The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra will perform Sunday at the Green Center for Performing Arts in one of their six concerts conducted by Krzysztof Urbanski in the U.S. this year.
The symphony will be coming to the university as part of its new partnership with Greencastle and DePauw, initiated by the Stellar Community Grant. The concert will include a variety of music, including Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings," Gustav Holst's "The Planets" and a Szymanowski Violin Concerto No. 2.
Women of DePauw's choirs will be performing "The Planets" with the symphony, singing offstage during the movement "Jupiter."
"They are playing the most beautiful music in the world," said Dr. Mark McCoy, dean of the School of Music. "This is a program that people will really love. This concert will be a big deal because of the conductor, Urbanski. He is world famous. Greencastle is one of the six places he will be conducting this year."
McCoy stressed the importance of this opportunity for the university to come together and celebrate the arts.
"To have one of fifteen professional full-time American orchestras playing in a town the size of Greencastle, its unheard of," McCoy said. "Its just really amazing. I would guess, that in the past 100 years or so, they have only performed in Greencastle half a dozen times."
Students from the School of Music are equally as enthusiastic about the visit, particularly the music selections that they are going to perform.
"Indeed, I am truly excited about the performance this Sunday," said senior Zak Phillips, a violinist in the School of Music. "It is an opportunity for students, professors, staff, community members and anyone interested in music to come together and enjoy the beautifully expressive sounds of an amazing group of musicians. I, myself being a violinist, am looking forward to hearing Zach DePue's interpretation of the Szymanowski Violin Concerto No. 2...it's a real doozie."
McCoy hopes that this concert will help to kick off a long-worked-on partnership between the School of Music and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. The possibility of open rehearsals for DePauw music students, master classes, joint concert opportunities, and side-by-side professional and student performance opportunities are all being discussed as a part of the hopeful future partnership. McCoy plans to try to get the group to come more often, maybe even once a semester.
"At a liberal arts college we're not trying to teach you how to make a living. We're trying to teach you how to make a life," McCoy said. "What is the life well lived? How do you know? It definitely involves art, poetry and music."
Tickets for the event went on sale Monday, and were selling out very quickly. The performance will take place Sunday from 3-5 p.m.
"If I were going to pick a program to bring to Greencastle, this would've been it," McCoy said.
