Interlude - October 8
October 8, 2020
State of the Center video, CSO opener, voting songs and more
Welcome back to Interlude, your weekly batch of in-person and virtual arts and entertainment opportunities to enjoy on these delightfully cool autumn evenings – or anytime!
The State of the Center is …
Even casual friends of the Center will recognize Jeff McDermott, our President and CEO, as the tall, personable man who welcomes audiences, thanks our donors and sponsors, and shares campus news at the start of most Palladium concerts. This fall, Jeff doesn’t have as many opportunities to crack corny jokes onstage or even chat with people in the lobbies, and frankly, he misses it. Maybe you do, too.
To fill that temporary gap, we’re pleased to offer this inaugural State of the Center update. If you have a few minutes, Jeff will happily bring you up to speed on what’s happening, what’s next and who deserves credit for keeping the lights on here at the Center. (The state is strong, by the way.) Roll the clip!
First JazzTalk examines bebop genius
Whether or not jazz is your bag, you’re probably more hip to bebop pioneer Charlie Parker’s troubled life than his groundbreaking innovations as a saxophonist and composer. Wouldn’t you dig a casual rap about the sounds, man? With a couple cats who really get it?
Program Sponsor
Sponsored by Drewry Simmons Vornehm, the Center’s new JazzTalk online discussion series kicks off at 7 p.m. next Tuesday, Oct. 13, with “The Genius of Charlie Parker.” Your hosts are saxophonist Todd Williams, who gained national notice as a sideman for Wynton Marsalis and now teaches at Indiana Wesleyan University, and Doug Tatum, a woodwind player and former jazz radio host who happens to serve as Vice President of Programming here at the Center. Marking the centennial of Charlie Parker’s birth in 1920, they’ll talk about historic recording sessions, iconic alto sax solos and why Parker’s legacy continues to inspire musicians of all kinds around the world.
You can watch from your living room and even pose a question or two. And it’s FREE, baby! Register for the Charlie Parker Zoom session here.
The sounds of October have arrived
The wondrous turning of the leaves and the annoying yellowjackets on the patio herald the advent of October in Central Indiana, which happens to be a resonant point in the seasonal cycles of the Center for the Performing Arts. Over the years, this magical month has graced the Center’s venues with artists as diverse as America, Babyface, Cyndi Lauper, Merle Haggard, Natalie Cole, Tanya Tucker, Travis Tritt and Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox.
If you can do the Spotify, you’ll hear all of them and more on this month’s Shepherd Insurance Rewind Playlist – give it a listen.
Songbook Academy alums offer Little Songs for Busy Voters
Are you “registered, registered, registered, registered?” Are you “goin' to vote?”
Our friends at the Great American Songbook Foundation kicked off their #NotetheVote campaign this week with a happy little jingle that is sure to stick in your head! Featuring 2019 Songbook Academy® alum Lily Bogas with her friends Jack O'Leary (arranger) and Kayla Sconiers at the Eastman School of Music, this Songbook Serenade offers a reimagined arrangement of an election-worthy tune housed in the Songbook Archives.
"I'm Goin' to Vote" is one of several PSA-style radio jingles from a 1940s series called Little Songs for Busy Voters, with music by Lou Singer and lyrics by Hy Zaret (better known for “Unchained Melody”).
Listen to Lily and company “whistle a happy tune,” or in this case sing a “little song” – and please visit TheSongbook.org/NotetheVote for helpful voting information and resources.
CSO to open season onstage and online
After months of anticipation, the Carmel Symphony Orchestra will return this Saturday to its venue of residence, the Palladium, to launch its 2020-2021 Masterworks Series. Carrying the theme Hope Renewed, the program includes Bartok’s Romanian Folk Dances, Sz. 68; Grieg’s Holberg Suite, Op. 40; and Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings, Op. 48.
For fans who are leery of attending in person, CSO has arranged to livestream the 7:30 p.m. performance for viewing via mobile device, desktop or smart TV. At just $10 per household, that’s a neat deal.
Get your tickets and related info through the Center’s Box Office at (317) 843-3800 or Tickets@TheCenterPresents.org. Alternately, you can take matters into your own hands and choose one of these options:
This week in performing arts history
- October 4: In 2014, dancer and musical theater Renaissance man Tommy Tune brings his solo show Taps, Tunes and Tall Tales to the Palladium. On the same date in 1995, he breaks his foot, derailing a planned Broadway run of Busker Alley.
- October 5: In 1994 at the 28th Country Music Association Awards – which he hosted – Vince Gill wins his second consecutive Entertainer of the Year award and fourth consecutive Male Vocalist award. Gill has played the Palladium three times to sold-out crowds, in 2011, 2015 and 2017.
- October 7: In 1955, Chinese-American cellist Yo-Yo Ma is born in Paris, France. Recipient of both the National Medal of Arts and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, he has performed at the Palladium twice with British pianist Kathryn Stott, in 2012 and 2015.
