Jay Harvey Upstage

A company of professional actors active here for seven years has drawn most attention for working  outdoors in the twilight of summer evenings.  But it hasn't been easy to put financial props under the troupe's most popular feature: "Shakespeare on the Canal" in White River State Park . "We've been scraping by since we founded it," admitted Michael Shelton recently of Heartland Actors Repertory Theatre, the professional theater company he helped establish in 2006. Now, however, HART enjoys support simultaneously from major funders of Indianapolis arts: a Central Indiana Community Foundation affiliate (the Indianapolis Foundation) and Lilly Endowment, with a "positive response" to a grant request under consideration by the Christel DeHaan Family Foundation. The synergy has resulted in HART's being assured already of having a 2014 season. "This is indeed the first time we have known this far in advance that the financial support wi...

As IndyFringe bulks up its annual festival — a chief ornament in the increasingly developed Mass Ave Cultural District — and solidifies year-round scheduling at its home on East Ninth Street, some observers wonder if Fringe has gone mainstream. Executive director Pauline Moffat reports the comment (which could reflect anxiety or gratitude, depending on the source) and has a ready response. As Moffat candidly told me, with the judiciousness that has stood her in good stead for nine successive festivals: "We're not quite mainstream —  not as long as the performers make the sole decision as to what to present." That artistic independence, of course, is a watchword of the festival, which this year runs between Aug. 15 and 25 in and around the Cultural District. That, along with the return of all box-office proceeds to the artists, constitutes the foundation of IndyFringe's success. A significant growth area, besides the ninth annual festival's increase to 384 ...

When Steve Allee complimented the audience at the end of his band's first set at the Jazz Kitchen Saturday night, it was more than a formality from a musician who is known for being unfailingly gracious. Veteran pianist-bandleader Steve Allee It actually was a great audience, quite attentive and appreciative in comparison with those at some of the Steve Allee sets I've heard at the Jazz Kitchen. On those occasions, it didn't seem such an accomplished artist and his bandmates should have had to work so hard to get a reasonable level of silence from patrons determined to regard  the performance as background music for conversation. This time, Allee had put together a band whose exact personnel was unprecedented for him, though he's played with all the sidemen in various settings.  They were Dick Sisto, vibraphone; Rob Dixon, tenor saxophone; Nick Tucker, bass, and Kenny Phelps, drums. From the first number, Joe Henderson's "Isotope," on through t...

Julia Goodwin put across "Dream a Little Dream of Me" with mesmerizing intensity and returned in the second set of finalists with  a smoldering "Feeling Good,"  and that sealed it for the 15-year-old from Baldwinsville, N.Y. Julia Goodwin, 15, won top prize in Michael Feinstein's annual contest She received the first-place award in the 2013 Great American Songbook Vocal Academy and Competition , which ended Friday night at the Palladium. ("Feeling Good" is by the Briton Anthony Newley, but that source apparently didn't make it ineligible.) The program, which attracted a crowd that filled nearly every seat in the Center for the Performing Arts flagship, was organized around a series of speeches, solo performances from four of the professional judge/mentors, and ensemble songs with all 10 candidates backing up founder/CPA artistic director Michael Feinstein ("Too Marvelous for Words") and workshop presenter Kathleen Hacker ("Th...

A successful brand can withstand a significant change and still keep the loyalty of its customers. That's what Happy Hour at the Symphony did Thursday night in wrapping up  its 2013-14 season at the Athenaeum Theatre, several blocks to the northeast of its wonted home, the Hilbert Circle Theatre. The acclaim during and after the concert, which featured vocalist-cellist-songwriter Ben Sollee, rose mightily from the tableside seats at the near-capacity theater.  Beforehand, concertgoers got into the spirit milling about in the spacious lobby under lithograph portraits of Schubert and Wagner and consuming food and drink contributed by several providers, from White Castle to Pizzology to the host restaurant Rathskeller. Meanwhile, at the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra 's home, the replacement of its 1,600-plus seats goes forward, and is expected to be finished in time for the start of the 2013-14 season. The essential elements of happy hours everywhere established a mood suit...

The 2013 Indy Jazz Fest will be a 10-day affair this September, beginning Sept. 12 with the formidable New Orleans father-figure Allen Toussaint, a pianist-singer-producer in several related genres. It will conclude Sept. 21 with a dozen to-be-announced bands on two stages inside and outside the Jazz Kitchen, 5377 N. College Ave.  For the first time, the festival will have no large outdoor venue as a site for the multi-act culmination of the annual event. The other outdoor concert scheduled features Latin jazz pianist Eddie Palmieri on the Terrace of the Indianapolis Museum of Art, 4000 Michigan Road (Sept. 17). Pianist Ramsey Lewis (center) will bring his quintet here. Ramsey Lewis, the veteran Chicago pianist whose  previous Indy Jazz Fest appearances date back to 2001, will play the Madame Walker Theatre, 617 Indiana Ave., on Sept. 13. Other Indy Jazz Fest events at the Jazz Kitchen, owned by director David Allee, are: guitarist Brian Nova, with guests Steve A...

Gary Ginstling, CEO and president of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, is moving into the 2013-14 season with a full complement of top administrators, the latest being Steve Hamilton as vice president of finance, whose appointment was announced July 23. The job involves overseeing the ISO's financial planning as well as managing its information technology and human resources departments. Hamilton, who will start work July 29, comes to the ISO from Redcats USA, a multichannel clothing retailer. Before that, he held senior-level finance positions with Auto Source Inc., Kentucky Fried Chicken and H.J. Wilson Co. His interest in local arts has been expressed through board membership at the Phoenix Theatre, where he was treasurer,  Storytelling Arts of Indiana (president) and Dance Kaleidoscope. Hamilton holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Kentucky.  He is a certified treasury professional (CTP) and a certified public accountant (CPA). His app...

Giuseppe Verdi's epic opera Aida has been something of a staple in Cincinnati Opera history, so much so that opening night of the current production on Thursday was the company's 130th performance of the work since its first, 93 years ago this week. The lavishness of this season-ending production represents the top level of scenery, costumes and lighting likely to be encountered in today's opera houses. Ancient Egypt seemed startlingly present before our eyes, even if stylistic adjustments for the filtering of this story through 19th-century Italian and 21st-century American eyes are inevitable and proper. Fortunately, the singing on July 18 usually came up to the same level of spectacle and vivid detail. Carlo Rizzi conducted, and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in the pit made many excellent contributions in support of the singing, notably in accompanying Aida's first-act bewailing of her plight in love with both her country and its enemy's chief hero. ...

The evening cooled off only slightly, but a beautiful sky overhead and the sounds of nature (well, OK, mainly cicadas) brought synesthetic pleasure to the setting for the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra 's concert Wednesday night at Garfield Park.  Francesco Lecce-Chong and ISO respond to applause at Garfield Park. Guest conductor Francesco Lecce-Chong, associate conductor of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, led a well-arranged  program of familiar music for a crowd that spilled out of the MacAllister Amphitheatre permanent seats onto the sloping lawn.  Unlike so many conductors who speak from the podium, Lecce-Chong was never long-winded in his oral program notes; he knew what he wanted to say about each piece and proceeded to deliver the goods concisely before turning around to face the music. And the music, given the need to amplify the  orchestra, was fairly true to natural orchestral sound, always a welcome but hardly predictable aspect of outdoor conc...

Malala Yousufzai turned 16 the day she spoke at the UN. Malala Yousufzai's speech to the General Assembly of the UN last week has contributed to growing worldwide support of educational opportunities for girls. Son William, who has taught at a co-educational music school in Kabul since March 2010, extends his tribute to her here: http://harmonybeat.blogspot.com/2013/07/performance-and-malala-yousufzai.html

Ben Sollee, cellist and singer-songwriter, will be the special guest of ensemble-in-residence Time for Three at the 2013-14 season's final "Happy Hour at the Symphony" concert on July 25. Host Time for Three has invited Ben Sollee for "Happy Hour" finale. Because the ISO's home, the Hilbert Circle Theatre, is being outfitted with new seats, the concert will take place at the Athenaeum Theatre, 407 E. Michigan St. Sollee will perform "The Maestro" from his new recording, "Half-Made Man." Among the musicians on the CD is Indianapolis' Carl Broemel of My Morning Jacket.  Other original Sollee compositions on Thursday's program include "Something, Somewhere, Sometime" and "It's Not Impossible." Creators of the program, Time for Three (Zach De Pue and Nick Kendall, violins, and Ranaan Meyer, double bass) will perform some of their works, too. The orchestra, conducted by Teddy Abrams, will play a move...

When your recording debut, the result of an early-music ensemble competition, focuses on one of the most cantankerous composers ever to set pen to paper, you can't be blamed for heralding it with a program titled "The Naughty List: Music of Braggarts, Hotheads, Curmudgeons and Snobs." Wayward Sisters, an amiable American quartet, opened the final weekend of the 2013 Indianapolis Early Music Festival with a concert thus provocatively dubbed.  Even so, the title omits murder and lechery among the identifying aspects of the tone-poets sampled in the ensemble's dashing concert Friday at the Glick Indiana History Center. Wayward Sisters' name comes from their "scattered lives," they say. It's hard to read into music the personal characteristics of the men who make it, as members of the quartet invited us to do in program notes delivered from the stage. But they deserve respectful attention for suggesting that connection, because Wayward Sisters ...

A staff vacancy key to Gary Ginstling's leadership of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra as president and CEO was filled today. Daniel Beckley, executive director of the Charleston (S.C.) Symphony Orchestra, is the new vice president and general manager, succeeding Thomas R. Ramsey, whose 29-year career with the ISO ended last February. Daniel Beckley,  ISO vice president and general manager Beckley, musically trained as a bass trombonist with degrees from James Madison and Norhwestern universities, headed the Charleston Symphony for three years, beginning in 2010.  Before his appointment, he had served on the orchestra's board and was part of a team that negotiated a three-year contract with the musicians. Beckley's professional musical experience  includes performing with the Charleston Symphony, Savannah Philharmonic, Symphony Orchestra Augusta, Hilton Head Symphony and Long Bay Symphony; he's also taught privately. His business experience includes half a...

Two Galileos: Richard Troxell (left) and Andrew Garland Unlike his other biographical operas, in "Galileo Galilei"  Philip Glass and his librettist fashion a  direct approach to the subject. The music as a result seems more on a this-worldly plane than "Satyagraha"  and "Akhnaten,"  acknowledged masterpieces that thread a variety of texts on a spiritual string that's by design harder to grasp. With early 17th-century Italy more directly in the background of Western audiences —  especially when the central conflict concerns the claims of religion versus those of science — "Galileo Galilei" has an immediacy that is fully addressed in a Cincinnati Opera production which opened Thursday night at the Corbett Theater. Mary Zimmerman's libretto is in clear, albeit heightened, English (except for homily excerpts delivered in Latin, which Galileo translates on the spot for his daughter). The action focuses on Galileo's wonder, curio...

What sustains artistic values in a totalitarian society? Ai Weiwei has found a unique answer, which I see as a revision and supportive critique of what bothered the art critic John Ruskin about such values well over a century ago in Victorian England. Ruskin raised his voice against a numbing uniformity in the creation of the manmade physical world after the Industrial Revolution had triumphed.  Things made for use or ornament had become more and more the product of wage-slavery. Labor had been made routine and irrespective of the laborer's joy or imaginative input. Ruskin believed that any manufacturing process that aided this kind of routinization necessarily kills beauty, which he linked firmly to the health of the human soul. We in the U.S. are well aware — thanks to all those items marked "made in China" that we own  — that the Industrial Revolution is as advanced in today's China as anywhere on the planet.  But where Ruskin had to uphold beauty in the face o...

 From violinist William Harvey's latest blog post: On Tuesday, July 9, at 8:00 p.m. in Auer Hall, pianist Cory Smythe will join me in an eclectic program featuring the music of Afghanistan and of Bach, Schubert, Elliott Carter , and Ryan Francis . The program will call the listener's attention to the connections we share with people in Afghanistan, while posing the question of what contemporary music looks like from an Afghan perspective.

Though Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" has been probed for its serious themes about life and mankind's overweening desire to master it, in pop culture the story has come in for interpretations a few rungs lower on the profundity ladder. Falling right through to the bottom, but with the genius of all the great clowns behind it, is Mel Brooks' "Young Frankenstein," the musical adaptation of his madcap movie focusing on the grandson of the notorious middle European scientist. In the late 1930s, Frederick Frankenstein journeys back to the Old Country to lay claim to his estate, soon falling prey to the temptation to galvanize the dangerous family legacy. Footlite Musicals opened its Young Adult production of the show Friday night at Hedback Theater.  The production soared enviably through the absurdity of Brooks' imaginings. I say "enviably" because who among us has not wished to be so blithe as to make all-out fun of fear and the specter of...

Raymond Leppard, the eminent British-born conductor who was music director of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra from 1987 to 2001, will add new visibility to his position as artist-in-residence at the University of Indianapolis in a broadcast interview series beginning Sunday. Raymond Leppard is UIndy artist-in-residence "Authenticity in Music" is a 13-part series of interviews with Michael Toulouse, adjunct UIndy faculty member and vice president of programming for the Fine Arts Society , which broadcasts classical music over WICR-FM (88.7), the campus radio station. The series title comes from a 1986 book by Leppard that addressed the problems of performing today the music of earlier periods in the manner envisioned by its composers.  "Authenticity in Music" is a Fine Arts Society production. Since his retirement as the ISO's fifth music director, Leppard has held the position of conductor laureate. He conducts the ISO's annual "Classical...

Emotional highs and lows throughout the Shostakovich string quartets tend to have the lapel-grabbing immediacy of late Beethoven, unique in the distinguished literature for the combination of two violins, viola and cello. Whatever banalities the Soviet composer may have committed in his more "public" works, in the string quartets (and some of the other chamber music) he laid his heart bare, and usually brought forth much more than raw feeling. In this two-disc set, the Pacifica Quartet marks the third volume of its "Soviet Experience" series on Cedille Records .  This is a powerful follow-up to its predecessors, and is especially notable for the restraint and control evident as the quartet renders the composer's more mysterious inspirations. That side of Shostakovich,  which sometimes seems to show up as an illusory calm that is more wish-fulfillment than settling in, is represented by this particular set.   Especially telling is the Pacifica's perfor...

As La Nef founding member Sylvain Bergeron told the audience, a threesome of instrumental pieces in the middle of its concert's first half Sunday was the program's brief indulgence in happy music. "Will Kempe's Jig," "Mistress Winter's Jump" and "My Lady Hunsdon's Puffe" followed in quick succession, with the last-named piece capped by the sopranino recorder's ornamented melody. But though its manner is breezy and animated, the Montreal-based ensemble focused on the English lutenist-composer John Dowland in his characteristic mood of melancholy.  Shakespeare's contemporary, a Catholic said to be bitter about lack of preferment at court because of his religion, achieved a strong international reputation with lute songs, many of them loaded with lovelorn hand-wringing. A peculiar English piece known as the dump had largely expired by Dowland's time, but in the alliterative spirit of a program titled "Dowland in Dublin...