of the Night performance and ticket information, visit Dance Kaleidoscope’s website at www.dancekal.org.
27
music unites artist
From Porch Pickin’ to Percussion ____
by Burton Runyan Corey Denham grew up in Appalachia, in the mountains of North Carolina, watching his cousins and great-grandfather come together to play bluegrass music in the living room, or when the family crowd got too big, on the porch. “I learned early on that there can be quality music happening in all sorts of spaces. It doesn’t have to be prestigious,” Denham says. “I think that’s one thing that’s been really impactful on me. Not only was music a big part of my family life, but the music was at a really high level.” Denham’s early exposure to music led him to study the art and earn a master’s degree in music from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. He now lives in Indianapolis and teaches at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. Through Classical Music Indy’s Music Unites Artists program, Denham has found another great way to share music the way he did on the porch all those years ago. “A lot of people feel that music is a magical thing that only a few people are talented enough to do,” he says. “It’s important, for young people especially, to hear quality music often, but also to recognize that the people who make that music are just like them. They’re just regular people.” Music Unites facilitates pop-up concerts in places people may not expect to see classical music—places outside of a concert hall such as First Friday events, art galleries and more. The program brings music to people rather than the other way around.
28
“For me personally, it’s a really good fit because I enjoy playing in those settings
more than a concert hall,” Denham says. “It feels more interactive and personal. I have a chance to actually share with an audience in a more meaningful way. Concert halls can sometimes feel sterile and prestigious, and might feel uninviting to people who aren’t from that world.” Denham’s notion of making music feel more accessible has also influenced his personal style and instrument of choice. As a percussionist, his instrument is constantly changing and adapting. “The materials we’re playing with don’t afford us the same relationship a violinist or cellist might have,” he says. A violinist may carry the same instrument through their entire professional life, learning its quirks and personality like an old friend, while a percussionist may play one piece on construction buckets, another on a snare drum, and yet another on a fence railing. For Denham, sharing classical music with people from all backgrounds is an article of faith, stemming from his North Carolina roots. Playing in interesting spaces for people who may have little to no experience with classical music has only confirmed what he has always felt. “It’s become one of my goals as a musician to actively perform in spaces that are not typically thought of as having classical music audiences,” he says. “It’s become an extremely important part of what I do, and Classical Music Indy has been a huge part of shaping that perspective.” ■
Music Unites Artist Corey Denham is supported by The Penrod Society.
29
On Air
Favorites from the Past ____ by Michael Toulouse FOR CLASSICAL MUSIC INDY’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY, WE ASKED HOST MICHAEL TOULOUSE TO REFLECT ON HIS FAVORITE CLASSICAL PIECES - TIMELESS WORKS THAT HE HAS PROGRAMMED FOR AUDIENCES’ ENJOYMENT OVER THE YEARS.
At any given moment, someone in radio is compressing something. From the engineer smoothing out the signal, to the IT expert squishing the data, or the programmer—one of my kind— perpetually compressing time. I skim, skim, skim, trying to predict listeners’ reactions.
Meet the Voice
with Michael Toulouse THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25 AT 6 P.M. WFYI PUBLIC MEDIA 1630 N. MERIDIAN ST. INDIANAPOLIS, 46202 (FREE ADJACENT PARKING)
Michael is Program Director of Classical Music Indy and the host of Classical Music with Michael Toulouse. With three decades of experience hosting classical music programs throughout the Midwest, Michael’s expert knowledge and award-winning broadcasts keep you tuning in for more. Michael will share how he selects classical pieces for his radio show, why his listening audience matters, and how today’s classical compositions are shaping the future of classical music.
30
Tickets available at Eventbrite.com by searching “Meet the Voice”
Auditioning a whole symphony or concerto is impossible, yet in the time it takes to plan an afternoon of listening, at some point I hit on a problem child. It’s the favorite child, actually, but that’s what makes it a problem. Listen to me, it says. All of me. Such an insistent message can really mess up your day. It’s only worse when there are extra obstacles—such as an oddly-shaped cardboard box, opening from the bottom, as if it holds fine jewelry. Tucked inside is something nearly as precious: the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra’s complete recording of Tafelmusik, by Telemann. The composer thought of this collection as merely the accompaniment to a fine meal, but the music becomes my food. The chefs are Karl Kaiser (flute) and Petra Müllejans (violin).
Sadly, the Freiburgers are just an appetizer. My entrée is an even larger hunk of time, sculpted by Beethoven into three string quartets he intended for “a later age.” Count Razumovsky, the Russian diplomat who paid for the music, apparently didn’t begrudge this extravagant bit of delayed gratification, ceding Opus 59 to future listeners whom Beethoven neglected to identify. He didn’t name any performers, either, but I would guess at least four of them play in the Takács Quartet, whose recording of the Razumovskys is a worthy time sink in any age. Another to-do list bites the dust, thanks to my fondness for boxed sets of CDs. My long side trip ends with something mercifully shorter: the Danzon No. 2, by Mexican composer Arturo Márquez. Gustavo Dudamel leads the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela in a 10-minute romp on the edge of chaos. With a smile on my face, I return to my regularly-scheduled compression. 31
other, but the sweet and floral soon resolve. They play nice and communicate in a way that Sam and Dinah never do. THE COCKTAIL:
A Quiet Place
designed by Ryan Gullet, Bluebeard THE COMPOSITION:
Trouble in Tahiti by Leonard Bernstein
Classical Pairings JOIN US IN A 50TH ANNIVERSARY TOAST TO CLASSICAL MUSIC INDY WITH A NEW TWIST ON A CLASSIC COCKTAIL.
____
by Nicholas Johnson, Ph.D.
32
Cocktail visionary Ryan Gullet, the bar manager for Bluebeard, based Classical Music Indy’s 50th anniversary cocktail on a classic Manhattan with several tweaks that make a modern experience. We dubbed his concoction “A Quiet Place” because it’s like looking backward and forward in one glass, much like the dichotomy between Leonard Bertstein’s one-act opera Trouble in Tahiti and its sequel A Quiet Place, which looks at the same family 30 years later.
Aside from a libretto about Sheridan sofas and bone china, the other star of Trouble in Tahiti is the jazz trio. The opera is drenched with silky-smooth radio jingles drawn from a certain era. This cocktail also has a trio that goes down dangerously smooth – just like suburbia: a spiced simple syrup made of beer, a Horse’s Neck orange peel, and the bubbles of Scarpetta Frico Frizzante, which I just discovered is a sparkling wine. (Learn about music or booze every day for a happier life!)
The opening notes of Leonard Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti strike the listener with snare drum and clarinet. Bluebeard’s new cocktail, A Quiet Place, strikes the drinker with citrus and hibiscus. It’s tropical and urban, spiritually fulfilling, or as Bernstein might put it, “island magic.” There are only two main characters in Trouble in Tahiti: Sam the businessman and Dinah, his wife. Keeping with Bernstein’s habit of skewering American society, the opera centers on the strife in their relationship with commentary on the many distractions and comforts that supposedly make life worthwhile. Sam struts his stuff on the handball court, Dinah describes her life to a silent psychologist, and their lives of quiet misery are interrupted only by regular trips to the movie theater. The two main ingredients in our anniversary cocktail fare better. Cognac and Gentian Amaro get along swimmingly in Bluebeard’s A Quiet Place. The point of the drink is the interplay between grape and hibiscus. At first sniff, they may seem at odds with each Photos by Esther Boston
Trouble in Tahiti may not be Bernstein’s most celebrated work, but it captures the American experiment of the 20th century. Whether the experiment was a success or failure is ultimately up to the individual, though Bernstein certainly voiced his opinion in Trouble in Tahiti and his sequel opera, A Quiet Place. Head to Bluebeard and celebrate Bernstein’s 100th birthday and Classical Music Indy’s 50th anniversary together by ordering A Quiet Place and listening to Trouble in Tahiti. Think about the life you want for the 21st century. ■
33
Celebrating 50 years of classical music on-air, online and in the community. PLEASE JOIN US FOR THE FOLLOWING UPCOMING EVENTS:
Penrod Arts Fair
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 9 A.M. – 5 P.M. Newfields
Clothed in Classics with Sector 65 SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 4:00 – 6:30 P.M. Bier Brewery & Tap Room
Music in Nature Series
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 2 P.M. Fort Harrison State Park
This issue of NOTE magazine is made possible by these generous donors:
