From Blue to Red...a few colorful weeks of fun

Last weekend at rehearsal the rooms weren't so much peppered as drenched with blue. Musicians showing their Colts pride before the big game. Our two youngest volunteers ushered members of the orchestra to their seating auditions dressed in their team jerseys. Everyone rushed out at 5:00 on the dot to get home and see the kickoff. Alas, the results were not as we wished, but our pride in the home team remains.

Despite this, we turn to red this week (or maybe you did already - celebrating National Wear Red Day last Friday!). Sunday, concert day, is Valentine's Day...sure. But we wanted to bring more meaning to our audience and members so we partnered with the American Heart Association and their Go Red for Women campaign to raise awareness and educate our audience about heart health.

Have you been touched by heart disease? Or maybe you just focus on a healthy lifestyle. Join us on February 14, wear red, and support the American Heart Association. The concert begins at 5:00 pm at Zionsville Performing Arts Center. Tickets are available at the door starting at 4:00 pm. Adult tickets are $14 and discounts are available ($9 tickets) for children, students, seniors, and groups.

And don't forget - there's some great music too! Journey with us through the concert...listen for the following themes and note the stories when you attend:

Overture to Zampa, Herold: This is the overture of the opera-comique, Zampa, which follows Zampa's story through a pirate life, love, and family twists.

Symphony No. 7 (2nd mvmt), Beethoven: The movement, marked Allegretto ("a little lively") contains ostinato to listen for. Ostinato is a repeated rhythmic figure and in this piece consists of a quarter, two eight notes, and two quarter notes.

Radetzky March, Strauss: This piece with military roots is equally festive. Listen for the melody with the brass at the beginning of the piece.

"Danse Bacchanale" (from Samson and Delilah), Saint-Saens: This piece takes place during Act III of Samson and Delilah before Samson destroys the Philistine temple and increases tension prior to that climactic scene.

Cello Concerto in E Minor (4th mvmt), Elgar: Ju Hyun Lee, 13-year old cellist from Bloomington, will perform this movement. She is the Junior Division winner of our concerto competition - open to all young musicians in Indiana. We're thrilled to feature her this weekend!

Danzon No. 2 for Orchestra, Marquez: This energetic piece has much to listen for: the clarinet solo that begins the piece along with claves, piano, and pizzicato strings, the oboe answers the clarinet solo, and a lyrical portion in the middle of the piece that features piano and a duet for clarinet and flute. Enjoy the dramatic finish to the piece and the concert!

See you on Sunday!