Young musicians took center stage at Sunday's Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra concert, "Romance and Riddles: The Music of Richard Strauss."
Under the direction of conductor Krzysztof Urbanski, world-class violinist Stefan Jackiw wowed the audience with his solo performances alongside concertmaster Zachary De Pue, all of whom are under the age of 35.
Junior Tyler Benware found the primary performers' young age to be one of the most exciting parts of the concert. For Benware, seeing such success in young musicians was inspiring.
"These are incredible young gentlemen who have already achieved great success," he said. "They are so close to our age, and yet they are so profound and masterful. That's something that doesn't happen every day."
The two-hour long concert, which is a part of the Green Guest Artist Series sponsored by Judson and Joyce Green, featured an impressive repertoire that Orcenith Smith, director of the DePauw University Orchestra, noted as "significant in the body of symphonic music."
The concert-opener, Don Juan, Op. 20, composed by Richard Strauss, started off the concert with a dramatic flare. The piece, which Strauss modeled off of Nikolaus Lenau's poem "Don Juan," follows the infamous Don Juan in his pursuit of an ideal woman. The music opened energetically and boldly and shifted from romantic to tranquil to heroic in accord with the three different love affairs that the piece follows.
For the next two pieces, Beethoven's Romance No. 2 in F Major for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 50 and Mozart's Concerto No. 5 in A Major, Jackiw joined the orchestra.
Jackiw, who is recognized as one of his generation's most significant artists, mesmerized audience members with his solo performances and skillful playing. Benware commented that he had never seen a musician play with such "virtuosity and passion."
For many, Jackiw's performance was the highlight of the concert.
"The concert was really, really wonderful," said Putnam County resident Sandy O'Hair. "The violinist was just magnificent."
Violin performance major, senior Susie Miller, was equally excited about the opportunity to see Jackiw perform.
"I'm a violinist, so the solos were really inspiring," Miller said. "It was such an incredible opportunity to see such an amazing musician and to have him in our auditorium."
For students in the School of Music, seeing musicians of such a high caliber perform is an integral part of their education and Benware believes it is one of the primary ways to grow as a musician. This is a belief his oboe professor, who Benware said attributes much of his success to seeing performances in action, reinforced.
"It's just really amazing that DePauw has made this a priority," Benware said. "It's hard not to be inspired when world-class musicians are coming to DePauw."
But he's concerned this is an opportunity that's not being appreciated and taken advantage of by all. Although the Kresge Auditorium was packed Sunday afternoon, Greencastle residents took up a greater portion of the seats than the students.
Benware said that this is common at these events, where new faces are a rarity. He believes that this can be attributed to the fact that students of the College of Liberal Arts don't make these performances a priority like School of Music students do.
Miller believes these professional performances hold the potential for linking the communities.
"I think these concerts can and should bring people and students together," she said. "This can link Greencastle with the College of Liberal Arts with the School of Music, which is something that we strive for."
For the final piece, Jackiw exited the stage, leaving the full Indianapolis Symphony to perform an exciting, fast-paced piece by Strauss, "Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks, Op. 28." Based on 16th century German legends, the piece reflected the protagonist's nature: "impudent, strong and humorous."
"I'd have to say this was my favorite part of the concert," Greencastle resident Steve Gabes, 52, said of the final piece. "I just really like the bombastic nature of the piece."
A standing ovation and several bows later, the concert reached its finale.
The Green Guest Artist series, however, has not come to an end. The male-chorus Chanticleer is scheduled to perform April 12 and vocalist Bobby McFerrin will perform April 15.
"These concerts can be an entry point to explore and enjoy great art," Smith said. "Just come and let the sound waft over you. Enjoy 80 humans working together at such a level of performance."