The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra 2013-2014 subscription season at the Hilbert Circle Theatre includes 14 weekends of Lilly Classical Series performances, eight weekends of Printing Partners Pops Series concerts, four DowAgroSciences symFUNy Sundays family concerts and four Stella Artois Happy Hour at the Symphony performances in its home at the Hilbert Circle Theatre. In addition, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra will be performing special classical, pops and family-oriented concerts in various locations throughout Indiana, including the new Schrott Center on the campus of Butler University, Clowes Memorial Hall, The Palladium at the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana University and DePauw University. More information on these performances will be made available at a later date.
Patrons may renew current subscriptions or become a new subscriber beginning at 10 a.m., Tuesday, April 2 by visiting the ISO’s website at www.IndianapolisSymphony.org, by phone at (317) 639-4300, by mail or in person at the Hilbert Circle Theatre Box Office. The deadline for subscription renewals is Friday, May 17. Anyone who subscribes by Friday, April 19, will receive a free ISO coffee tumbler. Patrons who subscribe for the first time by May 30 can receive a ticket discount of 50 percent off any remaining concert in the 2012-2013 Lilly Classical Series, Printing Partners Pops Series, KeyBank Coffee Classical Series or Coffee Pops Series.
All special event tickets will be on sale to subscribers and donors beginning April 2, with a 10 percent discount for subscribers, and will go on sale along with other single tickets to the general public on Monday, August 13. For more information about all Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra presentations, call the Hilbert Circle Theatre Box Office at (317) 639-4300. Outside Indianapolis, call toll free (800) 366-8457.
Lilly Classical Series
In its 83rd year, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra Lilly Classical Series season is highlighted by a world premiere ISO commission of Polish composer Wojciech Kilar’s Pastorale e capriccio, a work led Krzysztof Urbański on the podium. Also featured on that concert weekend are ISO Concertmaster Zach De Pue performing Szymanowski’s first violin concerto and soprano Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond) making her classical series debut with Górecki’s Symphony No. 3, Symphony of Sorrowful Songs. In addition to this weekend, works from prominent composers weave throughout Maestro Urbański’s programming this season.
Another significant highlight of the season will be the return of Mario Venzago (ISO Music Director, 2002-2009) to Indianapolis to conduct Mahler’s Totenfeier, Glazunov’s Concerto in A Minor with guest violinist Vadim Gluzman and Schumann’s Symphony No. 4. Other guest conductors returning to the Hilbert Circle Theatre podium are Jun Märkl, Michael Francis, Carlo Rizzi and Hans Graf. Conductors Barry Douglas and Edwin Outwater will make their classical season debuts with the ISO while Australian conductor Daniel Smith will make his U.S. orchestra debut with performances on Jan. 16 and 17.
Piano concerto masterpieces will include Mozart’s Concerto No. 23 with Ingrid Fliter and No. 25 with Barry Douglas, Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with debut artist Anna Vinnitskaya, Chopin’s first concerto with Garrick Ohlsson, Liszt’s Totentanz with Dejan Lazić and Brahms’ second concerto with André Watts.
Major works from guest violinists in the subscription season include Lutosławski’s Partita for Violin and Orchestra with Stefan Jackiw and Sibelius’ Concerto in D Minor for Violin and Orchestra with Joshua Bell.
In honor of Verdi’s bicentennial birthday weekend, the ISO will perform the composer’s monumental Requiem with the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir on Oct. 11 and 12. To celebrate the sesquicentennial birthday of Richard Strauss, many of Strauss’ works, including Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks, Don Juan and Eine Alpensinfonie (Alpine Symphony) will be featured.
The 2013-2014 season also includes several classical favorites such as Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 (“Pastoral”), Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 (“New World”), Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, Ravel’s La Valse, Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 and Stravinsky’s The Firebird and Pétrouchka.
Printing Partners Pops Series and Duke Energy Yuletide Celebration
In the Printing Partners Pops Series, Maestro Everly opens the pops season with great fanfare as the world premiere program, All That Jazz: The Music of Kander and Ebb, sets the symphonic stage for the memorable music of legendary songwriting team John Kander and Fred Ebb. The 50-year partnership of Kander and Ebb has produced many hits such as “All That Jazz” and “Maybe This Time” from Chicago; “Willkommen” from Cabaret; and “New York, New York,” made famous by Frank Sinatra.
In addition, Everly continues an ISO pops tradition of transforming a musical to a full symphonic production with Cole Porter’s Anything Goes, featuring a full cast of Broadway talent that will be announced later in the year. To round out the series of eight concert weekends, the ISO will present the songbook of Barbra Streisand sung by award-winning singer/songwriter Ann Hampton Callaway, who has previously appeared on the ISO’s pops series and its Duke Energy Yuletide Celebration; the film Singin’ in the Rain with full orchestra accompaniment; a weekend of Motown, the Beach Boys, the Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel and more in The Beat Goes On! Music of the Baby Boomers; the father-son duo of pianist Rich Ridenour and trumpet player Brandon Ridenour in I Love a Piano! featuring everything from classical to classic rock; a Valentine’s weekend of romantic standards conducted by Steve Hackman; and the anticipated return of Cirque de la Symphonie.
For the ISO’s annual Duke Energy Yuletide Celebration from Dec. 6-23, 2013, one of the most popular hosts of all time – the five-time Grammy award-winning vocalist Sandi Patty – will return and share the stage with guest artists The von Trapps, the five great grandchildren of Captain and Maria von Trapp made famous by The Sound of Music. August, Amanda, Melanie and Sofia von Trapp have performed all over the world and with many major symphonies in the U.S., Canada and South Korea.
More information on Duke Energy Yuletide Celebration will be released later this summer, and tickets will go on sale in the fall.
Special Events and Performances
The Orchestra’s 83rd season will open with the return of Opening Night Gala on Friday, Sept. 20. This opening concert will be the first performance since the installment of new seats in the Hilbert Circle Theatre, courtesy of a generous grant made by Lilly Endowment in December of 2012. The 6 p.m. program will feature world-renowned violinist Hilary Hahn performing Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy. Krzysztof Urbański will lead this concert, which also includes Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet, Overture Fantasy and Brahms’ Symphony No. 2. More details and ticket information will be released in the coming weeks.
With the opening of the new Schrott Center for the Arts on the campus of Butler University, the ISO plans to present the innovative program, “Quantum: Music at the Frontier of Science,” in this new performance space. Created by Conductor Edwin Outwater and Raymond Laflamme, Executive Director of the Institute of Quantum Computing (who will also narrate), this multimedia and orchestral performance on April 25 and 26 will investigate the similarities between modern science and the music of Mozart, Ives, Cage and many other composers.
The ISO also will celebrate the significant contributions of African-American artists and culture on the world of music in the 29th annual Celebration of Black History concert on Feb. 11. Admission is free.
symFUNy Sundays Series Presented by Dow AgroSciences
Children can wiggle and giggle in their seats during the Orchestra’s symFUNy Sundays presented by Dow AgroSciences concert series, which are Sunday matinee performances that feature engaging music and interactive entertainment at family-friendly prices. During symFUNy Sundays, families are encouraged to take part in pre-concert activities in the lobby and are invited to meet the artists after the performance. The programs are approximately one hour in length with no intermission and are designed especially with the young listener in mind.
Created by ISO Assistant Conductor David Glover, this season’s programs will include Peter and the Wolf on Oct. 20; a performance of Duke Energy Yuletide Celebration on Dec. 8; a look at orchestra instruments during Play Me a Story on March 16; and back by popular demand, Dan Zanes and Friends with the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra on Apr. 13.
Stella Artois Happy Hour at the Symphony
Now in its seventh year of special concert programming for the after-work crowd, this season’s Stella Artois Happy Hour at the Symphony concerts will be created and produced by the ISO’s artists-in-residence Time for Three (Zach De Pue, Nick Kendall and Ranaan Meyer) and will be presented on four Thursdays: Oct. 24, Jan. 23, May 15 and July 17.
Other Holiday Concerts
To complement the Orchestra’s calendar of month-long programming for Duke Energy Yuletide Celebration at the Hilbert Circle Theatre, the ISO will continue its rich tradition of presenting Conductor Laureate Raymond Leppard’s Classical Christmas concert on Dec. 14 at the Scottish Rite Cathedral and the collaboration with the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir for Handel’s Messiah on Dec. 21 at Clowes Memorial Hall. In addition to their appearance on Duke Energy Yuletide Celebration, the von Trapps will present a special performance without orchestra on Monday, Dec. 16.
Subscription Information
The Indianapolis Symphony provides three options for subscribers. A fixed-seat subscription package can be purchased for the Lilly Classical Series, Printing Partners Pops Series, KeyBank Coffee Classical Series, Coffee Pops Series and symFUNy Sundays presented by Dow AgroSciences and each offers a flexible exchange policy. The Your Season – Your Way option allows patrons to create their own subscription package by choosing a minimum of five performances within any of the series. The Symphony on Demand option provides six or 12 vouchers that may be used in any combination for any subscription concert to provide ultimate schedule flexibility.