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All Episodes

Classical Pairings Gets Caffeinated With Quills Coffee

September 21, 2022Classical Pairings

In this episode, host Nick Johnson invites Justin Duenne, the Store Manager at Quills Coffee Indianapolis, to introduce us to the Indy coffee community. Quills has grown from a tiny neighborhood shop in Louisville, Kentucky, to a regional and national presence with shops in New Albany and Indianapolis. Find out what Nick pairs with their Salted Bourbon Caramel Latte and Mystic Coffee Soda.

TranscriptRelated Blog Posts

Nick Johnson (00:06):

All right. Hello everybody. And welcome back to an exciting episode of classical pairings. I am your host, Nick Johnson. And in this show, I get to meet some fantastic people all around Indianapolis at various breweries and restaurants and wineries and distilleries. And today for the first time, I’m very happy to be in a coffee shop. I’m here at Quill’s coffee with Justin Denny, the store manager, uh, Quill’s Coffee is currently on ninth and something. Justin what’s

Justin Duenne (00:33):

Ninth and Senate.

Nick Johnson (00:34):

Thank you

Justin Duenne (00:34):

By the canal

Nick Johnson (00:36):

Uh, but Maybe because I just, uh, said that they’re gonna be moving and probably by the time you hear this episode, you’ll be able to find Quill’s Coffee on ninth and Meridian, correct?

Justin Duenne (00:43):

Yeah

Nick Johnson (00:44):

Uh, when did you say that’s gonna open?

Justin Duenne (00:46):

For, I think it’s tentatively July 8th

Nick Johnson (00:50):

Okay, okay. Very good. So by the time people hear this, it will be open, go to ninth and Meridian. I hear there’s gonna be good parking and you’re gonna, uh, on this episode, get to hear all about their coffee. Um, apparently they’ve been in Indianapolis, uh, for seven years. Um, I am, um, maybe I’m sad to see, I’ve never been to this location before, but I’m very excited. So Justin, thank you so much.

Justin Duenne (01:09):

Yeah.

Nick Johnson (01:09):

For having us thank you for agreeing to sitting down and doing this weird thing of talking about coffee and music simultaneously. Uh, but Justin, uh, tell us, how did you get in this game?

Justin Duenne (01:19):

Um, I got into this game kind of on accident, I think as a lot of people in coffee and tend to do. Um, but I was at a job, I grew up in Cincinnati area, had a job that brought me to Indianapolis in 2015. Um, ended up leaving that line of work that I was doing in 2018. Um, and honestly at the time I just needed somewhere to work and I knew someone that worked here. I never worked in coffee. Um, I’d worked in like, like my first job was like subway, you know, in high school. So I’d worked in, like

Nick Johnson (01:49):

I worked at Blimpes

Justin Duenne (01:51):

Yeah. The same thing. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, same idea. We were also connected to a gas station as many Blimpes are.

Nick Johnson (01:56):

Yeah [laughter]

Justin Duenne (01:57):

Um, but that was my first job. So I knew like the service, you know, industry a little bit, I had just never done anything like this, um, and this is a little, you know, adjacent to the service industry. I think in some ways, um, we’re not, you know, serving, um, we’re just making drinks for people and we make it and walk away. Um, and that’s kind of, that’s kind of the deal, but I got into it. Yeah. Back in 20, yeah. 2018. So I’ve been doing this for four years now. Uh, worked as barista for two and then started managing, um, the shop back in fall of 2020.

Nick Johnson (02:30):

Okay

Justin Duenne (02:30):

And things were real chaotic.

Nick Johnson (02:31):

Okay. Okay. Yeah, An easy time, I’m sure to take over a business where people have to come in person like physically. Yeah.

Justin Duenne (02:37):

It was interesting, but well,

Nick Johnson (02:38):

Luckily you have a lot of space in here. Maybe people could space out. Yeah.

Justin Duenne (02:41):

It was, it was nice for that. Um, we have so much space that it was, you know, when people were coming in for COVID stuff they were able to stay away from each other. And we were able to, we never closed during all that time. So, um, we maintained and we’re still standing.

Nick Johnson (02:56):

Okay, Fantastic, just great. And so this is a very broad question

Justin Duenne (03:01):

Yeah

Nick Johnson (03:01):

I’m just asking for the plug, uh, why Quills, like what makes Quills different than the other coffee places?

Justin Duenne (03:06):

I mean, for Indianapolis, Quills is probably, and I don’t want to speak out of step here cause I’ve only lived here for seven years now. But, um, Quills is one of the first specialty coffee shops in Indianapolis.

Nick Johnson (03:17):

Okay.

Justin Duenne (03:18):

Um, and what I mean by like specialty coffee is sometimes people call it Third-wave Coffee. Um, but like specialty coffee, there’s an entire like association, the SCA, um, Specialty Coffee Association that actually like gives you that, you know, to be able to claim that that you’re a specialty coffee, uh, shop. So we, you know, all of our beans are, uh, fair trade. They’re all, you know, ethically sourced. Um, you know, I’ve been, it’s been described to me as like where we get our beans, um, is almost like a pyramid. And at the top of that pyramid, there’s a, just a few roasters throughout the country. Um, that are actually getting from that crop.

Nick Johnson (03:55):

Okay

Justin Duenne (03:55):

Um, and it’s all really high quality stuff.

Nick Johnson (03:57):

Okay

Justin Duenne (03:57):

Um, so, you know, at the base level of coffee is, is really good.

Nick Johnson (04:00):

Okay. And so it’s called Third-wave Coffee?

Justin Duenne (04:03):

Yeah,Yeah.

Nick Johnson (04:04):

Okay

Justin Duenne (04:04):

Um, I Don’t

Nick Johnson (04:05):

Do you have a drink called like Third Wave Ska? Because that’s all every time, I’m just thinking third waves coming. Anyway.

Justin Duenne (04:10):

No, for sure.

Nick Johnson (04:11):

Maybe I’m showing my age, but thinking of Third Wave Ska there.

Justin Duenne (04:14):

Yeah, I think that’s is that the last wave of Ska?

Nick Johnson (04:16):

It was, but it’s been a while, like the fourth wave is coming, the fourth wave any minute now

Justin Duenne (04:20):

It’s on its way

Nick Johnson (04:21):

Like I just keep looking around the corner seeing if that fourth wave of Ska is coming. Yeah. Anyway, I’m sorry. This is a classical music show. Not a Ska show.

Justin Duenne (04:27):

No, you’re all right.

Nick Johnson (04:27):

But every show should ultimately be a Ska. I’m a saxophonist. So yeah. Um, I haven’t played in a lot of Ska bands, but you can’t really get through high school and college without getting asked.

Justin Duenne (04:38):

Right

Nick Johnson (04:38):

Like, Hey, could you step in with my Ska band?

Justin Duenne (04:40):

Yeah. Yeah, for sure.

Nick Johnson (04:40):

Sure. I can anyway. Anyway, I’m sorry, but that derailed it. Okay. But so Quills is based in, uh, Louisville, correct?

Justin Duenne (04:47):

Yeah, Yeah.

Nick Johnson (04:47):

Yeah. Okay. And when did it open there? You said you’ve been Indy about seven years.

Justin Duenne (04:50):

  1. Um, is when it opened down there and then yeah, we, I think they brought it up here, I guess it would’ve been, I mean, maybe it might be more than seven years. Uh, I think at least 2014 is when we started here.

Nick Johnson (05:01):

Oh, okay

Justin Duenne (05:03):

Um, when they brought it up.

Nick Johnson (05:04):

It’s impossible to count time before

Justin Duenne (05:06):

I mean it’s hard

Nick Johnson (05:06):

The pandemic for sure.

Justin Duenne (05:07):

Yeah. It’s it was back then.

Nick Johnson (05:09):

Yeah, It was in the olden days.

Justin Duenne (05:11):

In the olden days. Okay. Um, but yeah, so they’ve been doing it for a while. Um, our owner started it and it’s still, you know, um, owner led, he’s still like, got the final say in all of this. So, um, and you know, we obviously all know him really well. Um, it’s not, that’s not like a, Because,

Nick Johnson (05:30):

So he still comes up here sometimes?

Justin Duenne (05:31):

Yeah, yeah. He’s very involved and it’s not, you know, like a franchise or anything like that, where, you know, they’re just popping things up. We just happen to have a shop in Indy right now. Um, cuz it worked out, you know, years ago. Um, but we all, like, I just saw people from Louisville today, you know, we met and we’re talking about our new space and stuff, so we’re all very much involved with each other.

Nick Johnson (05:52):

Nice. Yeah. Okay. So is, is the coffee all roasted?

Justin Duenne (05:54):

Yeah. All, all the coffee is roasted in Louisville. We get a delivery, uh, from them, uh, once a week, every Friday. And so we’re constantly going through, uh, new coffees, like even the stuff that we have on drip, uh, like filter coffee is always changing.

Nick Johnson (06:07):

Okay

Justin Duenne (06:07):

You know, not necessarily sure what you’re gonna walk in and see, we kind of got like the docket up here. Um, sitting on a shelf, all the coffees that we’ll go through during the week and stuff.

Nick Johnson (06:16):

It’s good to just say here vaguely on an audio podcast. Yeah.

Justin Duenne (06:19):

I was like, you know, they can’t, they can’t see it, but there’s, I can assure you there’s a bunch of bags of coffee.

Nick Johnson (06:24):

There are I, I looking at that, I, I agree with you. Looking at coffee. Is there maybe I, so we’re gonna talk coffee in a like, cause I know very little about coffee. What I do know about is whiskey. And so therefore because of the Louisville connection.

Justin Duenne (06:38):

Yeah

Nick Johnson (06:38):

Are there sometimes interplays between the coffee? Yeah. And some of the, the bourbons that come out to Kentucky.

Justin Duenne (06:42):

Sure, um, a lot of, so we have like a latte that we use bourbon in.

Nick Johnson (06:47):

Okay

Justin Duenne (06:48):

Um, and like our caramel syrup, we cook some bourbon with it. Um, it gives, you know, a nice little tang to it. Um, nice flavor, a little bit of smokiness, but not, you know, not too much. Um, but they’ve done, It’s been a while, but I think a couple years ago for like the Derby we did like a, um, like a version of like the mint Julep, but with coffee and stuff. So it was like a coffee and mint.

Nick Johnson (07:10):

Oh, That sounds fun. Okay

Justin Duenne (07:11):

It was like a cold brew drink with some cream and mint and stuff. And that was really fun. Um, I think that, I’m trying to think if there’s any other drinks, um, that we have that are kind of like bourbon inspired. Um, but one of our guys too in Louisville, um, who is like our head roaster, uh, is super into whiskey stuff as well. And I mean coffee, you know, if you’re drink, especially like espresso, if you just drink straight espresso, it’s a very similar experience to drinking whiskey. You know, it’s for someone that’s never had it, it’s probably not gonna love it, love it taste of it immediately. Yeah. Same thing with like whiskey or anything like that.

Nick Johnson (07:44):

Okay

Justin Duenne (07:45):

Um, it’s obviously like a, you know, something that you learn to enjoy.

Nick Johnson (07:48):

Yeah

Justin Duenne (07:48):

And then once you get to that point, you can notice all the subtleties.

Nick Johnson (07:51):

Yeah

Justin Duenne (07:52):

And how different coffees taste different.

Nick Johnson (07:54):

Okay

Justin Duenne (07:54):

So, it’s yeah, similar to whiskey in that sense. For sure.

Nick Johnson (07:57):

So, okay. I’m trying to think of a way to word this question. The broad question is convince me. Okay. So you can, that’s where I’m heading. Yeah. But I’m trying to think of a way to word this because I, um, when we were, you know, chatting earlier, I mentioned in general coffee to me is a thing I have in the morning as a utilitarian thing.

Justin Duenne (08:14):

Yeah

Nick Johnson (08:14):

So that when I go to teach, I don’t yell at my students.

Justin Duenne (08:17):

Uhhh, yeah, yeah

Nick Johnson (08:18):

That’s that’s ultimately it is a way to be pleasant to the people I work around.

Justin Duenne (08:21):

For sure

Nick Johnson (08:22):

Now it’s not to say I don’t like a good coffee and I’ve had coffee, but I’m like, Ooh, this is really good. Um, I have no idea what they did to make it that way. I just know that it was really good.

Justin Duenne (08:30):

Yeah

Nick Johnson (08:31):

Um, so, but there’s certainly other craft things where, I mean, I’m obsessed with like the care that goes into a perfectly made cocktail or like a perfectly made dessert or a brewer with, with beer and things like that.

Justin Duenne (08:42):

Right

Nick Johnson (08:43):

And I know just as much work goes into making good coffee. So, um, I don’t know if there’s a question there, but if I tell you just convince me, do you have some things you can riff on?

Justin Duenne (08:52):

I mean, so coffee, I mean, you know, some people look at, at alcohol in a utilitarian way, uh, in the same way.

Nick Johnson (08:57):

Yeah, That’s true, Absolutely. In fact, probably most.

Justin Duenne (09:00):

Yeah. Look at, you know, alcohol, the same thing, but you know, when you get to, you know, we see like the, the rise of like craft breweries and like micro distilleries and stuff obviously here in Indianapolis. Um, they’ve popped up so much over the last five or 10 years. And it’s the same, very similar thing with coffee. Yes. You know, some people I think, come in here and treat coffee, like it’s a utility. I think it’s probably got, uh, it’s just, that’s just how it’s been in our country for so long. You know, it’s like, you need your morning coffee, um, to get going. But I think with, with Third-wave coffee, it takes it a step further. And you know, we don’t even necessarily think about, you know, like the, the caffeine content that we’re putting out. Like sometimes folks will ask us, you know, like, well, how much, like, how strong is this? And it’s not necessarily about that. Like, we have a few different ways obviously to consume coffee, whether that’s like a hot, just black, drip coffee, we have like cold brew, that’s brewed for 12 hours overnight, um, and then we have like espresso, which is my favorite. Um, and they kind of like equate, you know, the only way I’ve been able to equate it is like, um, some of our flavored drinks, like our lattes are like a cocktail espresso’s like drinking straight whiskeys. And then like a cold brew or like drip coffee, like a beer, you know, like, I don’t know how else to describe it.

Nick Johnson (10:11):

Yeah

Justin Duenne (10:11):

But the proportions are very similar. Like our espresso is gonna be two ounces. Okay. So about the shot of you, you know, something kind of whisky or something and same thing with like.

Nick Johnson (10:20):

Interesting

Justin Duenne (10:20):

You know, cold brew, coffees, about a pint. So, and then, you know, our, uh, lattes are 12 ounces. Which is probably a little bit more than a cocktail. But, um, when you get to like to, you know, I guess convince you on some of the coffee, um, my favorite way to try it is either, you know, through espresso or through like pour over coffee, which I don’t know if you’ve heard about.

Nick Johnson (10:43):

I’ve heard of, I don’t understand what the difference between that and drip is. That’s how ignorant I am.

Justin Duenne (10:47):

I mean, these days, like with the machine,

Nick Johnson (10:49):

Some people might have just rolled their eyes when they heard me say.

Justin Duenne (10:51):

No, these days, like our machines are doing almost as good of work as like a hand, you know, pour. Um, but with like, uh, with pour overs, you get to try stuff and not have to make an entire batch of coffee. You can just make it quick, 12 ounce, 16 ounce. And so when we do it, um, you know, it’s just to try different stuff. And with a pour over, you know, you’ll get some subtle notes that you might not get in like a, you know, filtered, large batch, 96 ounce filter, coffee kind of thing. Um, but honestly I love like espresso and tasting different things on espresso is a lot of fun because when you pull espresso with a machine like this they’re pressured. And so you get a crema like a Guinness, um, when you drink espresso, um, and it’s super nice and it’s one of those things you have to drink it within, like the first little bit you get it or else. Cause it’s not something you wanna drink, want to go, obviously coffee room temp is not the best thing in the world.

Nick Johnson (11:45):

Yeah, Yeah.

Justin Duenne (11:45):

And espresso, the crema will eventually evaporate, um, and so just, you know, some of my favorite stuff that we have right now, um, is the Summer Sun blend. Um, so we always have like a blend of coffee every season. So, like last for the spring, it was, is a thing that we always do for our spring blend, which is called Poliwag.

Nick Johnson (12:04):

Okay

Justin Duenne (12:05):

Um, and that was a blend of two different Ethiopian coffees.

Nick Johnson (12:08):

Oh wow, Okay.

Justin Duenne (12:08):

And this one is a blend. Uh, the Summer Sun is a blend of Ethiopia and Honduras. Um, and so Ethiopia, a lot of avid coffee drinkers and coffee snob people most of them, not all, um, but will say that Ethiopia is like the, is the best.

Nick Johnson (12:23):

Okay.

Justin Duenne (12:24):

Um, and I that’s what I like the most. Okay. Um, when you get coffee like that and you get to try it just black with nothing else in it, it’s gonna be super fruit forward. Very light. Um, nothing like, um, you would experience from like a cup of Folgers or something like that. It’s so different. You get to, you can smell the fruit, you can taste it. It’s got a great mouth feel, all of those things. Um, and so, you know, with Third-wave coffee, a lot of it is it’s getting away from the utilitarian side of it and actually taking a second to like slow down and taste what it is that you’re, you’re having. Cause coffee is a great thing that we all love and use. Um, and it tastes great. Yeah. And there’s just a few little subtleties that you can do to make it taste really well too.

Nick Johnson (13:07):

I see what you mean, the comparison to alcohol again, for sure. With the Folgers sort of like if, if all you’ve ever had is, and I actually, I actually quite like it. I was gonna say PBR, I actually quite like PBR. We were talking earlier how we both have backgrounds as country or like folk musicians. You have to like PBR to be allowed in those gigs.

Justin Duenne (13:25):

For sure, I mean,

Nick Johnson (13:26):

But if that was your only experience, then if that’s what all alcohol was, it would be like, why would I.

Justin Duenne (13:33):

be very limited

Nick Johnson (13:34):

spend a bunch of money or time on that

Justin Duenne (13:35):

Right, Exactly, For sure.

Nick Johnson (13:37):

Um, so one thing I think is, uh, I just got back from traveling and actually people been listening to the show they actually just heard an episode I did in India, which was super exciting. Um, before that though I was in Italy and in Vienna, uh, was teaching in Vienna, had a nice vacation in Italy. And one of the things that I, I actually really love about culture there, and I’m curious your thoughts on it here, about like a cafe culture yeah. Is in, in Vienna, at least there was a culture that goes back into the early 18 hundreds that people would hang out at the cafe or the coffee shop for three to four hours, something like that.

Justin Duenne (14:14):

Right

Nick Johnson (14:14):

And in a similar way that we might hang out at a bar right that long. Right. Um, but when I come here, people tend, I don’t know if it was like, if it’s the Starbucks-ification of coffee right. That we tend to think of it as, and then like, if it’s the American, like always have to be working, that we’re in and out of the coffee shop, but then eight minutes, it took longer than that, then something’s wrong. Um, but going and just like sitting at a coffee shop and reading the news and talking to people and like for hours. Um, and not to just sit there and write a screenplay or something.

Justin Duenne (14:48):

Right, Right

Nick Johnson (14:48):

It’s like, you know, the common like joke of someone with their laptop, at a coffee shop. I don’t know. Um, I’m looking around at this beautiful room here and I know by the time people hear this, you’ll be in another beautiful room. Right. Right. Are you gonna have a similarly nice space for people to hang out?

Justin Duenne (14:59):

Uh, it’s a big open, um, lots of places to sit. Okay. Uh, that we even probably more places to sit than we have currently.

Nick Johnson (15:07):

Oh, nice. So what do you think about that? Like cultivating, uh, a culture where that you, it’s not just a getting with utilitarian. It’s not just a place you stop in to like, right, grab groceries. It’s a place you go to actually spend some time, enjoy or work or converse or meet people or whatever.

Justin Duenne (15:24):

Uh, we, you know, as a crew here, there’s only me and five other people that run this place. So there’s six of us total, but we all really want, you know, it to be a good community, um, aspect and like a place that you want to be hanging out. Um, not a, yeah, like you said, not a place that just come in and go out, you know, granted, we we’re gonna have folks that come in and go out.

Nick Johnson (15:44):

Yeah. Oh, for sure.

Justin Duenne (15:44):

It’s totally fine. Yeah. Um, but I know that there’s the, you know, this is something that people have been talking about forever because there’s a lot of things in Europe that Americans, you know, love and they’re like, why can’t we do that? Yeah. You know [laughter] and this is just one of the many things I’m sure.

Nick Johnson (15:59):

Yeah.

Justin Duenne (15:59):

Um, but I think it’s something that we’re getting to, and I think, you know, when we move, um, and we have like our own space, cause we have like a sort of a shared space now it’ll be more of that. You know, since I’ve started working here, we built, you know, relationships just with people coming in for coffee. You know, friends and, um, people that are, you know, now close with us. Just because they came in here. And so we get, you know, we have some of our regulars that will come in and we’ll talk for, you know, 25-30 minutes sometimes, you know, in between, you know, making stuff and chatting. And so, I mean, for myself personally, I want this place to be somewhere that they can come in and, you know, feel at home, I guess, you know, um, some of my favorite places to go in are, you know, little cocktail bars, or quiet, um, places to drink, you know, like nothing too crazy. And you know, all of us will love music here too. So we’re always playing.

Nick Johnson (16:52):

Yeah, I see your stacks of vinyl over here.

Justin Duenne (16:54):

Bunch of Vinyl in here.

Nick Johnson (16:54):

There’s a turntable right next to us here.

Justin Duenne (16:56):

Yeah, We, play records and then we’ll play obviously like stuff on, on Spotify a lot. Um, but generally, um, you know, it’s probably stuff that the average person’s not listening to. And we all have such different tastes, um, that there’s always, you know, and then sometimes we’ll just fool around and play like Barbie girl or something in here. Um, every now, or like when I, when the old town road was popular, I would play, I would play that at the, when we were closing.

Nick Johnson (17:22):

[laughter]

Justin Duenne (17:22):

Um, and just like kind of bump it in here, but, uh for the most part, yeah, it’s, it’s all over the place with cool music and yeah, cool folks. I mean, we get people that all over the place, you know, if you take the time to ask, you know, them a question, uh, maybe even just how their day is going or something You get, you know, I’ve met people from all over the world. Uh, a lot of people from all over the country that are just visiting and found us by happenstance, you know, work close to the interstate here right now. And I think a lot of folks when they pass through Indy and just quickly Google coffee shop.

Nick Johnson (17:53):

Yeah

Justin Duenne (17:54):

Yeah. Luckily for us, we’re like one of the first ones to pop Up.

Nick Johnson (17:56):

Okay

Justin Duenne (17:57):

And so we get to just chat with a lot of people. And I think, I think for the most part, people come in here and feel like a, you know, a welcoming environment and the communal space. Um, like I said, with the new, with our new spot, I think that’ll be, uh, even more so, yeah.

Nick Johnson (18:12):

Nice. Well, I certainly, yeah. I don’t think one shop can necessarily change the culture of cafe.

Justin Duenne (18:17):

No, no.

Nick Johnson (18:18):

Um, but it’s, I don’t know. It’s good that other people are thinking about

Justin Duenne (18:21):

It for sure.

Nick Johnson (18:22):

Um, Kind of would like to taste something.

Justin Duenne (18:23):

Yeah

Nick Johnson (18:23):

What do you think you’re talking about? You’re you are working on convincing me here. I’m almost there.

Justin Duenne (18:28):

Yeah. I’ll make you, um, I’ll make you some right now. Okay. Um, so I mentioned earlier, uh, that we have like a, a lot, uh, drink that we use bourbon in, um, it gets cooked out, so there’s nothing, you know, nothing to worry about about

Nick Johnson (18:44):

Okay

Justin Duenne (18:44):

Anyone in, on their morning commute, you know?

Nick Johnson (18:47):

Fair enough. Yeah. Okay.I mean, I’m not worried, but I’m just

Justin Duenne (18:49):

Getting tipsy or something on the way in, but,

Nick Johnson (18:52):

Um, I’m also here at 6:00 PM.

Justin Duenne (18:53):

For Sure, For sure, Yeah. Um, so we make this, we, all of our syrups that we use for our drinks, um, we make here in house. Um,

Nick Johnson (19:03):

You’re just grinding coffee. That’s just,

Justin Duenne (19:04):

Yeah, just grinding coffee

Nick Johnson (19:07):

Sorry, Continue. Narrating here, play by play guy here for the,

Justin Duenne (19:09):

Yeah. Grind him out. I’m gonna actually sit here and weigh-

Nick Johnson (19:14):

Oh, okay

Justin Duenne (19:14):

Our beans, because this hasn’t been fired up and for like, just like, you know, 30 minutes or so. So it might be a little cold,

Nick Johnson (19:22):

Might be a little what?

Justin Duenne (19:23):

What might be a little cold. Um, sometimes if it sits for a while, it might like seizes up a little bit.

Nick Johnson (19:28):

Oh, I see what you mean. You’re making sure you’re getting enough.

Justin Duenne (19:30):

Yeah. Making sure I’m getting the right amount of coffee.

Nick Johnson (19:32):

What Is the, what are the beans you’re using here?

Justin Duenne (19:33):

So, oh yeah. So these are, um, it’s our house espresso blend, which is called blacksmith.

Nick Johnson (19:39):

Okay, I see a bag of that

Justin Duenne (19:41):

Yeah. We have a bunch of bags of the, so

Nick Johnson (19:43):

People can buy those. They can also just take home beans.

Justin Duenne (19:45):

Yeah. We have, um, bunch of 12 ounce bags that people can buy and take home. Um, and then we have like a bunch of five pound bags that we use for our stuff. So the blacksmith is a blend of the Columbia, Brazil and Peru. Sometimes that changes. Um, but it’s always, uh, south or central American. Um, same thing with our, uh, house blend that we use on drip. It’s always gonna be Central or South American blended Together.

Nick Johnson (20:11):

And so you’re making espresso now is the first step.

Justin Duenne (20:13):

Yeah. So I’m pulling a shot, double shot of espresso. Okay. I’m gonna kind of see how it comes out real quick. Um,

Nick Johnson (20:18):

What are you looking for?

Justin Duenne (20:20):

Looks like its doing all right. Uh, so we have parameters that we’ll set. Um, so like normally it’s roughly, um, we’ll put 19 and a half grams of coffee into the porta filter, which is the thing that I just put up there. Um, and then we’ll expect about 40 grams of coffee to come out and around 30 to 32 seconds or so. Okay. Um, and then that’s how we know that we’re in the, in a ball, in the good ballpark, uh, that it’s gonna taste close to what we’re looking for. Okay. Uh, every,

Nick Johnson (20:51):

So if it doesn’t come out that way, you try it again?

Justin Duenne (20:53):

Yeah. Well, if we usually try it again, um, but it’s been going all day, so it’s been set up well, every morning we will, you know, will

Nick Johnson (21:01):

You have to like tune it?

Justin Duenne (21:02):

Yeah. We call it like dialing in.

Nick Johnson (21:03):

Oh yeah. So like a guitar player with their pedals.

Justin Duenne (21:07):

Okay. Something like that. Okay. So for this drink, um, we add 25 grams of our like salted bourbon, caramel syrup, and then two, you know, 40 grams of espresso. And then the rest is going to be steamed milk.

Nick Johnson (21:20):

Okay. What’s this beverage called again?

Justin Duenne (21:21):

This is the salted bourbon caramel latte.

Nick Johnson (21:24):

Nice

Justin Duenne (21:24):

Are you alright with whole milk or do you?

Nick Johnson (21:26):

I am, yeah.

Justin Duenne (21:27):

Okay, cool. We’ve got all kinds of milk alternatives, but nothing steams as good as whole milk.

Nick Johnson (21:33):

No. So I’m gonna have to come up with some music to go with this. Um, the name alone means I need to pick the most perfect piece of music ever.

Justin Duenne (21:43):

[laughter] Yeah. Same thing with like steam and milk too. Um, all of this stuff is, you know, we have to get trained on how to do it, um, and for most people that start steaming milk is probably the hardest part. Um, cause it’s not as simple as just like throwing the steam wand in milk and hoping for the best. So you’re trying to get like a really good texture, um,

Nick Johnson (22:09):

Interesting

Justin Duenne (22:10):

So that you can, you know, do the latte art and stuff. And so that like you don’t burn the milk, you don’t want too much microfoam, but you need a little bit in there. Um, so that the drink isn’t like just super watery.

Nick Johnson (22:21):

So it sounds like a pretty fascinating mix of kind of art and science would you say?

Justin Duenne (22:25):

Yeah, Yeah. um, you know, or the, the latte arts, you know, you’re limited into what you can do, um, with milk and a and a mug. Um, but there’s a lot of cool things that you can learn.

Nick Johnson (22:37):

Yeah, Okay.

Justin Duenne (22:38):

Along the way that helps.

Nick Johnson (22:40):

And that’s so, okay. The, is that because people taste with their eyes first, is that sort of why or is it,

Justin Duenne (22:48):

I think it’s, I mean, I’m sure

Nick Johnson (22:49):

Barista has just tried to show each other up or what’s the

Justin Duenne (22:51):

It’s a lot of, it’s a lot of that trying to show each other up [laughter] um, and then it’s a lot of fun just trying to figure out what you can do. Um

Nick Johnson (22:59):

Okay

Justin Duenne (22:59):

Which is, you know, it takes a little while to get used to it. Um, but people, same way you try to present like a, any other drink really well.

Nick Johnson (23:08):

That’s beautiful.

Justin Duenne (23:09):

Um, yeah, you, it’s a pretty thing to look at, you know, and it’s not something that’s super complicated, you know, anyone can learn how to do latte art. Um, it’s more about getting the milk texture right. And then, you know, the milk does the job for you usually.

Nick Johnson (23:23):

Yeah. Okay. So it’s um, I’m enjoying the latte art before I, before I dig in here, this is the classic flower

Justin Duenne (23:31):

Tulip. Yeah.

Nick Johnson (23:32):

Tulip, is that what its called?

Justin Duenne (23:32):

You can call it flower. Okay. There’s a few designs that you can do like a Swan.

Nick Johnson (23:36):

I’m gonna prep with a napkin cuz you have a beard too. You’re probably I’m sure. You know, the it’ll my mustache is about to get

Justin Duenne (23:43):

The mustache, for sure.

Nick Johnson (23:47):

I’m just smelling right now. Yeah. Yeah. By the way, that smells divine.

Justin Duenne (23:54):

It’s like a, it’s like a hug in a cup for sure.

Nick Johnson (23:57):

[laughter] Nice. Yeah. The, when you were talking about the caramel syrup, I was worried it was gonna be too sweet. Yeah.

Justin Duenne (24:12):

It’s definitely sweeter for sure.

Nick Johnson (24:14):

Yeah. But it’s not too sweet. So many people, uh, will take a, let’s say if you went to, you know, a major national chain and ordered something called the salted bour-bourbon caramel latte. They probably wouldn’t have the word bourbon in it. If you ordered a salted caramel latte, it would taste like candy. It would not actually taste like coffee. Which way like just eat a candy bar

Justin Duenne (24:38):

And the same with all of our syrups and stuff. Yeah. We’re trying not to drown out the taste of coffee.

Nick Johnson (24:42):

Yeah, exactly. I can actually taste coffee. Yeah. Which is kind of, which is actually very exciting. It’s a very nice mix.

Justin Duenne (24:48):

For Sure.

Nick Johnson (24:52):

That’s very good. Okay. Um, is this like a seasonal one or?

Justin Duenne (24:57):

No, this is one we always have.

Nick Johnson (24:58):

So, and even in the new location, people be to get this?

Justin Duenne (25:01):

Mm-hmm, it’s kind of like, especially when a lot of folks come in that have never been here before. We’ll usually figure out what they like. If they like something like with a little bit of sweetness to it, I usually point ’em in this direction because it’s definitely a crowd favorite and it’s cool. You know, it’s not something that you see all the time that people are making syrups with bourbon for coffee.

Nick Johnson (25:20):

Yeah, yeah, yeah. No. And I, I can tell the bourbon’s there.

Justin Duenne (25:23):

For Sure. It’s but it’s very, very

Nick Johnson (25:25):

I think someone could have this for sure. On their way to a morning meeting.

Justin Duenne (25:28):

Yeah, yeah, yeah

Nick Johnson (25:28):

Or if you’re doing what I’m suggesting on their way to sit in the cafe for four hours and read a newspaper. If, if newspaper still exists, like printed versions, read it on your phone. That’s what I mean. Um, okay. So now I’m trying to think of, um, some music here. Uh, so what I usually do is I think of some adjectives to describe this and then, sorry, I’m thinking and speaking and writing at the same time it’s going, it’s all great and drinking. It’s going very well [laughter] um, and I’m I’m and then I try to think of some music that kind of fits with that and somehow with the theme. Let me sip some more here. Do you have any, you said hug in a cup, which is fantastic, but do you have any other tasting notes?

Justin Duenne (26:06):

Yeah, I mean, for this one, obviously it’s gonna be a little sweeter. Um, it’s almost a little butterscotchy too.

Nick Johnson (26:12):

Yeah

Justin Duenne (26:12):

Um, this is one of the first, uh, whenever I moved to Indianapolis and I, I wasn’t working here or anything, that was just one of the first things I ever had. Um, and so I kind of always remember that as just being like a perfect blend of like sweet bitter and warm, you know, it’s, uh, it’s kind of got everything going on. Uh, in a good that a good latte should. Um, I really, if I’m gonna drink a latte, I personally prefer like that there be some kind of syrup or some kind of something sweet in there and I think it’s just like the, to do it

Nick Johnson (26:43):

Rather than just the

Justin Duenne (26:44):

Rather than yeah.

Nick Johnson (26:45):

Steamed Milk?

Justin Duenne (26:45):

If I’m gonna drink milk, steam milk. I’m gonna have like a cappuccino, which is gonna be a little less milk than like a latte. But with that amount of milk in the syrup, it’s perfect I think,

Nick Johnson (26:58):

Do most people drink like with two hands? Like I am

Justin Duenne (27:00):

[laughter] yeah.

Nick Johnson (27:00):

I have kind of like I have chubby fingers.

Justin Duenne (27:02):

Yeah, It’s hard to get your finger in the cup thing.

Nick Johnson (27:04):

[laughter] That’s okay. That is, yeah, that is very good.

Justin Duenne (27:11):

Um, and we can all, sometimes this time of year or two people will get that ice, you can get that over ice too, which is, which is cool. Yeah. Um, and on a day, like today, when it’s super hot, you know, um, it could be good for sure.

Nick Johnson (27:21):

And you said it’s it’s Jim beam is the bourbon?

Justin Denny (27:23):

Yeah,We use Jim beam, I think in Louisville they have obviously some more options for like slightly cheaper whiskeys. Yeah. Um, so I think that they, you know, in the past, um, oh shoot. Not old granddad cuz that’s actually a nicer one.

Nick Johnson (27:37):

Yeah

Justin Duenne (27:38):

Um, but it’s some kind of name like that.Um, but yeah, if you go to Louisville, I mean you go look for bourbon. It’s something like that.

Nick Johnson (27:45):

Anyway, Okay. Yeah.

Justin Duenne (27:45):

There’s just so many.

Nick Johnson (27:47):

Cause to at least to my taste, when I drink bean, bean is actually pretty butterscotch. I think compared to, um, some of the other of that similar price area, If you will. Okay. All right. I’m stalling [laughter].I have some ideas and I was thinking earlier about like coffee, culture, music in, in the classical realm and I, I think I might go with one of ’em, but let me take another drink to stall here. Sorry. This makes for good podcast radio [laughter]. Wow, Okay. So I mentioned Vienna and I think I’m choosing this because I was just there and it’s close to my heart and um, I was able to enjoy some of these cafes that have been open for 200 years. Yeah. Um, and there was, excuse me, during the time of, of Franz Schubert, who is the composer I’m gonna be using so early 18 hundreds, like 1820s, that kind of thing. Um, there was a very strong cafe culture that bred, uh, or led to an explosion of popularity and what we now in English call art song, what they would call lieder. You mentioned that you studied some voice, you might have sang a leied at some point in your, in your, in your studies. Um, and a lot of that music was written to be sung at cafes. And was written, um, and cafe meant it was, it was also a broader, like they also serve alcohol and they serve food and capes and stuff. Um, so we would call it a bar and restaurant coffee shop, like it’s, you know, we, we separate a little bit more, some of that just cause like American laws and stuff. But in any case, uh, this was music where people, people would be drinking coffee still at two in the morning or something, um, and would be, and there’d be a piano in there. And so this, this intimate sort of music was kind of, you know, we were talking before we were recording about singer songwriter music. Um, I’ll do a plug right now, by the way, Justin Duenne has some recordings on Spotify as a singer songwriter. Um, which I’m gonna go look up, uh, in, in the folk grounds, did, did a little bit of touring pre COVID. Um, but you know, COVID, COVID did COVID things. In any case. Um, so I’m thinking of one of Franz Schubert’s arts song collections and I, I think this combination of very sweet and, but just a little bit of bitter, um, it’s he had a couple pretty famous collections. One of ’em is called, um, Die schöne Müllerinor, um, the beautiful Miller girl basically. Is this, did you ever happen to sing this one?

Justin Duenne (30:10):

Uh, no. I, the only one I remember singing, especially from back then was say Ben Forde. Okay. Which is, I think a lot of like a lot of young tenors singing that.

Nick Johnson (30:17):

Okay. Um, so in this piece, Die schöne Müllerin, we’re gonna just listen to the first one, which is, Das Wandern, or like hiking basically. So it’s, it’s, it’s just supposed to be picturing walking through a beautiful Brook basically. Yeah. And actually a Brook is sort of like tempting the person like, Hey, follow me. I’m a beautiful babbling Brook. And eventually the Brook ends up showing this person, this beautiful Miller’s daughter. And, and the hiker falls in love. Um, I don’t think it’s a spoiler because it’s over 200 years old, but [laughter], it goes poorly for the guy and he ends up falling in love with this person who basically doesn’t care about him at all. And then he ends up, uh, probably drowning himself in the Brook, but that’s like 20 art songs later. Right. And the first one it’s still hopeful to be perform [laughter]

Justin Duenne (31:04):

Yeah. Yeah.

Nick Johnson (31:05):

Um, and so I think, because it was like sort of music written for this culture. I, I, I think I wanna go with that. It’s very sweet. Um, the, the beginning and actually quite a few of the pieces there’s I think 20 pieces in the whole set. Okay. Um, and they’re meant to be performed kind there’s it tells a narrative.

Justin Duenne (31:22):

Yeah. Yeah.

Nick Johnson (31:22):

Um, and, but there is just that hint of bitterness because if you, if you pay attention, you’re like something doesn’t feel quite right. Um, but it’s very rich. It’s very sweet. This first one. So I think, yeah, let’s go ahead and give a listen to Franz Schubert’s Das Wandern from Die schöne Müllerin.

Music Plays (31:38):

[Das Wandern from Die schöne Müllerin]

Nick Johnson (34:00):

All right. So we’ve been listening to some Franz Schubert, uh, from Die schöne Müllerin. Uh, alright. Justin, what do you think? Does this pair at all well?

Justin Duenne (34:07):

Yeah. I, I mean, especially given a little bit of context from what you said before we listened to it. Um, I could definitely see this being sung in like a cafe setting for sure. Obviously it was, you know, piano and, uh, vocal. And so just hearing that and imagining even like an old cafe and that happening. um, there was an old cafe I used to go to back in the day in Cincinnati that was open until three in the morning.

Nick Johnson (34:27):

Oh, Nice.

Justin Duenne (34:27):

They obviously had beer and like a little liquor, but most people were drinking coffee.

Nick Johnson (34:31):

Yeah

Justin Duenne (34:31):

You know, at that late.

Nick Johnson (34:32):

Yeah

Justin Duenne (34:32):

Um, and it was always like the most peculiar thing to me. Um, until you realize yeah. That’s how people have been doing it in the Western world for a long time.

Nick Johnson (34:41):

Yeah [laughter]

Justin Duenne (34:42):

Um, Yeah. And so even hearing that, like it, you know, that was like the first movement of 20 different things. Um, it makes me the first thing I thought of was like, you know, imagining you starting the coffee drink, like this, um, but if you go start drinking 20 more like the, you know, you’re gonna end up being lost in caffeine.

Nick Johnson (35:01):

That’s true, yeah [laughter].

Justin Duenne (35:02):

You know, like you would in the Brook or whatever. Yeah. So, um, yeah.

Nick Johnson (35:06):

You dunno who you’ll fall in love with.

Justin Duenne (35:07):

Yeah, it does sound, it sounds precious. It sounds sweet. Um, inviting, you know, this is another thing with like this drink too. This is like, if you don’t think you like coffee, this is a great one to try, you know. Cause it’s not gonna smack you in the face.

Nick Johnson (35:20):

Yeah, I agree.

Justin Duenne (35:20):

It’s gonna be gentle and you can ease you into it a little bit.

Nick Johnson (35:23):

So just like the Brook lures the guy, this coffee can lury you, but in a nice way. In a nice way.

Justin Duenne (35:28):

Yeah, Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Nick Johnson (35:29):

Not in a, you’re gonna fall in love and then die kind of way.

Justin Duenne (35:31):

Exactly. Yeah, exactly.

Nick Johnson (35:33):

[laughter] Cause I do like the, that piece, the sort of like the driving motion of it.

Justin Duenne (35:36):

Yeah, yeah.

Nick Johnson (35:37):

Feels very coffee.

Justin Duenne (35:38):

Mm-hmm, yeah

Nick Johnson (35:39):

Um, cause there’s certainly pieces that Schubert did that are a little more contemplated, but this one’s just sort of like always, and in that piece it gets more contemplated later, but the beginning it’s just kind of moving and pulling.

Justin Duenne (35:46):

Mm-hmm, yeah. It’s cool.

Nick Johnson (35:48):

Yeah. All right. What’s the other one we’re trying?

Justin Duenne (35:51):

So the other one I’m gonna have you try is a little different than this last one.

Nick Johnson (35:56):

Okay

Justin Duenne (35:56):

It’s uh, like a coffee soda. Um, so we call it like the mystic coffee soda. Um, but it’s gonna be a drink that has tonic water and cold brew concentrate.

Nick Johnson (36:04):

Okay

Justin Duenne (36:05):

Um, so if that doesn’t, you know.

Nick Johnson (36:06):

That sounds great.

Justin Duenne (36:07):

That sounds good to you.

Nick Johnson (36:08):

Yeah. So tonic water and cold brew concentrate?

Justin Duenne (36:10):

Yeah So a lot of stuff that we do at Quills and I think, um, a lot of like this Third-wave coffee thing, you know, people are always trying to expand and try different things out. Uh, cause you know, it’s nice to, um, this is a cold drink. That’s the ice that I’m making that sound. Yeah.

Nick Johnson (36:28):

[laughter]

Justin Duenne (36:30):

You know, with coffee like this, we’re always trying to try different things. And one of the big things, you know, one of the trends, I guess you could say, um, of the past, you know, few years in coffee are like coffee mocktails or coffee cocktails, if you wanna say it that way. Um, and this is one of those, so it’s kind of

Nick Johnson (36:48):

Interesting

Justin Duenne (36:48):

Not necessarily we have one, one that’s in like a espresso tonic, that’s like a gin and tonic kind of idea.

Nick Johnson (36:52):

Yeah

Justin Duenne (36:52):

Um, this one, I guess, is just a slightly sweeter than that. Um, and so this one gets just like a cocktail gets a couple pumps of simple syrup.

Nick Johnson (37:01):

Okay. So, so it’s cold brew, simple syrup and tonic?

Justin Duenne (37:03):

Yeah. So this is gonna be a cold it’s cold brew concentrate. So when we make cold brew, um, you know, like I said, I think I said earlier, um, it’s something that happens like, uh, overnight. So we’ll brew like a five pounds worth of coffee.

Nick Johnson (37:18):

[laughter] Okay.

Justin Duenne (37:18):

and then I guess it would be 12 liters of water and then that sits overnight together.

Nick Johnson (37:23):

And you guys do that like every day?

Justin Duenne (37:24):

Pretty much, um, in summer it gets almost every day. Yeah. Um, like in the winter time we still make it. Yeah. Um, but you know, it’s not gonna be as often.

Nick Johnson (37:32):

Okay.

Justin Duenne (37:32):

Yeah. But this time of year. Yeah. I mean most people are wanting cold brew. Cause it’s a good quick, easy, in and out kind of thing.

Nick Johnson (37:39):

Yeah

Justin Duenne (37:40):

Um, and cold brew also has like the most caffeine content that we have.

Nick Johnson (37:43):

Oh, okay.

Justin Duenne (37:43):

This one, this particular drink won’t be a whole lot. Nothing more than what you know, you just had.

Nick Johnson (37:49):

Okay, Because of the tonic and stuff? Cuts it a little.

Justin Duenne (37:51):

Yeah, Yeah. And it’s, you know, it’s, we put 60 grams of cold brew in there. So roughly four ounces or so.

Nick Johnson (37:56):

but not all cold brew is concentrated. That’s just

Justin Duenne (37:59):

No, So when you go out and like get a cold brew at a coffee shop um, most of the time it’s gonna be like cut cold brew. Uh, so when you brew cold brew overnight, what you’re left with after you, when you come back the next day is, um, cold brew concentrate. So it’s gonna be nice, uh, thick and uh, pretty strong taste. But with something like this, you know, you, I wouldn’t want to put, cut cold brew in a drink like this when there’s already gonna be tonic water cutting that concentrated cold brew.

Nick Johnson (38:28):

Yeah, I see.

Justin Duenne (38:28):

Um, and so this is like a super refreshing, great like summertime drink.

Nick Johnson (38:32):

Oh, wow. Um, that’s beautiful. Okay.

Justin Duenne (38:34):

It tastes great. Yeah. It’s um, if you like tonic.

Nick Johnson (38:38):

Yeah, I do

Justin Duenne (38:38):

I know it’s wine isn’t everybody’s thing.

Nick Johnson (38:41):

I like tonic.

Justin Duenne (38:41):

But this, when I first started working here, this was one of my favorite drinks.

Nick Johnson (38:44):

Okay

Justin Duenne (38:45):

Um, I ever had,

Nick Johnson (38:47):

Yeah, I know.

Justin Duenne (38:47):

I love it.

Nick Johnson (38:48):

A V and T or a G and T or two of my favorites.

Justin Duenne (38:50):

Yeah, yeah, yeah

Nick Johnson (38:50):

As I said, I was just in India they just drink Gin and Tonic all the time there. So I had quite a few. Ooh, that smells nice. Okay. So yeah, there’s a lemon garnish on this. Um, was it Fever Tree tonic?

Justin Duenne (39:02):

Yeah. Fever tree is, I mean, it’s like the house favorite for any bar you go to.

Nick Johnson (39:06):

Yeah,Yeah.

Justin Duenne (39:07):

Um, it’s obviously a little bit pricier than, you know, getting like a two liter of like Canada Dry or something.

Nick Johnson (39:12):

Exactly.

Justin Duenne (39:12):

Um, but you know, it’s worth it. It tastes great. Um, they have other flavors and stuff.

Nick Johnson (39:17):

Well, anytime I open a two liter, like it’s gotta be, be a pretty good party.

Justin Duenne (39:23):

Yeah, I was gonna say. You’re gonna have to have a lot of people to like go through that tonic.

Nick Johnson (39:26):

I think that’s one of the things COVID got rid of is those massive parties. So just a little bottle of tonic. Get for your night.

Justin Duenne (39:32):

For Sure.

Nick Johnson (39:37):

Oh, wow. That is unexpected and very good and crisp and sharp. I gotta be writing these adjectives down.

Justin Duenne (39:48):

[Laughter]

Nick Johnson (39:48):

Um, and um, what’s it unexpected crisp. We, uh, the, I don’t think I’ve ever had a lemon peel with a coffee drink before.

Justin Duenne (39:57):

Yeah

Nick Johnson (39:57):

That’s so nice

Justin Duenne (39:58):

For sure. We only with like some of the iced stuff we’ll do it. Um, we’ll put like, you know, garnishes in there. We’re starting actually just tomorrow. We’re starting like another coffee mocktail.

Nick Johnson (40:08):

Nice

Justin Duenne (40:08):

Play on a whiskey sour

Nick Johnson (40:10):

Oh, okay. Fantastic.

Justin Duenne (40:11):

There won’t be any egg whites in this one. Which is, you know, traditional for a whiskey sour. Um, but it’ll be like an espresso sour, so it’ll be like espresso with grenadine and uh, lime juice, maple syrup and stuff. It’ll be cool.

Nick Johnson (40:23):

So you guys have a few of these options?

Justin Duenne (40:24):

Yeah.

Nick Johnson (40:24):

For people to come in and try.

Justin Duenne (40:25):

We were doing, we did like an espresso old fashion for a while too. Um, which was, you know, just a double shot of rice simple little syrup and orange bitters. Just like a normal, um, old fashion would be, but with espresso instead. So if you can like imagine that yeah. Same kind of deal with this though, too.

Nick Johnson (40:40):

Yeah, that is fascinating. It does. It doesn’t taste like a gin and tonic cuz there’s no gin in it, but there’s

Justin Duenne (40:47):

You get a similar vibe you get a similar feel.

Nick Johnson (40:49):

Yeah. But I’m trying to figure out, like the coffee just rounds it in a very different way. In some ways we were talking about, it sounds almost taste like a bourbon and tonic, which is not a very popular drink or ever as far as I know. But this is much better than that would be. Because it, uh, like the, the, the way that the dark notes and the bright citrus notes, um, play together is really quite nice.

Justin Duenne (41:12):

For sure

Nick Johnson (41:13):

And so I’m assuming like people could just get this to-go also, Right?

Justin Duenne (41:16):

Yeah, yeah. Yeah. We normally will serve that one to go. Um, we don’t have a whole lot of glassware. Um, but yeah, we’ll serve that one to like a 12 ounce drink, um, with more or less like, uh, yeah, 60 grams, I guess it equates to about four ounces of cold brew concentrate.

Nick Johnson (41:31):

Okay

Justin Duenne (41:31):

And then, you know, the little nine ounce, uh, fever tree and a little bit of simple syrup and an orange peel and call it a day.

Nick Johnson (41:37):

Wow. Okay.

Justin Duenne (41:37):

But I think what makes it, you know, unique is obviously our coffee. So, uh, for the last one I showed you, you know, we use blacksmith um, our espresso house, espresso blend this one, um, has, is cold brew. So we, we use different beans for this. Um, and so we have like the beans that we use for like our cold brew is we call it Southern Gothic. Um, it’s a blend of Brazil and Columbia. So this, uh, roast is gonna be just slightly on the darker side um, compared to like a lot of our other stuff. Um, I don’t have any bags.

Nick Johnson (42:07):

So this is, so you, you guys, but you sell bags of the Southern graphic and it’s specifically for making cold brew.

Justin Duenne (42:12):

Yeah, I mean, you can use it for anything just, you know, with like any coffee mm um, it’s gonna, you know, it’s gonna translate the best on cold brew. You know, a lot of folks will just take this bag, you just grind the whole thing and you can make a big batch of cold brew for yourself at home.

Nick Johnson (42:24):

Yeah. Okay.

Justin Duenne (42:25):

Obviously not gonna be as much as like, you know, the gallons drum that we have.

Nick Johnson (42:29):

[laughter]

Justin Duenne (42:29):

Yeah. Um, but it’ll, you know, it’ll definitely last you a couple weeks probably. You make a whole bag, whole batch of cold brew with this. Um, and like some of the notes, you know, that our roasters put on this one is like chocolate and caramel. Yeah. Might be a little hard to notice that in with a tonic. Um, but especially.

Nick Johnson (42:45):

I get the caramel.

Justin Duenne (42:46):

Yeah, Yeah.

Nick Johnson (42:46):

I don’t know if I get, oh wait, maybe I’m just making stuff up. I feel like I can kind of get some of the chocolate in the back of my tongue.

Justin Duenne (42:55):

If you starting thinking about chocolate,

Nick Johnson (42:56):

If I think about chocolate, I can notice it then it. Like a chocolate chip cookie or something thinking about it, but uh, okay. So this is one more time, this is called, so Southern Gothic are the beans. What was the name of the drink again? Sorry

Justin Duenne (43:06):

Uh, the mystic coffee soda,

Nick Johnson (43:08):

Mystic coffee soda. Okay, Write that down

Justin Duenne (43:11):

Um, or just, you know, it’s coffee soda that works too. But, um, yeah, this, these beans are great, uh, super consistent, you know, we’re always, it’s one of the things I like about doing, uh, this is like, you know, our roaster is their top notch and the product that we get is consistent week to week. So, um, you know, this drink that you are drinking now, if you were to come back couple weeks and get the same thing, ideally it tastes almost exactly the same um, which I like same thing with the, the caramel latte. Um, you’re gonna get the same thing, you know, same experience every time you order it.

Nick Johnson (43:46):

Yeah, Now that you said that, you know, those like orange chocolate slices, except that this is lemon, so it tastes like a lemon chocolate slice. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, really quite nice. Hmm. Trying to decide which I would, I like more.

Justin Duenne (44:04):

They’re very different.

Nick Johnson (44:05):

They are very different. I think, I guess I don’t really have to choose do I.

Justin Duenne (44:10):

[laughter]

Nick Johnson (44:10):

I mean, and to be honest, if I, you know, or when I come back, I would, this one I would do when it’s 90 degrees outside.

Justin Duenne (44:15):

For sure. Yeah, yeah.

Nick Johnson (44:16):

Like it is right now. This one I would do when it’s a little bit cooler.

Justin Duenne (44:19):

Yeah. That’s a good,

Nick Johnson (44:20):

Or if I was gonna hang out here for a couple hours.

Justin Duenne (44:22):

For sure

Nick Johnson (44:22):

I’d probably do the nice warm one.

Justin Duenne (44:23):

Something you can sip on.

Nick Johnson (44:24):

Yeah. If I had to, uh, if I was swinging by would probably do something more like this when, when it’s nice and hot,

Justin Duenne (44:29):

For sure

Nick Johnson (44:29):

Um, yeah. Well, I love that you guys are thinking of coffee mocktails and I, I, I mean the, really the whole, we-we’ve been talking, um, a fair amount about cocktails and stuff like that, but I think it’s fantastic that the alcohol industry is also looking a lot at mocktails and looking at a lot of options and ways, because I know like bar culture can be very exclusionary, um, for, for people who can’t drink for any number of reasons. And, um, and this is, it’s sort of a fun way to think of these coffee drinks. Um, yeah, okay.

Justin Duenne (45:05):

There’s just a lot you can do with coffee. Yeah. Um, you know, that even, even the baking and cooking and stuff like that, obviously we’re not doing any of that here ourselves. But yeah, there’s a lot of things that you can do with coffee. Um, there’s a lot of ways to drink it, you know, uh, in different ways with milk, without milk with you know, cut with water, cut with soda water, tonic, um, anything like that. Yeah. There’s a lot of different things you could, you could pair with it, for sure.

Nick Johnson (45:31):

So I think, yes. I think I have a piece of music in mind.

Justin Duenne (45:35):

Okay, cool.

Nick Johnson (45:36):

Um, for this one I was thinking earlier, and I think I’m gonna go with one of these cause sometimes I just come up on the fly. Sometimes I kind of have a general idea where I might wanna go. And this one, I think, um, I, I wanted to do some american minimalism, um, a more recent composition, cause I’m trying to think of like music that pairs well, which is sort of like the energy and the drive of coffee. And I think this one in particular with the bright notes um, and sort of inter layered. What’s fun about this drink if you handed this to me and didn’t tell me what was in it, like how, how many guess, it would’ve taken me a while.

Justin Duenne (46:12):

Yeah.

Nick Johnson (46:12):

Like to figure out what this is.

Justin Duenne (46:14):

Yeah. Cause you, I mean the Quine and stuff, you don’t notice it really that much with, you know, with the cold brew. Um, and it’s nice bubbly.

Nick Johnson (46:22):

Yeah.

Justin Duenne (46:22):

Super refreshing. It’s like one of my favorite things to drink in summertime.

Nick Johnson (46:25):

Yeah, No, that’s very, very refreshing. So for the music, I think I wanna do Steve Reich, uh, American Minimalist composer and I think I wanna do, um, Electric Counterpoint number three. Um, and so, uh, I don’t know if you know much about Steve Reich.

Justin Duenne (46:44):

I don’t think so.

Nick Johnson (46:45):

Minimalist composer, um, did a lot of percussion music as well, did a lot of, um, so minimalist music. In the sense of like a small musical idea that just keeps repeating over and over and usually gets inter layered with other ideas.

Justin Duenne (46:58):

Yeah, Yeah.

Nick Johnson (46:58):

And, and grows in complexity. um, as you’re listening. Yeah. And so I think that it works well for this drink cause the at first I was like, wow, this is great. But then like we’ve been breaking it down and I could continue to do so. Like I’m still noticing things and like the drink is growing in complexity as I’m enjoying it, but I can also just sort of like drink it and not care and it tastes good. Which a lot of minimalist music you could do that with. Um, and so this is a piece, uh, for electric guitar and tape.

Justin Duenne (47:22):

Cool

Nick Johnson (47:23):

Um, and so yeah, let’s give a listen to Steve Reichs electric counterpoint number three.

Music Plays (47:28):

[Steve Reich’s Electric Counterpoint No. 3]

Nick Johnson (51:56):

All right, Justin. So we had some heads bobbing while we were listening to that one. I think I might have, uh, done a little better with this choice. So what do you think about Electric Counterpoint three by Steve Reich to pair with mystic coffee soda?

Justin Duenne (52:05):

I mean, I, I mean, I, I don’t know a whole lot about classical music. Um, but you know, I think that was probably the perfect pick for a drink like that. Like, especially, you know, even like you mentioned, you know, when you first drink it, you notice a few things and the more you drink it, you start to notice some more flavors. And obviously with the, you know, a piece like that there’s just constantly new things added, um, and new things to keep looking for. And then you forget what you heard at the beginning. So you’re kind of going back to that too. Um, it, yeah, it was absolutely wonderful. It was a beautiful song. Um, and like, you know, obviously head bobbing too, too.

Nick Johnson (52:40):

[laughter]

Justin Duenne (52:40):

Um, but that kind of, that song kind of feels like starting to drink coffee.

Unison (52:44):

[laughter]

Justin Duenne (52:44):

you know like.

Nick Johnson (52:45):

It does a little bit, gotta get you moving a little bit.

Justin Duenne (52:46):

Yeah A little bit for sure. Um, that was great. Yeah, I love that.

Nick Johnson (52:50):

Well, thank you. Good. I’m glad what, what I like about that piece, um, especially in a classical music show is it shows how, especially if you compare it to the Franz Schubert, how much variety there can be in classical music. and, you know, cuz there’s obviously a lot of comparisons with that piece with, with rock music, with jazz. Um, but it’s still very much considered a classical work, uh, or in the art music tradition and it shows innovation and new ideas and that, that work, I mean it’s in the classical world, relatively new. It’s from the eighties. Uh, it’s still 40 years old or something, but in the classical music world that’s like brand new. Right. Um, but, uh, unfortunately as I wish there was more interest on 21st century music, but any case, um, I think the, the work shows how much innovation and new ideas and things can happen and it doesn’t always have to be the same thing. And I think that this drink, I did not know that I could walk into a coffee shop and order a drink like this.

Justin Duenne (53:41):

Yeah. Most people don’t

Nick Johnson (53:42):

I have never had anything like this, um, at a coffee shop, I’ve had somewhat similar things in a bar that are, that are, uh, a cocktail not a coffee drink, but if I wanted something that tasted like this, but had coffee in it instead of alcohol, um, it’s very good to know for that this sort of thing exists. And so I think, yeah, just like Steve Reich kind of pushing the envelope. I think you guys are kind of doing that here. Um, and yeah. And so did you say that this meant the, the mocktail menu rotates a little or you’re always kinda experimenting and trying new things.

Justin Duenne (54:12):

We had this, like I had mentioned, we had like this espresso old fashion on for a while, but just tomorrow we’re switching that out and doing like the espresso sour.

Nick Johnson (54:19):

Okay, That’s great!

Justin Duenne (54:20):

Um, just trying out new things

Nick Johnson (54:21):

So, You’re always gonna have one or two of these kind of mocktail things

Justin Duenne (54:23):

Yeah. We have have something like this. We have, I, we, we’re pretty invested in like tonic drinks now, too. Um, and so like, I, you know, even if you want something closer, like one of those cocktails, like our espresso tonic is really good. Yeah. It’s not gonna be, uh, it’s less sweet than that one. um, and it’s that one is actually just espresso on top of tonic water and then we’ll put like, you know, citrus peel, some fruit or some orange, something on there too. Um, just to give a little splash of extra flavor, but I mean, even that, like, it’s really fun to taste, you know, it’s gonna be, you’ll taste little, slightly more coffee and that one’s gonna be different cause espresso and cold brew to me taste so wildly different. Very different ways to experience coffee but both, you know, with tonic and stuff too. So cool.

Nick Johnson (55:05):

Well that’s fantastic. Well, uh, Justin, thank you so much for, uh, taking the time to speak with me probably the next time I see you is I’m gonna come by and check out your new location.

Justin Duenne (55:13):

Yeah, for sure.

Nick Johnson (55:14):

Uh, when you guys open up on ninth and Meridian, uh, and yeah, you said you’re gonna have another beautiful venue so people can come in. Yeah. Hang out, try all sorts of wonderful coffees or we’ve been trying some of the, the fancier creations, coming in and just have a shot of espresso. Um, but make sure to stop by Quill’s coffee in their new location at Ninth and Meridian, or, uh, if you happen to be traveling you’re down at Louisville in one of their many locations down there, uh, grab one of these drinks we’ve been talking about today, the mystic coffee soda, or the salted bourbon caramel latte, or grab a bag of coffee, um, or just ask, uh, the barista to, to give you an espresso shot of whatever they feel lucky with. Right, That’s the thing you can do, like.

Justin Duenne (55:49):

For sure

Nick Johnson (55:50):

Okay. Okay. Sign me up. So anyway, uh, so uh, Justin Duenne, Thank you so much. Yeah.

Justin Duenne (55:55):

Thank you guys

Nick Johnson (55:55):

Cheers.

Justin Denny (55:56):

Thank You.

Nick Johnson (55:58):

There we go.

Nick Johnson (56:02):

Classical pairings, as a listener supported podcast, please support us by texting the word pair P A I R to 2 0 2 8 5 8 1 2 3 3, to help us keep bringing you the best craft food and beverage makers paired with classical music. Classical Pairings is a production of Classical Music Indy and our producer is Daniel Porter. I hope you’ll join me for Classical Pairings Live, an event series presented by the National Bank of Indianapolis. Beginning in August each Classical Pairings Live is hosted by a local food and beverage partner where you’ll sample great food and beverage paired with live music by talented local artists. You can find out more about our next classical pairings live event at classicalmusicindy.org. Cheers and I’ll see you next time!

LOCAL CLASSICAL – ZAE MUNN

Zae is Professor of Music at Saint Mary’s College in South Bend, Indiana where she teaches theory, composition, digital media in music, and orchestration/arranging. Born in 1953, Munn’s early musical training was as a cellist, with additional studies in piano, voice, and conducting.

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NEW CLASSICAL – HEARTLAND FILM & OSCARS

This week we celebrate with lots of music from the big screen with the help of Greg Sorvig, Artistic Director of Heartland Film. We’ll listen to selections Greg helped curate for the playlist with music by John Williams, Michael Giacchino, and Randy Newman, to name a few. There will be lots of film music to be enjoyed by all.

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – KIAN RAVAEI

In this week’s playlist, we feature the music of Bloomington-based composer, Kian Ravaei. Whether he is composing piano preludes inspired by mythical creatures, flute melodies that mimic the songs of endangered birds, or a string quartet that draws from the Iranian music of his ancestral heritage, he takes listeners on a spellbinding tour of humanity’s most deeply felt emotions.

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NEW CLASSICAL – ANDREA CLEARFIELD

Creating deep emotive musical languages that build cultural and artistic bridges, the music of Andrea Clearfield is performed widely in the U.S. and abroad. She has written 160+ works for opera, chorus, orchestra, chamber ensemble, dance and multimedia.

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – NICOLE KEARNEY

In this week’s playlist, we feature Nicole Kearney, Winemaker/Founder of Sip & Share Wines. Nicole was named one of 40 African American Tastemakers (Under/Over 40) by Sabrina Jackson. Sip & Share Wines is a boutique winery producing a diversity of handcrafted vegan wines. We’ll hear directly from Nicole throughout this playlist as she and host, Salvador, discuss the history of Sip & Share Wines, her background, upcoming events, music, and much more. Music in this playlist will be perfectly paired for the Sip & Share Wines experience. You’ll also hear some great stories of composers who loved wine.

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Shirley Graham Du Bois: Remembering the Revolutionary Composer and Activist

Shirley Graham Du Bois: Rememb …

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NEW CLASSICAL – CARLOS SIMON

In this week’s playlist, we bring you works by GRAMMY-nominated composer, Carlos Simon. With activism and social justice at the heart of his writing, composer Carlos Simon is known for his symphonic, concert and film compositions. Simon’s latest album, Requiem for the Enslaved, is a multi-genre musical tribute to commemorate the stories of the 272 enslaved men, women, and children sold in 1838 by Georgetown University, and was nominated for a 2023 GRAMMY award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition.

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – REGINA CARTER

In this week’s playlist, we bring you performances by violinist, Regina Carter, in honor of her upcoming concert here in Indianapolis! She is performing at the Madam Walker Theatre on Wednesday, February 15, 2023, at 7:30 PM. This is a part of the Laureate Series held by the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis. Trying to fit Regina Carter into a neatly defined musical category is pointless. She enjoys performing many styles of music—jazz, R&B, Latin, classical, blues, country, pop, African, and on and on. In each she explores the power of music through the voice of the violin.

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NEW CLASSICAL – NATHALIE JOACHIM

In this week’s playlist, we feature the music of Grammy-nominated performer and composer, Nathalie Joachim! She is a Brooklyn-born Haitian American artist who is hailed for being “a fresh and invigorating cross-cultural voice” (The Nation) and who engages her creative practice to advocate for music, social change, and cultural awareness. We’ll hear music composed and performed by Nathalie Joachim throughout this playlist and much more.

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – REQUIEM FOR THE ADRIFT AND SHATTERED

In this week’s playlist, we highlight the upcoming event, Requiem for the Adrift and Shattered! Indianapolis pianist Clare Longendyke brings healing through art in new multimedia work. The performance features four new works for solo piano by composers Emily Koh, Rex Isenberg, Nkeiru Okoye, and Reinaldo Moya along with a new film created by Indianapolis filmmaker Deonna Weatherly and Weatherhouse Company. The premiere of Requiem for the Adrift and Shattered will take place on Sunday, January 29 at  4:00 p.m. at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Indianapolis. A reprise performance is scheduled for Sunday, February 5 at 4:00 p.m. at the Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation.

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NEW CLASSICAL – JESSICA MEYER

In this week’s playlist, we feature GRAMMY-nominated violist and composer, Jessica Meyer. Meyer’s first composer/performer portrait album in 2019 debuted at #1 on the Billboard traditional classical chart, where “knife-edge anticipation opens on to unexpected, often ecstatic musical realms, always with a personal touch and imaginatively written for the instruments” (Gramophone Magazine). We’ll hear performances by Jessica Meyer as well as her compositions from her first album, Ring Out, throughout this playlist.

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ISO Concertmaster Kevin Lin Talks EDM, Equity, and the Future of Classical Music

ISO Concertmaster Kevin Lin Ta …

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Krystle Ford: Built for Tough Love

Krystle Ford: Built for Tough …

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Teach Your Students How to KEEP Getting Gigs

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – ELI EBAN

In this week’s playlist, we feature local and Internationally recognized clarinetist, Eli Eban! He teaches at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, where he holds a distinguished ranks’ Rudy professorship and serves as the principal clarinetist of the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra. When not teaching at IU or playing with the ICO, he divides his time between touring as a soloist and chamber musician, and spends his performing and teaching at the Sarasota Music Festival and playing principal clarinet in the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra. We’ll hear Eli Eban discuss his musical life and experiences in this playlist paired with some great musical performances that feature him, as well.

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – RYAN OLIVIER

In this week’s playlist, we feature composer and multimedia artist, Ryan Olivier. Ryan is an Assistant Professor of Music at Indiana University South Bend, where he directs the electronic ensemble, the Audio-Visual Collective, and teaches courses in music composition, music theory, and music technology.

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NEW CLASSICAL – NATHALIE STUTZMANN

In this week’s playlist, we feature recordings conducted and performed by Nathalie Stutzmann! She is the new Music Director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra from the 2022/23 season and only the second woman in history to lead a major American orchestra. Nathalie is also one of today’s most esteemed contraltos, she studied the German repertoire with Hans Hotter, and she has done more than 80 recordings and received the most prestigious awards

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – INDIANAPOLIS SYMPHONIC CHOIR

This week we feature great classical and holiday recordings by IndyChoir and hear from their Conducting Fellow, Kiki Porter, as she guides us through all the great things they have done and some upcoming events.

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Clarinet & Saxophone Articulations Explained

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NEW CLASSICAL – FIFTH HOUSE ENSEMBLE

Praised by the New York Times for its “conviction, authority, and finesse,” the Chicago-based Fifth House Ensemble harnesses the collaborative spirit of chamber music to reach beyond the traditionally-perceived limits of classical music. The ensemble’s artistic, educational, and civic programs engage theater groups, video game designers, corporate innovators, and folk bands to share stories as diverse as the communities it serves.

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – ANDREA BOCELLI

In this week’s playlist, we bring you performances by The World’s Most Beloved Tenor, Andrea Bocelli. He will give his first Indiana appearance as well as the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra’s debut performance with one of the most acclaimed artists in the world on December 7th.

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My Music. My Story. Joseph Price.

My Music. My Story. Joseph Pri …

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NEW CLASSICAL – HEARTLAND MARIMBA QUARTET

In this week’s playlist, we are featuring the Heartland Marimba Quartet (HMQ). The ensemble was established in 2016 by acclaimed marimba soloist Matthew Coley and has done more than 140 concerts since its inception. The group seeks to give a platform to the music of American composers in its programming and continues to expand its repertoire with works from composers worldwide. We’ll be hearing music from the album, VISION, as well as some performances by their Founder & Executive/Artistic Director, Matthew Coley in this playlist.

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My Music. My Story. Mollie Gnaidek.

My Music. My Story. Mollie Gna …

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Expertise Exceeding Exoticism: Dr. Caroline Ahn, a Skilled Composer, Not a ‘Special’ Case

Expertise Exceeding Exoticism: …

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I Fits, I Sits: Jared Thompson, The Classically Cool Cat

I Fits, I Sits: Jared Thompson …

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Practice makes Prayer: A Divine Dialogue with Derek Reeves

Practice makes Prayer: A Divin …

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Giving Tuesday 2022

You can bring music to your co …

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Brazil’s Eliane Elias at the Palladium

Brazil’s Eliane Elias at the P …

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – KURT VONNEGUT MUSUEM AND LIBRARY

In this week’s playlist, we highlight the wonderful Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library (KVML) with the help of the founder and CEO, Julia Whitehead. The Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library champions the literary, artistic, and cultural contributions of the late writer, artist, teacher, and Indianapolis native Kurt Vonnegut. This year Vonnegut would have turned 100 on November 11, 2022. It’s a special year for the KVML and we’ll hear Julia discuss all about the museum, their programs, Vonnegut, and some of his special connections to classical music.

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Angélique Kidjo: A conversation with Africa’s Premier Diva

Angélique Kidjo: A conversatio …

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Tricks for Tackling Performance Anxiety

Tricks for Tackling Performanc …

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NEW CLASSICAL – RAVEN CHACON

In this week’s playlist, we highlight Raven Chacon in honor of Native American Indian Heritage Month. Raven Chacon is a composer, performer and installation artist from Fort Defiance, Navajo Nation. He is a recent winner of the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in Music for his work, Voiceless Mass. This made him the first Native American to win this prize. We’ll hear music by Chacon and more Native American composers in this playlist.

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My Music. My Story. Jessica Anliker.

My Music. My Story. Jessica An …

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – RHYTHM! DISCOVERY CENTER

This week we highlight the Rhythm! Discovery Center here in Indianapolis with the help of guest curator, Rob Funkhouser! He is a composer, performer, instrument builder, and Operations and Education Manager at the Rhythm! Discovery Center. He’ll guide us through all the great things happening within the museum in this playlist.

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NEW CLASSICAL – LATITUDE 49

In this week’s playlist, we bring you performances by a group dedicated to championing the works of living composers. Latitude 49 is a dynamic mixed-chamber group blending the finesse of a classical ensemble with the drive and precision of a finely tuned rock band. More than sixty works have been written for L49 so far by a multitude of composers ranging from aspiring students to Pulitzer prize-winning masters. With commissioning and supporting living composers at the heart of its mission, L49 strives to engage diverse audiences with new sounds and specially curated programs that reflect the world in which we find ourselves, with all its beauty and curiosities.

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Warmups & Improvisation Games for Jazz Ensembles

Warmups & Improvisation Ga …

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – CLASSICAL HALLOWEEN

In this week’s playlist, we help you get in the spirit of Halloween! This Halloween playlist is in conjunction with the upcoming Classical Halloween concert with our great local orchestra, The Indianapolis Symphony. You’ll get a taste of those works, as well as other classical pieces with Halloween themes in this playlist you have grown to love and have yet to experience.

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NEW CLASSICAL – ROOMFUL OF TEETH

In this week’s playlist, we feature the Grammy-winning vocal band, Roomful of Teeth. They are dedicated to reimagining the expressive potential of the human voice. By engaging collaboratively with artists, thinkers, and community leaders from around the world, they seek to uplift and amplify voices old and new while creating and performing meaningful and adventurous music.

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH

This month we feature music conducted by the late Venezuelan-American artist Carmen-Helena Téllez in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. Known as a conductor, composer, producer, scholar and interdisciplinary artist, her contributions and advocacy for new classical music were unmatched. Carmen-Helena Téllez was responsible for the commission and world premiere of many works that have garnered the highest critical praise.

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NEW CLASSICAL – ISATA KANNEH-MASON

In this week’s playlist, we feature British pianist, Isata Kanneh-Mason. She is the recipient of the 2021 Leonard Bernstein Award, a 2020 Opus Klassik award for best young artist and, as a member of the Kanneh-Mason family, the 2021 best classical artist at the Global Awards.

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NEW CLASSICAL – ANNA THORVALDSDOTTIR

Anna’s “detailed and powerful” (Guardian) orchestral writing has garnered her awards from the New York Philharmonic, Lincoln Center, the Nordic Council, and the UK’s Ivors Academy, as well as commissions by many of the world’s top orchestras. Her music is composed as much by sounds and nuances as by harmonies and lyrical material – it is written as an ecosystem of sounds, where materials continuously grow in and out of each other, often inspired in an important way by nature and its many qualities, in particular structural ones, like proportion and flow.

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – 2022 IVCI

This week’s playlist is in honor of the upcoming 11th Quadrennial International Violin Competition of Indianapolis (IVCI). This year it is taking place from September 9-25, 2022. The competition aims to recognize, reward and promote the world’s finest young classical violinists, and encourage understanding, appreciation and support of the violin repertoire by a large and diverse audience. We’ll be highlighting performances of past Laureates in this playlist.

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NEW CLASSICAL – APOLLO CHAMBER PLAYERS

This week we bring you performances by the Apollo Chamber Players! Celebrating its 15th anniversary season, this Houston-based ensemble “recasts music for a diverse and multi-ethnic generation” (Strings Magazine) through globally-inspired programming and multicultural new music commissions. We are excited to be featuring this great group and we’ll be hearing music from two of their albums, With Malice Toward None, and MoonStrike. Connect with Classical Music Indy Streaming’s New Classical channel to hear performances by the Apollo Chamber Players. 

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – PENROD ARTS FAIR

This week we highlight the wonderful organization that is The Penrod Arts Fair. We’ll hear from this year’s Fair Chairman, Ronan Johnson, as well as Penrod Society member, Greg Heinle. The Penrod Arts Fair, also known as “Indiana’s Nicest Day” is one of the largest single-day arts fairs in the country. The Arts Fair is taking place at Newfields on Saturday, September 10th from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. “Penrod” pays homage to Penrod Schoefield, a literary character from Indianapolis novelist Booth Tarkington. In this week’s playlist, we’ll highlight some pieces centered on literary themes, works, and characters, as well as hear all the insights about the Arts Fair from Ronan and Greg.

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NEW CLASSICAL – INBAL SEGEV

In this week’s playlist, we bring you performances by cellist, Inbal Segev.  Celebrated for her fresh insights into music’s great masterworks, the Israeli American cellist is equally committed to reinvigorating the cello repertoire, and has commissioned and premiered major new works from an international who’s who of today’s foremost contemporary composers. A prodigy who first played for the Israeli president at just eight years old, Segev came to international attention ten years later when she made concerto debuts with both the Berlin Philharmonic and Israel Philharmonic under the baton of Zubin Mehta.

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – DRUM CORPS INTERNATIONAL

In this week’s playlist, we highlight the wonderful organization that is Drum Corps International with guest curator, Eric Hjellming. With this year being DCI’s 50th Anniversary and Finals returning to Lucas Oil Stadium, you really don’t want to miss out on any of this excitement. In this playlist, we’ll hear Eric discuss all the insights of DCI and what to look forward to at this year’s Finals Week event here in Indianapolis, and more.

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NEW CLASSICAL – UNSUK CHIN

This week on our New Classical channel we feature the works of South Korean composer, Unsuk Chin. She is a contemporary classical music composer who is currently based in Berlin, Germany. Chin has received many honors, including the 2004 Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition for her Violin Concerto. In 2022 she starts a five-year tenure as Artistic Director of the Tongyeong International Festival in South Korea and her Artistic Directorship of the Weiwuying International Music Festival in Taiwan.

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – GEN CON INDY

In this week’s playlist, we bring some fabulous orchestrations of gaming music in honor of Gen Con Indy. Gen Con Indy is back in the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium for The Best Four Days in Gaming this August 4th-7th! Throughout the playlist, we’ll hear from their Director of Events, Derek Guder, and Event Manager, JC Smith. They’ll be discussing all the insights of Gen Con Indy, their roles, and some of their favorite gaming music.

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NEW CLASSICAL – NEW LONDON CHAMBER ENSEMBLE

This week’s featured artist is the New London Chamber Ensemble. For over two decades the NLCE has challenged traditional ideas of chamber music with their innovative programmes combining classic repertoire with semi-staged works incorporating drama, speech and action. We’ll be hearing music from their newly released album, WINDSWEPT VOL. II, from Navona Records.

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – CHAMBERFEST BROWN COUNTY

This week’s playlist will feature the great festival in Nashville, Indiana- ChamberFest Brown County. This year’s festival takes place August 14-20 and will feature some great guest artists. Notably, this year the Lincoln String Quartet of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra will be performing.  ChamberFest was born out of love; love for music, love for people and love for nature. We’ll hear Artistic Director, Andreas Ioannides and Social Media Manager, Nicha Stapanukul discuss what all to expect at this year’s festival and more.

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NEW CLASSICAL – TIME FOR THREE

This week’s playlist brings you great performances by Time For Three. On June 10th they released their new album, Letters for the Future, with the Philadelphia Orchestra led by Xian Zhang on Deutsche Grammophon. The album comprises world premiere recordings of two technically demanding and musically virtuosic concerti for trio and orchestra by two Pulitzer Prize-winning composers, written fifteen years apart but both commissioned for the group: Jennifer Higdon’s 2007 Concerto 4-3 and Kevin Puts’s brand-new Contact.

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – PRIDE MONTH

In this week’s playlist, we continue our celebrations in honor of Pride Month. This week we feature guest curator and local LGBTQ+ activist, Chris Douglas. He is a founding partner and managing director of C.H. Douglas and Gray Wealth Management. Chris is a lover of classical music and has always been an advocate for the arts. He has been a past president of the Board of Trustees and current member of the Board of Advisors of Dance Kaleidoscope, Indiana’s premier professional contemporary dance company.

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NEW CLASSICAL – RANDALL GOOSBY

Signed exclusively to Decca Classics in 2020 at the age of 24, American violinist Randall Goosby is acclaimed for the sensitivity and intensity of his musicianship alongside his determination to make music more inclusive and accessible, as well as bringing the music of under-represented composers to light. Goosby made his debut with the Jacksonville Symphony at age nine. At age 13, he performed with the New York Philharmonic on a Young People’s Concert at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall and became the youngest recipient ever to win the Sphinx Concerto Competition.

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – INDY PRIDE

Shelly is the Executive Director of Indy Pride Inc. As a lesbian, wife, and mother, Shelly is passionate about ensuring that LGBTQ+ people feel connected to each other and are provided with equitable opportunities. Shelly has proven to be a dynamic and informative speaker on topics such as Career Development for Queer Students, Mentor Programs, Personal Branding, and ways that local businesses can make their environments more accepting and equitable.

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NEW CLASSICAL – JULIUS EASTMAN

As we enter Pride Month, we’ll be hearing the works of a composer who has been overlooked. His name is Julius Eastman. Eastman was born in 1940 and grew up in Ithaca, New York.  He was an artist who, as a gay, black man, aspired to live those roles to the fullest. He was not only a prominent member of New York’s downtown scene as a composer, conductor, singer, pianist, and choreographer, but also performed at Lincoln Center with Pierre Boulez and the New York Philharmonic, and recorded experimental disco with producer Arthur Russell.

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – BLACK MUSIC MONTH

In this week’s playlist, we celebrate Black Music Month which takes place in June. It was created by President Jimmy Carter in 1979 to honor and celebrate Black artists’ contributions to music. We’ll be honoring the late Herman Whitfield III, an Indianapolis native who was a gifted pianist and composer. We’ll also hear performances of artists who have been featured in season four of Classical Music Indy’s podcast, Melanated Moments in Classical Music.

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NEW CLASSICAL – VOCES8

In this week’s playlist, we’ll hear the soothing voices of the British vocal ensemble VOCES8. They are proud to inspire people through music and share the joy of singing. Touring globally, the group performs an extensive repertoire both in its a cappella concerts and in collaborations with leading orchestras, conductors and soloists. Versatility and a celebration of diverse musical expression are central to the ensemble’s performance and education ethos.

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – INDY 500

In this week’s playlist, we are gearing up for the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, which is happening Sunday, May 29th. What better way to celebrate than to feature a great organization that has been telling the rich history of this great race. This week we have guest curator Jason Vansickle of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. Jason is the Vice President of Curation and Education and we’ll hear some insights about the museum, his role, and pieces he helped me pair for this playlist.

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Woman holding a baton, conducting an ensemble, in front of a black background.

NEW CLASSICAL – MARIN ALSOP

Convinced that music has the power to change lives, she is internationally recognized for her innovative approach to programming and audience development, deep commitment to education, and championing of music’s importance in the world. Marin is the first woman to serve as the head of a major orchestra in the United States, South America, Austria, and Britain, she is, as the New York Times put it, not only “a formidable musician and a powerful communicator” but also “a conductor with a vision.” Want to hear and learn more about Marin Alsop and live in the Indianapolis area? Join us Wednesday, May 25th at 7:30 p.m. for a special one-night screening of the film The Conductor, featuring internationally renowned conductor Marin Alsop.

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – KOKOMO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

In this week’s playlist, we have guest curator José Valencia of the Kokomo Symphony Orchestra (KSO) speaking about the organization and some of his musical background and insights. In addition to working with the KSO, Mr. Valencia is the founding music director and artistic advisor for the cutting-edge Indianapolis-based Orkestra Projekt. He is also Assistant Conductor and concertmaster of the Marion Philharmonic Orchestra and Assistant Concertmaster with the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra.

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NEW CLASSICAL – BROOKLYN RIDER

Claiming no allegiance to either end of the historical spectrum, Brooklyn Rider most comfortably operates within the long arc of the tradition, seeking to illuminate works of the past with fresh insight while coaxing the malleable genre into the future through an inclusive programming vision, deep-rooted collaborations with a wide range of global tradition bearers, and the creation of thoughtful and relevant frames for commissioning projects.  

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A pair of feet wearing shoes with headphones around them, laying in a field.

LOCAL CLASSICAL – MUSIC AND NATURE

Whether we’re listening to music that draws direct inspiration from nature or not, ecomusicology encourages us to question how we listen to sounds even in our everyday environments.

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NEW CLASSICAL – WILD UP

In this week’s playlist, we are featuring performances by the Los Angeles contemporary music ensemble, WILD UP. They are led by artistic director and founder, Christopher Rountree. This GRAMMY-nominated ensemble has worked with numerous artists since first forming in 2010. They have held residencies at the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Colburn School, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, National Sawdust, and the Hammer Museum, and taught at dozens of educational institutions across the U.S.

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Poetry: The Composer’s Muse

Poetry: The Composer’s Muse Wo …

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NEW CLASSICAL – RAIN WORTHINGTON

In this week’s playlist, we bring you works by American composer, Rain Worthington. Some influences in her works have included world music, minimalism, and romanticism. Inspired by the energy of the contemporary classical scene, she pursued her love of orchestral music and taught herself notation and orchestration.

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – CITY MARKET

This week we are highlighting the Indianapolis City Market and our guest curator for this playlist, Executive Director, Keisha Harrison. Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Keisha Harrison has called Indianapolis home for almost the past two years.

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NEW CLASSICAL – FILM SCORES

This year it is even more important to shine a light on the wonderful composers of film music. The Academy Awards recently mentioned that eight awards will not be presented during the live March 27th telecast including, Best Original Score, Film Editing, Production Design, Makeup and Hairstyling, Sound, Documentary Short, and Live-Action Short and Animated Short. The current plan is to present these eight awards during the pre-telecast hour. We stand with these artists and hope they receive the recognition they deserve.

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Burleigh the Builder

Burleigh the Builder Words by …

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH

In this week’s playlist, we are highlighting pieces and performances by women artists who have Indiana ties in honor of Women’s History Month. This annual event celebrates the important contributions of women of the past to the present. We’ll shine a light on some great woman artists who have contributed to society with their musicianship.

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My Music. My Story. Emma Spitzig.

My Music. My Story. Emma Spitz …

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NEW CLASSICAL – MISSY MAZZOLI

In this week’s playlist, we are featuring the works of Grammy-nominated American composer Missy Mazzoli. Missy is an active TV and film composer, writing music for the Amazon TV show Mozart in the Jungle, and is a pianist and keyboardist with Victoire, an all-female chamber rock quintet she founded in 2008 dedicated to her own compositions. 

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – HARLEM QUARTET

This New York-based ensemble is currently quartet-in-residence at the John J. Cali School of Music and the Royal College of Music in London. The quartet’s mission is to advance diversity in classical music, engaging young and new audiences through the discovery and presentation of varied repertoire that includes works by composers of color. There are even some local ties to this amazing ensemble. Cellist Felix Umansky is a native of Carmel, Indiana, and joined the Harlem Quartet in the spring of 2015. 

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A woman poses looking at her viola.

Castle of Our Skins

Castle of Our Skins Words by O …

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NEW CLASSICAL – RACHEL PORTMAN

In this week’s playlist, we bring you the music of English composer, Rachel Portman. If you don’t know her by name, you might already know her by her music. Portman is an award-winning film composer and has scored for films like Race,  The Cider House Rules, and A Dog’s Purpose just to name a few. Portman shattered the glass ceiling with her score for the 1996 film, Emma, and became the first woman ever to win an Oscar for best original score.

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A man (left) and woman (right) sitting in front of laptops and microphones.

LOCAL CLASSICAL – MELANATED MOMENTS

In this week’s Black History Month playlist, we bring you recordings by composers, performers, and artists who have been highlighted in our podcast, Melanated Moments in Classical Music. Melanated Moments is the ward-winning podcast from Classical Music Indy that shines a spotlight on musical works composed by, for, and about Black people.

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NEW CLASSICAL – TANIA LEÓN

We are excited to feature composer, conductor, and educator, Tania León in this week’s New Classical playlist. She is a founding member of the Dance Theatre of Harlem, León instituted the Brooklyn Philharmonic Community Concert Series, co-founded the American Composers Orchestra’s Sonidos de las Américas Festivals, was New Music Advisor to the New York Philharmonic, and is the founder/Artistic Director of the nonprofit and festival Composers Now.

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Moses Hogan: A Bridge That Can Never Be Built Again

Moses Hogan: A Bridge That Can …

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – JUANJO MENA

In this week’s playlist, we are featuring Spanish conductor, Juanjo Mena. This is in conjunction with the upcoming Classical Series concert by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra happening on January 28th and 29th. Mena will be leading the ISO’s, “Greetings from Latin America” concert. Juanjo Mena began his conducting career in his native Spain as Artistic Director of the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra in 1999.

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Margaret Bonds – Mastering The Movement

Margaret Bonds – Mastering The …

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A man poses on a chair holding a trombone.

NEW CLASSICAL – MARK HETZLER

In this week’s playlist, we bring you performances by trombonist, Mark Hetzler.  He was the former Principal Trombonist of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and has performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops Orchestra, as well as the Florida Orchestra, the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, and the Palm Beach Opera Orchestra. One interesting fact about Mark is that he’s a member of the experimental rock band, Mr. Chair, where he plays his trombone while hooked up to an effects pedalboard, giving it an electric trombone feel.

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – JORGE MUÑIZ

In this week’s playlist, we bring you the music of northern Indiana composer, Jorge Muñiz. Based in South Bend, Indiana, Jorge is a Professor of Music at Indiana University South Bend’s Ernestine M. Raclin School of the Arts as well as the Interim Dean. In addition to winning the First Grand Prize of the European Young Composers Competition, Muñiz has won several other international awards including the City of Alcobendas Composition Prize, the Flora Prieto Composition Prize, the Guerrero Foundation Music Prize, the Joaquin Turina Music Prize, and the Spanish Society of Authors Young Composers Competition.

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#BlackGirlMusic

#BlackGirlMusic Words by Okara …

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NEW CLASSICAL – DU YUN

This week’s playlist theme is in observance of National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. January, 11th is also National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. This has become a growing issue in our time not just in the United States, but across the globe. We are raising awareness on this issue through music, specifically composer, Du Yun.

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – HOST OKARA IMANI

Hey, Starshine! This is Okara Imani, Media Production Fellow for Classical Music Indy, and your guide to The “I” in Classical Music. I’m here to highlight the cultural and social intersections of the classical art form, beyond the Classical Period and beyond the constructs of Euro-centric high society origins.

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NEW CLASSICAL – SŌ PERCUSSION

In this week’s playlist, we bring you performances by a group who are programming a diverse range of voices, commissioning flexible new works, and re-imagining educational programs. That ensemble is Sō Percussion. They are a percussion-based music organization that creates and presents new collaborative works to adventurous and curious audiences and educational initiatives to engaged students, while providing meaningful service to its communities, in order to exemplify the power of music to unite people and forge deep social bonds.

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CMI City Sounds: Jared Thompson and Eliza Brown

CMI City Sounds: Jared Thompso …

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – HOLIDAY PLAYLIST

It’s that time of year! Bustling shops, family gatherings, and a nip in the air. This week we bring you works for the upcoming Holidays. However you may celebrate, we hope this season is full of joy and good health. The playlist is filled with many works that will surely get you in the holiday spirit.

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NEW CLASSICAL – MASON BATES

In this week’s playlist, we bring you works by award-winning composer, Mason Bates. He is an American composer and DJ, which all translates to his works. His works often mix electronic dance music with traditional symphonic writing. Locally, his 2019 Grammy awarding-winning opera, The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, was a Jacobs School of Music co-production with the Santa Fe Opera, Seattle Opera, and San Francisco Opera back in 2018.

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Photo Credit: Mark Sheldon

Clarinet Bridge Key Issues

Clarinet Bridge Key Issues  Wo …

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Photo of Christkindlmarkt.

LOCAL CLASSICAL – CHRISTKINDLMARKT

For this week’s playlist, we connected with the Carmel Christkindlmarkt to create a playlist that will get you in the holiday spirit. The Carmel Christkindlmarkt has brought the old-world charm of Christmas in Germany to Carmel, Indiana. The Carmel Christkindlmarkt is an open-air Christmas market in traditional German style, and was founded as a nonprofit organization in 2017 with the support of the City of Carmel and Mayor James Brainard. It runs annually from November 20th through December 24th. 

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CMI City Sounds: Frank Felice & Eric Salazar

CMI City Sounds: Frank Felice …

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NEW CLASSICAL – CATALYST QUARTET

In this week’s playlist, we bring you performances by the Catalyst Quartet. The Grammy Award-winning ensemble was founded by the internationally acclaimed Sphinx Organization in 2010. They believe in the unity that can be achieved through music and imagine their programs and projects with this in mind, redefining and reimagining the classical music experience.

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – ALASTAIR WILLIS

Alastair’s previous positions include Music Director of the Illinois Symphony, Principal Guest Conductor with the Florida Orchestra’s Coffee Concert series, Associate Conductor of the Seattle Symphony, Assistant Conductor with the Cincinnati Symphony and Pops Orchestras, and Music Director of the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra.

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NEW CLASSICAL – JEROD TATE

Tate has held numerous Composer-in-Residence positions and his commissioned works have been performed by the National Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony and Chorus, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, South Dakota Symphony Orchestra, and many more.

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – MICHAEL SCHELLE

In this week’s playlist, we are featuring local composer and Butler University Professor, Michael Schelle. A man of many talents, he has been the Composer in Residence and founder of the notorious JCA Composers Orchestra at Butler University, a two-time nominee for the Pulitzer Prize in Music, a finalist for the International Humour in Poetry Competition (Paris), a published author (film music book), and a restaurant critic.

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My Music. My Story. Lindy Howard.

My Music. My Story. Lindy Howa …

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NEW CLASSICAL – CAROLINE SHAW

In this week’s playlist, we are featuring Caroline Shaw. She is the youngest ever winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Music for her composition, Partita for 8 Voices. Shaw is a New York-based vocalist, violinist, composer, and producer who performs in solo and collaborative projects. She performs as a violin soloist, chamber musician, and as a vocalist in the Grammy-winning ensemble Roomful of Teeth.

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – ROBERT SPANO

Many great classical music artists have connections to Indiana. In this week’s playlist, we’ll be featuring conductor, Robert Spano, who has Indiana roots. Born in 1961 in Conneaut, Ohio, and raised in Elkhart, Indiana, he grew up in a musical family, composing and playing flute, violin, and piano.

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NEW CLASSICAL – SPEKTRAL QUARTET

In this week’s New Classical channel, we are excited to feature the Spektral Quartet. The quartet has received multiple Grammy nominations, as well as one Latin Grammy award. Spektral also takes great pride in its home city of Chicago: championing the work of local composers, bridging social and aesthetic partitions, and cultivating its ongoing collaborations and residencies in the Chicago region.

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Marian Anderson: Validating Her Existence

Marian Anderson: Validating He …

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NEW CLASSICAL – PENROD FAN FAVORITES

Also known as Indiana’s Nicest Day, this year the Penrod Arts Fair took place Saturday, September 11, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Annually organized by The Penrod Society, this year’s fair featured over three hundred artists, six entertainment stages, and 75 arts-related non-profit organizations, including Classical Music Indy. If you went to the arts fair, Classical Music Indy let people place a sticker on a picture of a living artist of their choice.

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My Music. My Story. Alexa Knoderer.

My Music. My Story. Alexa Knod …

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Ric’key Pageot: Inspiring a Moment to Learn, Acknowledge, and Respect

Ric’key Pageot: Inspiring a Mo …

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH

This week on Classical Music Indy’s Local Classical channel, we present music by composers, performers, and conductors of Hispanic descent, both from the United States and from Latin American countries. This playlist was also guest curated by Consuelo Poland, Founder and Executive Director of the Latinas Welding Guild. Consuelo’s nonprofit organization here in Indianapolis aims to empower Latinas and all women personally, creatively, and economically through welding.

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NEW CLASSICAL – SYBARITE5

In this week’s playlist, we are featuring the string quintet ensemble, Sybarite5. They have collaborated with artists like Ehsan Matoori, Shane Shanahan, Jakub Ciupinski, Clarice Assad, and more. Sybarite5 has appeared at festivals including Ravinia, Caramoor, Wolf Trap, Grand Teton, Aspen, Interlochen, Chautauqua, and many others. International appearances include Canada’s Tuckamore Music Festival, the New Docta International Music Festival in Cordoba, Argentina, and the Osaka Festa in Osaka, Japan.

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What is Ecomusicology?

What is Ecomusicology? Words b …

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – NATIONAL ARTS IN EDUCATION WEEK

All the great classical music we love has to have started somewhere, and often that place was in the classroom. All your favorite classical music composers, conductors, soloists, and more couldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for music educators. In this week’s playlist, we are featuring works chosen by Indiana music educators in honor of National Arts in Education Week.

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NEW CLASSICAL – CHRISTOPHER CERRONE

In this week’s playlist, we’ll be highlighting works by American composer Christopher Cerrone. Cerrone holds degrees from the Yale School of Music and the Manhattan School of Music. He currently teaches at Mannes School of Music.

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Photo by Victor Freitas from Pexels

Women’s Trauma and Opera

Women’s Trauma and Opera Words …

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – PENROD PLAYLIST

Known as “Indiana’s Nicest Day” and one of the largest single-day arts fairs in the country, The Penrod Arts Fair is taking place this year on Saturday, September 11 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. This year’s fair will feature over three hundred artists, six entertainment stages, and 75 arts-related non-profit organizations, including Classical Music Indy, all taking place at the beautiful Newfields.

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NEW CLASSICAL – EUN SUN KIM

In this week’s New Classical channel we are excited to feature conductor, Eun Sun Kim. She is the first Asian woman conductor to lead an American opera company. As of August 1, 2021, Eun Sun Kim is the Music Director of the San Francisco Opera. A native of Seoul, Kim studied composition and conducting and later continued her studies in Stuttgart where she graduated with distinction. After graduating she went on to win First Prize in the International Jesús López-Cobos Opera Conducting Competition at the Teatro Real.

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – CHAMBERFEST BROWN COUNTY

In this week’s playlist, we are highlighting artists that are performing in this year’s ChamberFest Brown County. The festival is taking place from August 17th-22nd in Nashville, Indiana. Part of ChamberFest’s mission has been to bridge divides in rural Indiana through classical music performance and education of the highest caliber.

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Film Scores: A Bigger Tent for Musical Creativity

You can’t help feeling a sense …

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NEW CLASSICAL – MICRO COMPOSITION PROJECT FEATURES

In this week’s playlist, we are featuring the recordings from the 2020 Micro Composition Project. This Classical Music Indy Program has been very successful and we are excited to share the upcoming premiere concert date for the 2021 Micro Composition Project. The works will premiere at the Indianapolis Propylaeum’s Porch Concert Series on Aug. 13 at 8 p.m. in Indianapolis, Indiana.

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – MUSIC IN BLOOM

This week’s playlist highlights living composers, new music specialist artists, and the work of the Music in Bloom Festival, coming to Indianapolis audiences August 11–14, 2021. From full orchestra to solo works, your host, concert pianist, and Music in Bloom founder/Artistic Director, Clare Longendyke guides listener’s through Music in Bloom’s featured artists of past and present.

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Nathaniel Dett: Painting Words in Music

Nathaniel Dett: Painting Words …

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NEW CLASSICAL – OLYMPIC PLAYLIST

In honor of the 2021 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, we are bringing you a playlist filled with music that embodies the spirit of the Olympics. The Olympics are a great way to show the great achievements of athletes from all over the world.

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My Music. My Story. Cornelius Hocker.

My Music. My Story. Cornelius …

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – INDIANAPOLIS BAROQUE ORCHESTRA

The Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra has been the ensemble-in-residence at the Indiana History Center and the University of Indianapolis since 1999. Their performances and recordings are all performed with period instruments built between 1600 and 1750. They make it a mission to perform and promote music of the 17th and 18th centuries using period instruments and historically informed performance practices.

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NEW CLASSICAL – JESS GILLAM

In this week’s New Classical playlist we are featuring British saxophonist, Jess Gillam. Gillam’s first breakthrough was in 2016 when at the age of 17, she made history as the first saxophonist to reach the final of the BBC Young Musician Competition.

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Inclusive Practices You Can Incorporate into Your Ensemble Rehearsals

Inclusive Practices You Can In …

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – LISTENER SELECTED PLAYLIST

As a listener-supported service, we wanted to program a playlist featuring works specifically selected by our listeners. At the beginning of June, we sent out surveys requesting our listener’s favorite classical pieces, periods, and soloists. The results were great and this playlist includes a little of everything based on the responses. Thank you for making our streaming service possible. 

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How To Raise A Young Musician

How To Raise A Young Musician …

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NEW CLASSICAL – JOEL PUCKETT

In this week’s playlist, we are featuring award-winning American composer, Joel Puckett. His music is performed by the leading artists of our day and is consistently recognized by organizations such as the American Composers Forum, BMI, Chorus America, National Public Radio, and the American Bandmasters Association

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NEW CLASSICAL – KRZYSZTOF PENDERECKI

2021 marked the one-year anniversary of Krzysztof Penderecki’s death. As a polish composer and conductor, Penderecki became a leader in the world of contemporary music. One of his first groundbreaking works was his avant-garde piece, Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima. His music often confronted subjects such as social injustice, religion, and politics.

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My Music. My Story. Jake Sheets.

My Music. My Story. Jake Sheet …

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – BLACK MUSIC MONTH

Since 1979, June has been known as Black Music Month. In the classical music world, black artists are so often underrepresented. In this month’s playlist, we’ll be highlighting music by black composers, soloists, conductors, and more. This playlist has selections spanning from the 17th century to today.

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Godzilla

From a terrifying villain to a …

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NEW CLASSICAL – XAVIER BETETA

As a composer, Xavier did most of his studies privately with Rodrigo Asturias. In 2013 he won the Silver Medal at the fourth International Antonin Dvorak Composition Competition in Prague. Xavier studied music theory at the University of Cincinnati where his thesis was ranked no. 4 in the National Best-Seller Dissertation List. He obtained his Ph.D. in composition at the University of California San Diego where he studied with Roger Reynolds, Philippe Manoury, and Chinary Ung. 

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – COREY DENHAM

Corey Denham‘s project resulted in an album that highlights a modern language of classical improvisation for flute and percussion with Jenna Page. This album draws upon experiences and memories from specific landmarks around Indianapolis, recreating the atmosphere of these locations and connecting Indianapolis listeners to places they know and love.

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NEW CLASSICAL – LORETTA NOTARESCHI

In honor of May being Mental Health Awareness Month, this week’s New Classical streaming playlist will be featuring Dr. Loretta K. Notareschi and her piece String Quartet OCD. Dr. Notareschi is a professor of music at Regis University and is very open about her mental health. One of the hardest moments of her life was when she grappled with an unnerving postpartum obsessive-compulsive disorder.

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – CHLOE BOELTER

In 2020, The Classical Music Indy Recording Fellowship sought to provide an opportunity for two outstanding musicians to engage in a top-of-the-line recording experience of their own choosing, while providing mentorship on developing a career in the recording industry. One of the chosen fellows was Chloe Boelter. Chloe recorded a set of female-composed French and German art songs.

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NEW CLASSICAL – HECTOR DEL CURTO

In this week’s playlist, we’ll be featuring Argentinean bandoneonist, Héctor Del Curto. Born into a family of bandoneon players, Mr. Del Curto was introduced to the world of Tango and bandoneon by his grandfather, Héctor Cristobal. By the age of 17, he had won the title “Best Bandoneon Player Under 25” in Argentina, and was invited to join the orchestra of the legendary Osvaldo Pugliese, the “Last Giant of Tango.”

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – KIDS PLAYLIST

In honor of April being the Month of the Young Child, this playlist was made with kids in mind. We’ll be featuring works that have been in the Fantasia films, cartoons, and more. Pieces like Sergei Prokofiev’s, Peter and the Wolf Op. 67, are great examples of classical music to introduce to children as it includes a spoken narrative.

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Differentiated Instruction in Music Ensembles

Differentiated Instruction in …

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Story Time at the Symphony

Story Time at the Symphony Wor …

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NEW CLASSICAL – OSCARS

In this week’s playlist, we’ll be featuring music selections from films in honor of the upcoming 2021 Oscars. There is one composer whose works you will hear much of in this playlist and that is the great John Williams. Also included in this playlist is a film score that is a contender for an Oscar this year. It is from the film, Minari and the music is by Emile Mosseri. 

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – MARK ORTWEIN

In this week’s Local Classical channel, we’ll be highlighting local Indianapolis musician, Mark Ortwein. Mark is a bassoonist with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, but his talents don’t stop at bassoon since he is also a sought-after instrumental doubler. Over the last 20 years, Mark has performed in many different musical projects including professional recordings, musical theater, chamber ensembles, jazz, and R&B groups, as well as many orchestral performances, including being a member of the Saxophone section for the Cincinnati Pops under Erich Kunzel.

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Women & The Orchestra

Women & The Orchestra Word …

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Ignatius Sancho: Composing the Hypocrisy of Colonialism & Convention

Ignatius Sancho: Composing the …

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NEW CLASSICAL – DAVID LANG

In this week’s playlist, we are excited to feature American Composer David Lang. Lang is already an accomplished composer as he is a Grammy and Pulitzer prize winner. Lang is one of America’s most performed composers and many of his works resemble each other only in the fierce intelligence and clarity of vision that inform their structures. His catalog is extensive, and his opera, orchestra, chamber, and solo works are by turns ominous, ethereal, urgent, hypnotic, unsettling, and very emotionally direct.

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – JULIETTE KANG AND BELLA HRISTOVA

Our friends at The International Violin Competition of Indianapolis (IVCI) have a Laureate Series that features prize winners of past competitions and special guests. As for the competition, violinists from around the world come to compete at this prestigious organization elevating the arts scene in Indianapolis. During this month of March, the IVCI is bringing back 1994 gold medalist Juliette Kang and 2006 laureate Bella Hristova. Since their initial visits to the IVCI, both their careers have been quite fruitful and their names have received international acclaim. 

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Laura Karpman: Catch the Fire of Storytelling in Stereo

Laura Karpman: Catch the Fire …

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My Music. My Story. Hilary Buttrick.

My Music. My Story. Hilary But …

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NEW CLASSICAL – AMPLIFY Pt. 2!

The second segment in guest host Clare Longendyke’s Amplify! series presents a program of works by female-identifying composers of color as a celebration of the intersection between Black History Month and Women’s Month. This eclectic program highlights works that celebrate multicultural musical styles from around the world. Enjoy pieces by some of Clare’s favorite living female composers mixed with some of the most important female voices of classical music’s past, voices that continue to influence the aesthetics and compositional approaches of composers today.

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – METROPOLIS

This week, we partner with our friends at the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra (ICO) to feature the music from the 1927 silent film Metropolis. Since 1984, the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra’s mission has been to advance and promote music composed for the small orchestra through professional concert performances and education programs. On Saturday, March 20th Fritz Lang’s Metropolis will be accompanied live by the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra.

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NEW CLASSICAL – ANNA CLYNE

As Women’s History Month begins, we are highlighting women musicians, composers, and conductors of the past and present.  In this week’s playlist, we are featuring London-born composer Anna Clyne. Anna Clyne is a GRAMMY-nominated composer of acoustic and electro-acoustic music. Described as a “composer of uncommon gifts and unusual methods” in a New York Times profile and as “fearless” by NPR, Clyne’s work often includes collaborations with cutting-edge choreographers, visual artists, filmmakers, and musicians. From 2010–2015, Clyne served as a Mead Composer-in-Residence for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

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Ways to Better Support LGBTQ+ Youth in Music Classrooms

Ways to Better Support LGBTQ+ …

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – TESSA LARK

The International Violin Competition of Indianapolis (IVCI) Laureate Series features prize winners of past competitions and special quests. During this month of February, the IVCI is bringing back the 2014 Silver Medalist Tessa Lark. Ms. Lark has been a featured soloist at numerous U.S. orchestras, recital venues, and festivals since making her concerto debut with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra at age sixteen.

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Make Music Meaningful for Children With These Expert Tips

Make Music Meaningful for Chil …

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NEW CLASSICAL – ROBERT PATERSON

In this week’s New Classical playlist, we’ll be featuring works by American composer Robert Paterson.  Robert Paterson was named Composer of The Year in 2011 by the Classical Recording Foundation at Carnegie’s Weill Hall. His music has been on the Grammy ballot for the past six seasons, and his works have appeared on National Public Radio’s Best of the Year lists for classical music and regularly appear on radio playlists across the United States.

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – JAMES CAMPBELL

In this week’s Local Classical channel we’ll be featuring recently retired Indiana University Clarinet Professor James Campbell. James Campbell has been a soloist with over 60 orchestras, including the Boston Pops, the London Symphony, the London Philharmonic, the Russian Philharmonic, and the Montreal Symphony, and has performed Copland’s Clarinet Concerto four times with Aaron Copland conducting.

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NEW CLASSICAL – DR. BILL BANFIELD

This week we bring you the music of Dr. Bill Banfield. Dr. Banfield is an award-winning composer whose symphonies, operas, chamber works have been performed and recorded by major symphonies across the country. Few have a wider, performed professional composing output, that has had public concert performances, reviews, radio, recordings of some 12 symphonies, 7 opera, 9 concerti, chamber, jazz, and popular forms. This alone making Dr. Banfield one of the most performed, recorded composers of his generation. In 2010 and 2016, Dr. Banfield served as a Pulitzer Prize judge in American music.  

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – CLASSICAL PAIRINGS

In this week’s playlist, we feature the music that was highlighted in the latest installment of Classical Pairings Host Challenge. Beginning mid-November 2020, a different Indianapolis arts leader challenged host Nicholas Johnson with a piece of music to pair with a cocktail, using a local spirit.

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Angela Brown: The Making of a Mentor

Angela Brown: The Making of a …

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NEW CLASSICAL – GRAMMY NOMINEES

In this week’s programming, we bring you music that has been nominated for the 2021 Grammy Awards! The Grammy’s take place near the beginning of each year, however, this year the awards have been pushed back to March 14, 2021, due to Covid-19 precautions. We’ll be featuring music by composers Shulamit Ran, Jennifer Higdon, and Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. This dynamic trio released their album in collaboration with the Pacifica Quartet entitled, Contemporary Voices in 2020. It has been nominated in the category of Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance. The Indiana University-based quartet is also joined by alto saxophone soloist and Indiana University faculty member, Otis Murphy.

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Teaching Your Kids At Home? Here’s How Music Can Help.

Teaching Your Kids At Home? He …

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – NICHOLAS SOKOL

Nicholas Sokol is a composer, conductor, and pianist specializing in solo, chamber, orchestral, choral, and electronic music. Nicholas’ music has been performed throughout the United States and at prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall. His music has been performed by members of the Chicago Civic Orchestra, members of the New World Symphony, the Atlantic Music Festival Orchestra, and the Atlantic Music Festival New Music Ensemble. 

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NEW CLASSICAL – AMERICANA PLAYLIST

As we eagerly enter into the new year, we’ll celebrate by featuring Americana works. This weeks’ playlist features the album Not Our First Goat Rodeo. The album is a fun mix between Classical and Bluegrass and is sure to get you into the 2021 spirit. Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer, and Chris Thile star in this fun and genre-blending album. This is a sequel from their 2013 Grammy award-winning album, The Goat Rodeo Sessions.

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The Life of Margaret Garner and These United States

This is not a story to pass on …

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – ERIC SALAZAR

Eric Salazar holds a B.M. in Clarinet Performance from Ball State University and an M.M. in Clarinet Performance from Bowling Green State University. He has performed as a soloist and group musician in 8 states of the US and overseas in Belgium. Salazar was also a part of 2020’s Micro Composition Project, in which Classical Music Indy commissioned six different Indianapolis-based composers to create new engaging works to disrupt the genre’s traditional listening experience.

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NEW CLASSICAL – AMPLIFY!

The first segment in guest host Clare Longendyke’s Amplify! series presents a program of works by black composers. As performers and audiences around the world aim to expand the classical music stage to include a more equitable and diverse array of voices, this radio program strives to do the same by introducing listeners to new names in classical and contemporary music, new works from these composers, and new aesthetics within classical composition. As music is truly a universal language, let us work to fight inequality and injustice in classical concert music by amplifying the voices that have too long been silenced. Connect with Classical Music Indy’s New Classical Streaming channel to hear Clare Longendyke’s Amplify! playlist.

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5 Helpful Tips for Teaching High Notes on Clarinet and Saxophone

5 Helpful Tips for Teaching Hi …

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LOCAL CLASSICAL- MINA KEOHANE

Composer Mina Keohane’s self-titled group is undeniably jazz but draws more influences from rock and hip-hop grooves rather than the standard swing or bop styles. The Group has been steadily making a name for themselves with a fanbase in the midwest, New England, Down South, and parts of Europe. The beautiful emotional pieces on the album are complemented by tunes with dissonance and edgy bass and drum grooves. Fans of creative modern instrumental music will love the Mina Keohane Group’s Doppelganger.

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NEW CLASSICAL – PHIL KLINE

As the Christmas holiday approaches, we wanted to get you in the spirit in a new way. Composer Phil Kline came up with a unique way of Christmas caroling in 1992 where he made the audience become the performer. Phil Kline composed four tracks of music that each participant gets in the form of a CD, cassette, or mp3. Every participant gets a different track and the tracks are meant to be played at the same time, creating a unique mobile sound sculpture that is different from every listener’s perspective.

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – TIMOTHY GONDOLA

Timothy Gondola, 26, was born in Ithaca, NY, grew up and resides in Indiana. He majored in geography and minored in music at Macalester College (St. Paul, MN). He’s pursuing a Master’s in GIS at IUPUI. At age four, Timothy started learning piano from his mother. At Macalester College he discovered jazz, delving into the jazz piano repertoire by learning Oscar Peterson and Art Tatum transcriptions, including ones he transcribed himself. In 2013, he also started taking lessons in jazz with Mike Vasich, and classical lessons with Lauri Saeger-Wright.

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Recognizing the Remarkable: Thomas Wiggins

Recognizing the Remarkable: Th …

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NEW CLASSICAL – NADIA BOULANGER

This week we bring back guest streaming host, Clare Longendyke. Clare is an award-winning pianist who is nearing completion of her doctorate in piano performance at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music and is the founder and artistic director of the Music in Bloom Festival, a series of concerts in Indianapolis highlighting classical music from the 21st century. She is a sought-after pianist, performing over 50 concerts a year in North America and Europe. This week, Clare explores the music of French musical pedagogue and composer Nadia Boulanger.

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Meet Streaming Host Salvador Perez Lopez

Salvador Perez Lopez uses his …

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LOCAL CLASSICAL – ROB FUNKHOUSER

Rob Funkhouser is an Indianapolis-based composer, performer, and instrument builder. He recently received an M.M. from Butler University in Music Composition, and most recently completed confidently, but with an awkward gait for the Los Angeles Percussion Quartet.

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NEW CLASSICAL – NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

Since 1990, November has been established as National Native American Heritage Month. America has always had a mosaic of cultures dating back thousands of years to the original inhabitants of the land. This week on Classical Music Indy Streaming’s New Classical channel, we feature music by two Native Americans, R. Carlos Nakai, and Brent Michael Davids.

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Meet Syndication Host Okara Imani

For Okara Imani, hosting Class …

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Classical Pairings Bonus Content

Classical Pairings Bonus Conte …

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New Classical – Andy Akiho

Composer Andy Akiho has been recognized with many awards during his career, including the Rome Prize, Lili Boulanger Memorial Prize, Harvard University Fromm Commission, the American Composers Orchestra, Carlsbad Commission for the Calder Quartet, Barlow Endowment for Music Composition, and Chamber Music America.

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Local Classical – Gabrielle Cerberville

Part of Classical Music Indy’s Micro Composition Project, this week we’ll be featuring Indianapolis-based American composer, multi-media artist, and pianist, Gabrielle Cerberville. Originally from New York State, Cerberville holds a degree in composition from Butler University.

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My Music. My Story. Christian Siegfried.

My Music. My Story. Christian …

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Local Classical – Dance Kaleidoscope

This week, we partner with our friends at Dance Kaleidoscope to feature music by Giacomo Puccini. Dance Kaleidoscope, Indiana’s longest-dancing professional contemporary dance company since 1972, is celebrating its 49th season this year.

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New Classical – Halloween Playlist

October is here, and that means it’s spooky season! We take a break from our normal New Classical programming this week to bring you our Halloween playlist.

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Birds Calling in Fort Ben

Birds Calling in Fort Ben Word …

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Local Classical – Stuart Hyatt

Stuart Hyatt is an Indianapolis-based and Grammy-nominated artist and musician who creates interdisciplinary creative projects. He curates the Field Works series, in which experimental musicians transform his locational audio field recordings into music.

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New Classical – Hispanic Heritage Month

Running from September 15, the anniversary of independence for several Latin American countries, to October 15, National Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.

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Toni Morrison in Classical Music

Toni Morrison in Classical Mus …

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Local Classical – Music Educator Favorites

In celebration of National Arts in Education Week, this week we bring you music inspired by music educators. Several local musicians shared with us inspiring stories of the impact that music educators can have in the lives of students.

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New Classical – Classical Hits Reimagined

In addition to featuring music by living composers, part of the vision for CMI Streaming’s New Classical channel is to give you fresh takes on the classical music you already know and love. We make good on that promise this week with the Classical Hits Reimagined playlist

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Meet Streaming Host Clare Longendyke

Classical pianist Clare Longen …

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Local Classical – Pet Playlist

This week on CMI Streaming’s Local Classical channel we pay tribute to pets. Anyone who has a pet knows they have their own distinct personalities with unique quirks that are part of the reason we love them.

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New Classical – Peck Expansion Highlights

Classical Music Indy recently expanded our Peck Classical Music Library to include significant holdings of underrepresented artists, including women composers and musicians of color.

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New Classical – Peck Expansion Highlights

New Classical Featured Artists …

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How To Rehearse Your Jazz Band Online

This year when the pandemic hi …

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Local Classical – Video Game Playlist

We all know the film scoring industry produces a great deal of the contemporary music we might consider to be in classical styles these days. Perhaps a less obvious source for new music comes from another entertainment industry, video games.

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New Classical – Vox Clamantis

This week we feature music recorded by the vocal ensemble Vox Clamantis. Formed in 1996, Vox Clamantis comprises a diversity of musicians – singers, composers, instrumentalists, and conductors – who have a common interest in the Gregorian chant.

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Meet Streaming Host Andrew Martin

As host and web producer of tw …

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Michael Toulouse Interviews A-Listers in New Podcast

Turn an ear to podcast host an …

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Local Classical – Classical Block Party

This week on our Local Classical channel, CMI Streaming presents our first Classical Block Party. Created in collaboration with some of our local business partners, we present some of classical music’s best “jams” as well as music paired with some of the best local summer food, beer, and cocktails.

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New Classical – Sylvan Trio

This week on New Classical, we feature music recorded by the Sylvan Trio. Comprised of the eclectic instrumentation of flute, cello and piano, the Sylvan Trio explores new music as well as pieces from the standard repertoire.

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Local Classical – Classical Pairings

To celebrate the release of Classical Pairings Season Two, we will be streaming a collection of works by the many artists that were featured throughout our weekly host challenges.

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New Classical – Chineke! Orchestra

The Chineke! Foundation was founded in 2015 to provide career opportunities for young Black and Minority Ethnic classical musicians in the UK and Europe. In 2017, the Chineke! Orchestra, the organization’s flagship ensemble, made its BBC Proms debut at the Royal Albert Hall in August and performed at many other leading festivals throughout England, all to great critical acclaim.

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A Basic Guide to Podcasts

Podcasts: A Very Basic Guide f …

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Meet Podcast Host Nicholas Johnson

Interested in improving your q …

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Local Classical – Founders Favorites

Hoping to increase the availability of classical music on the radio in 1961, a group of research chemists at Eli Lilly and Company pooled their resources and sought a broadcast outlet for classical music on the air.

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#AmplifyMelanatedVoices

Classical Music Indy stands with our Black community. We are here to listen, learn, and lend our support. We believe that classical music is powerful; that it evokes a range of human emotions and creative expression.

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Local Classical – Amy Williams

As part of CMI Streaming’s mission to feature local musicians, we also want to include the artistic voice of experts in the community in our programming choices. To that end, this week we bring in a guest host, Clare Longendyke.

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New Classical – String Quartets

In the world of classical music, the string quartet is one of the most commonly-composed and performed genres of instrumental music.

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My Music. My Story. Mariah Ivey.

Written by Jennifer Delgadillo …

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Local Classical – A Love Letter to Local Artists

With many arts events cancelled, the staff at Classical Music Indy misses seeing our arts colleagues in person, going to concerts, and seeing audiences react to the great work our local arts organizations provide in our community.

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New Classical – John Duffy

This week on CMI Streaming we feature music by American composer John Duffy. Though he passed away in 2015, Duffy’s contribution to new music goes far beyond his over 300 works for symphony orchestra, opera, theater, television and film.

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Local Classical – A Love Letter to Local Artists

With stay-at-home restrictions and many arts events cancelled, the staff at Classical Music Indy miss seeing our arts colleagues in person, going to concerts, and seeing audiences react to the great work our local arts organizations provide in our community.

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New Classical – Osvaldo Golijov

May is Jewish American Heritage Month and we celebrate this week by featuring music by composer Osvaldo Golijov. Though he was born in Argentina to Romanian parents and spent time living in Israel, Golijov joined the faculty of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1991.

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My Music. My Story. Kim Kenny.

My Music. My Story. Kim Kenny. …

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Local Classical – Rob Funkhouser

Despite the fact that we’re all stuck inside, and aside from the occasional random overnight freeze, spring has sprung in Indiana. To celebrate spring, we’re digging into the CMI archives this week to bring you Rob Funkhouser’s “Three Peacetime Images for Fort Benjamin Harrison State Park.”

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New Classical – PRISM Quartet

This week on CMI Streaming’s New Classical channel we feature music recorded by the PRISM Quartet. We’re all very familiar with the string quartet as an ensemble, but PRISM, a saxophone quartet, takes chamber music in a new direction.

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Angela Brown Brings her Unbridled Zeal to a New Podcast.

Angela Brown brings her unbrid …

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Local Classical – Frank Felice

This week on CMI Streaming we feature local composer and Butler University faculty member Frank Felice. Felice is an eclectic composer who writes with a postmodern mischievousness: each piece speaks in its own language, and they can be by turns comedic or ironic, simple or complex, subtle or startling or humble or reverent. 

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New Classical – Hanna Benn

As we wrap up our Women’s History Month programming, we feature music this week by composer and vocalist Hanna Benn. Benn’s multi-disciplinary approach has incorporated dance, opera, and theatre — submerging boundaries and discovering new sonic landscapes in the process.

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A Look At Composer Gabriela Ortiz

Gabriela Ortiz Words by Anna H …

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Local Classical – Kate Boyd

We continue our celebration of Women’s History Month on CMI Streaming with this week’s featured artist, pianist Kate Boyd. An active soloist and chamber musician, Boyd has performed solo recitals at Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, Schubert’s birth house in Vienna, the National Concert Hall in Dublin, the Musikhalle Hamburg, in addition to many places throughout the US, Greece, Ireland and Canada.

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New Classical – Gabriela Ortiz

CMI continues to celebrate Women’s History Month with the music of Mexican composer Gabriela Ortiz. Her music combines elements of Mexican folk music and popular music with twentieth- and twenty-first century compositional styles.

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Meet New Podcast Host Joshua Thompson

In a new podcast, co-host Josh …

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Local Classical – Eliza Brown

We continue our celebration of Women’s History Month this week by featuring music by composer Eliza Brown. Brown’s work is often interdisciplinary, with a recent focus on musical theater and opera. She also writes music that is, what she calls, intertextual, opening dialogues with existing pieces of music, historical styles, and other cultural artifacts.

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New Classical – Jennifer Higdon

All this month on CMI Streaming, we celebrate Women’s History Month by featuring the musical contributions of women artists, including composers and performers. American composer Jennifer Higdon taught herself to play the flute at age 16 before beginning formal music studies at age 18 and composition at age 21. Despite the late start, Higdon has become one of the most often-performed contemporary composers.

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My Music. My Story. Manon Voice.

My Music. My Story. Manon Voic …

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Local Classical – David Baker

We wrap up our Black History Month programming this week with music by Indiana composer David Baker. Born in Indianapolis, Baker served as professor of jazz studies at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, founding the jazz studies program.

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New Classical – Kazem Abdullah

This week on CMI Streaming’s New Classical channel, we continue our celebration of Black History Month by featured a couple of African-American conductors.

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Musical Mountains

Musical Mountains Legends: Aft …

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Local Classical – Angela Brown

We continue our Black History Month programming this week with our featured artist, soprano Angela Brown. Born in Indianapolis, Brown has led a world-renowned career as a vocal soloist. Her highly successful Metropolitan Opera debut in the title role of Aida captured instant attention from international print and broadcast media and catapulted Angela onto the world’s prestigious opera and symphonic stages.

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New Classical – Anthony and Demarre McGill

Throughout the month of February, CMI Streaming is celebrating Black History Month by featuring music by African-American performers, conductors, and composers. This week, we’ll hear several pieces performed by brothers Anthony and Demarre McGill.

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Local Classical – Pavel Berman

In collaboration with the Ronen Chamber Ensemble, this week we feature violinist Pavel Berman. Berman won the 1990 International Violin Competition of Indianapolis and serves as guest artist with the Ronen Chamber Ensemble in their performance at the Glick Indiana History Center.

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Rhythm & Dance

Rhythm & Dance Butler Univ …

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Local Classical – Amy Porter

Flutist Amy Porter has led a distinguished career as a performer and has been hailed by critics for both her performance and her passion for scholarship. In 2006, Porter became the first performing artist to be awarded the University of Michigan’s Henry Russel Award for distinguished scholarship and teaching ability and she has been featured as a soloist with orchestras around the world.

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New Classical – Arvo Pärt

Featured Artist 1/20/20 – 1/26 …

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Local Classical – Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra

This week on CMI Streaming, we’re featuring a couple of pieces by Ludwig van Beethoven in conjunction with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.

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New Classical – Eighth Blackbird

This week on CMI Streaming’s New Classical channel, we feature an ensemble that has made a name for themselves performing music by living composers. Eighth Blackbird has been hailed as “one of the smartest, most dynamic ensembles on the planet” by the Chicago Tribune.

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Contraband Music

Contraband Music Russian music …

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Local Classical – Cole Porter

This week’s featured artist on CMI Streaming’s Local Classical channel is iconic Indiana composer Cole Porter. Born to a wealthy family in Peru, Indiana, Porter’s grandfather sent him to Worcester Academy in Massachusetts, hoping he would become a lawyer.

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Local Classical – Elizabeth Crawford

Clarinetist Elizabeth Crawford, a faculty member at Ball State University’s School of Music and CMI Streaming’s featured artist for this week, is originally from Louisville, Kentucky, and later studied at Furman University, the University of Michigan, and Florida State University. A longtime member of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, Crawford spent the early 2000’s living in London, where she had the opportunity to perform with nearly all the major orchestras in England.

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New Classical – Rick Sowash

Ohio-based composer Rick Sowash strives for a sense of authenticity in his music. In an interview with Minnesota Public Radio, Sowash spoke of the influence of his grandmother, who, though she has passed away, still influences his compositional process, keeping him grounded in music that truly comes from who he is.

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Local Classical – Indianapolis Children’s Choir

This week on CMI Streaming’s local channel, we feature the Indianapolis Children’s Choir. Founded in 1986 by Henry Leck, each year, the ICC serves more than 2,500 singers between the ages of 18 months and 18 years who are enrolled in the ICC’s various music education programs.

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New Classical – Holiday Special

This week on CMI Streaming’s New Classical channel, we feature holiday music by living composers. We’re all familiar with our holiday favorites, but contemporary composers are still writing new holiday pieces to celebrate the season.

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New Classical – John Williams

This week on CMI Streaming, we feature music by John Williams, an iconic American composer who has been nominated for 51 Academy Awards for his work on music for films dating back to 1967. His first win in the Best Original Score category came in 1975 with his score for Jaws. Just two years later, perhaps Williams most iconic work earned him another Oscar win, with his score for 1977’s Star Wars.

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Local Classical – Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra

This week on CMI Streaming, we feature our very own Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Founded in 1930, by Ferdinand Schaefer, the ISO turned fully professional in 1937. Shortly after this transition, the orchestra gained national prominence, releasing a series of phonograph recordings RCA Victor and Capitol Records in the 1940s and 50s.

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Indianapolis Symphonic Choir: Festival of Carols

https://classicalmusicindy.org …

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Local Classical – Dover Quartet

The Dover Quartet rose to international prominence following a sweep of the 2013 Banff Competition, at which they won every prize. Named the Cleveland Quartet Award-winner, and honored with the coveted Avery Fisher Career Grant, the Dover Quartet has become one of the most in-demand ensembles in the world, performing more than 100 concerts in North America in 2018 and 2019

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New Classical – Joseph Horovitz

This week on CMI Streaming’s New Classical Channel, we feature a couple of pieces by English composer and conductor Joseph Horovitz. Born in Austria in 1926, Horovitz family fled to England in 1938 to escape the Nazis.

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Featured Artist – John Adams

John Adams is one of the most …

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Featured Artist – Leonard Slatkin

Los Angeles-born conductor Leo …

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Michael Toulouse Interviews Jeff Nelsen of the Canadian Brass

Canadian Brass performs at Clo …

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Born to Lead

It’s no secret that learning t …

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Music & Me helps preschoolers grow into music

“The kids came in, and when sh …

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My Music. My Story. Steve Campbell

As vice president of communica …

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The Quest for the Perfect Timpani

In the early 1980s two enterpr …

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The Art of Noise

Blurring the lines between mus …

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Classical Pairings Podcast Episode 1

Welcome to Classical Pairings! …

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Senior Concerts Have Social Impact

A flagship program for Classic …

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Classical Pairings: Traders Point Winery

Clara Schumann was, by all acc …

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Community Catalyst

Henry James’ famous advice to …

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Michael Toulouse Interviews Gemma New

Michael Toulouse Interviews Ge …

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From Porch Pickin’ to Percussion

Corey Denham grew up in Appala …

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A Good Morning

Traveling the world as an inte …

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The Odd Couple

Below, read about Classical Re …

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JoAnn Falletta Conducts The Pines of Rome

Conductor JoAnn Falletta’s rec …

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Music Unites Artist: John Alvarado

From rock & roll, to heavy …

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Interview with JoAnn Falletta

JoAnn Falletta will be conduct …

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Records for a Reason

If you follow the local music …

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Classical Pairings: Litterally Divine Chocolates

Let the divine combination of …

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Interview With Dr. Michelle Louer on Florence Price

The concert series “Sacred Art …

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Radio Shorts

Interested in myths, legends, …

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Maestro of Peace

As the conductor for the India …

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Paving the Way for Female Musicians

The Marine Corps Women’s Reser …

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A Viola Plays in Baghdad

Bloomington violist Dena El Sa …

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Radio Isn’t Dead

On our 50th anniversary, we ce …

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Classical Music Indy Listener Panel

Classical Music Indy Listener …

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Interview with Dr. Michelle Louer

The holiday season will be upo …

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Making Contact

Recendez begged her parents to …

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Music Therapy: More Than Balm for the Soul

The science behind music’s hea …

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Interview with Dr. Michelle Louer

The music and fine arts series …

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My Music. My Story. Jerome Horne.

My Music. My Story. is one of …

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Focusing on the Music

After besting over 130 applica …

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The Gray Area

Hanna Benn’s exploration of wh …

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Joshua Thompson: Opening Indy’s Eyes

Born and raised in Indianapoli …

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Classical Pairings

What would life be without bee …

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The Jazz Catalyst

For over two decades, Ruth McA …

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Jamie Barton: From Bluegrass to Opera

Jamie Barton is a current mezz …

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The Determined Pianist, Annie Fischer

Annie Fischer was a Hungarian-Jewish pianist of great renown. Although an unfamiliar musician to Americans, her passion for music and excellent performance ability were greatly admired by her contemporaries. Fischer left behind a wealth of recordings, some from the studio and many from her live performances.

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Klezmer: Music to Dance to

Get ready to dance! Although an unfamiliar style to some, klezmer is a music that has an undeniable folk sound that is combined with rhythms of dance. This musical style uses instruments to imitate the laughter and/or weeping of the human voice and is most often heard during times of merriment. Read below to learn more, and to listen to some recordings at the end.

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Interview with Jennifer Koh

Violinist Jennifer Koh sat down with Michael Toulouse to talk about the concerto she’ll be performing with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and why this composer’s music means so much to her.

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Ballet Pantomime Concert Playlist

James Aikman, Composer-In-Residence with the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, has written a new concerto for viola, which will be premiered on April 21, 2018 at 7:30 pm, with soloist Csaba Erdélyi, ICO principal violist. We’ve put together this playlist to preview the ICO performance at the Howard L. Schrott Center for the Arts at Butler University.

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Anne Duthie McCafferty: Indy’s Beloved Cello Maven

Anne Duthie McCafferty grew up in Indianapolis and has played with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra for 45 seasons. She never thought she would have the chance to have a performance job, but when the opportunity arose she took it. Since then, McCafferty has performed for millions of people, performed numerous fantastic pieces, and coordinates the local chapter of Classical Revolution. Read below about her life, career, and impact on Indy.

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NOTE Magazine is Relaunched

Indianapolis has a robust local classical music scene, worthy of being treasured as one of our city’s defining assets. And with NOTE, Classical Music Indy aims to tell stories that will delight and surprise avid classical fans, as well as welcome those new to the world of classical music. For this first issue, we chose to feature Women in Music, to celebrate local influencers past and present that have made stunning accomplishments not only with their talent, but also with their leadership in the genre.

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Freeway Flyer Roots in Indy

Robin Cox is a violinist and composer bringing unique performance projects to Indianapolis. Previously based in L.A., Cox has found accessibility and inclusivity in the Midwest arts scene, allowing the composer more freedom in his own work. Read below about the music and watch the amazing performances created by Robin Cox.

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Double your giving impact!

You can make double the impact …

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Music Unites Artists’ Thanksgiving Traditions

Here at Classical Music Indy we are thankful for our community, our generous donors, and, of course, our talented performers! We connected with several of our musicians to see what Thanksgiving traditions they have with their families. From food to family to music, each artist has their own unique Thanksgiving customs. Read below to see how Corey Denham, Bethany Daugherty, Laura Recendez, Maya Nojiri Sutherland, John Alvarado, and Jennifer Gallegos spend their Thanksgiving!

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Classical Music Month in Review, 2017

For Classical Music Month, Classical Music Indy pulled out all of the stops to bring music to the community of Indianapolis. We shared music with over 379,000 people during the month of September. We hope you’ll celebrate with us again next year!

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Indianapolis Opera: A Voice for Indy

Indianapolis Opera has been br …

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Rhythm! Discovery Center: Learn Something. Try Something.

Rhythm! Discovery Center is the creative vision of the Percussive Arts Society. Described as “the world’s first fully-interactive drum and percussion museum,” Rhythm! Discovery Center takes an innovative approach to experiencing the universality of rhythm and percussion. We spoke with Joshua Simonds, Executive Director of the Percussive Arts Society and Rhythm! Discovery Center, to learn more about this unique institution in Indianapolis.

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Happy Birthday, Leonard Bernstein!

Leonard Berntsein was an extremely versatile composer who wrote music for everything from solo voice to a full-sized chorus and orchestra. And while he did write wildly popular shows for Broadway, like West Side Story, he also wrote pieces based on his Jewish faith and ancient philosophers. Enjoy!

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Classical Revolution: Casual Classical Night

Classical Revolution: Casual C …

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Zach Rupp: My Music. My Story.

My Music. My Story. is one of Classical Music Indy’s initiatives to feature music, musicians, and music lovers in a fun way. This week we spoke with Zach Rupp, Assistant Brewer and Cellerman with TwoDEEP Brewing Co. Zach shares his favorite types of music, why he likes working at TwoDEEP, and what he listens to while enjoying a TwoDEEP brew.

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Happy Birthday Gustav Mahler Playlist

Classical Music Indy now brings you free weekly listening playlists through Spotify. Gustav Mahler, the renowned conductor, visionary composer, and uncompromising idealist in all things musical, was born on July 7, 1860. “A symphony should be like the world,” he preached to a fellow composer, and he provided plenty of real-world examples to show what he meant.

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Memorial Day Playlist

Enjoy a combination of patriotic songs for the holiday along with more traditional classical music influenced by the loss of friends and loved ones that composers remember through their music.

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Caitlin Negron: My Music. My Story.

My Music. My Story. is one of …

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Paul Page: The Voice of the Indy 500

Last year while developing our summer issue of NOTE magazine, we discovered that Paul Page was one of the first radio hosts for WAIV, the Indianapolis station that first broadcast Classical Music Indy (formerly the Fine Arts Society of Indianapolis). The 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 in 2016 was Paul’s final year announcing the race before retiring. This article, that ran in NOTE in May 2016, is a tribute to his amazing life and legacy. Guest contributor, Jill Ditmire, talked to Paul about his life and what led him from classical music radio to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and a broadcasting career spanning more than 46 years. Enjoy learning about Paul Page – the Voice of the Indy 500!

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Mother’s Day Playlist

Classical Music Indy now bring …

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Happy Birthday Brahms and Tchaikovsky Playlist

Classical Music Indy now bring …

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Cinco de Mayo Playlist

Starting this week, Classical Music Indy is bringing you free weekly listening playlists through Spotify. Celebrate Cinco de Mayo this week with classical music from Mexican composers!

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Anne Maschmeyer: My Music. My Story.

My Music. My Story. is one of Classical Music Indy’s initiatives to feature music, musicians, and music lovers in a fun way. This week we talk to Anne Maschmeyer, Beautification Director with Downtown Indy, Inc. She shares about her career and how music influences her life and work as a proponent of improving quality of life in Indianapolis.

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Music to Relieve Senior Isolation

For some seniors in our community, every day is a struggle with reduced mobility, lack of transportation, and limited resources, decreasing their social interaction and recreational opportunities. To combat these forces, Classical Music Indy provides the Senior Series, which brings live music directly to residents of nursing homes and assisted living centers.

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Highlighting our Female Performers

Classical Music Indy employs a diverse range of musicians for our events around Indianapolis. In 2016 we hired 95 musicians. Classical Music Indy has dedicated our blog articles to outstanding women musicians this month. We’ve shared about great women music educators in America and about under-recognized women musicians throughout history. This week, we take a look at a few of Classical Music Indy’s top performers – women who are doing great work here and now in the city of Indianapolis. Read below about these incredibly talented musicians, and hopefully you’ll hear them at one of our events in the near future!

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Eloise Paul: My Music. My Story.

My Music. My Story. is one of Classical Music Indy’s initiatives to feature music, musicians, and music lovers in a fun way. This week we are featuring Eloise Paul, a Mentor at the Andre B. Lacy School of Business at Butler University, and Board Member of Classical Music Indy. She shares with us how music has helped her throughout her life, why she became involved with Classical Music Indy, and why the arts are important to Indianapolis.

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Carl Butler: My Music. My Story.

My Music. My Story. is one of Classical Music Indy’s initiatives to feature music, musicians, and music lovers in a fun way. This week we talked with Carl Butler, the Principal Flute for the Indiana Wind Symphony and Vice President, Legal, at Angie’s List. He talks about how important music is to him, and how it has helped him in his career as a lawyer.

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The Metropolitan Youth Orchestra: More than Music

How can music help a child in need? The Metropolitan Youth Orchestra is a family and youth development program of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra aimed at providing music education and skill-building to Indianapolis youth. Krystle Ford, Associate Director of the MYO, shares with us how using music as a medium can teach a student important life skills and provide a way for the whole family to come together.

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Christina Summers: My Music. My Story.

My Music. My Story. is one of Classical Music Indy’s initiatives to feature music, musicians, and music lovers in a fun way. Christina Summers, from Christel House Academy, has a background in theater and education. Read below to hear Christina’s thoughts on how music affects her life, the importance of arts in education, and why students should have opportunities to be creative.

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January: National Mentoring Month

Positive mentors help young pe …

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Classical vs. Electric Guitar

This week our friend John Alvarado, Lecturer of Guitar at IUPUI and President of the Indianapolis Society of the Classical Guitar, discusses the presumed dichotomy of classical guitar vs electric guitar in the musical community. Read below to learn how these two genres don’t need to be separated as much as some may think.

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2016: One for the Record Books

As we approach the end of this year, we take time to contemplate the successes of our organization. Classical Music Indy’s President and CEO, Molly Deuberry Craft, writes that 2016 was “a notable year.” Read below to see all that CMI has achieved this year in the name of music. Happy New Year and best wishes for 2017!

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Take a “Practice Break”

The holidays are for spending time with family, relaxing, and treating ourselves.  Music students and professionals deserve a break after playing so much Holiday music, but can’t afford to take extended time away from their instruments. In this week’s blog Heidi Radtke, Instructor of Saxophone at Butler University and regular Classical Music Indy performer, shares how to keep those chops up over the holiday break. Happy practicing!

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Eduardo Luna: My Music. My Story.

My Music. My Story. is one of Classical Music Indy’s initiatives to feature music, musicians, and music lovers in a fun way. Eduardo Luna an artist, DJ, and community advocate. He is currently working as a Big Car Collaborative staff artist and is a co-founder of Nopal Cultural, a local latino arts organization. Read below for Eduardo’s take on the importance of music, what music means to him, and how music affects community.

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Words on Practicing

It’s hard to make time to practice music when you are working full-time as a teacher and freelance musician. Elizabeth Efroymson-Brooks, Director of Cello and Director of Suzuki Steps Early Childhood Program at the Indianapolis Suzuki Academy, shares her wisdom on practicing with her fellow teachers. Read below to see how Liz makes time to practice and what she does to improve her playing.

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Cultural Fusion Thanksgiving

In honor of Thanksgiving we asked Elise Shrock, the “Indy Food Maven,” to share her family traditions and some ideas for fun new foods to add to the traditional favorites. We’ve also compiled a short list of recipes that put a cultural twist on Thanksgiving classics. Enjoy!

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Día de los Muertos

We attended and performed for Celebrate Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) at the Eiteljorg Museum with partner Nopal Cultural this past Saturday, October 29. There’s still time to visit Nopal Cultural’s Día de los Muertos Linocut Prints and Altar Exhibition that will be on display and FREE to view through Nov. 2 in the Lilly Auditorium at the Eiteljorg Museum. Read below to learn more about Día de los Muertos and the events that happened this past Saturday. 2017 Update: The event is being held Oct 28 from 11am-5pm, learn more here.

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My Music. My Story. Maya Nojiri Sutherland.

My Music. My Story. is one of Classical Music Indy’s initiatives to feature music, musicians, and music lovers in a fun way. This week we talked with cellist Maya Nojiri Sutherland who regularly performs with Classical Music Indy. She moved to the US to continue her music education and is currently pursuing her PhD at Indiana University Bloomington. Read Maya’s thoughts on music, life, and community below.

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Creating Liquid Music

This week we look at musical innovation and hear from Kate Nordstrum, the Executive Producer of Special Projects for the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Through her desire to offer a wider stage for experimental musical expression, she and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra have created a program called Liquid Music.

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Classical Music Month in Review

In honor of Classical Music Month, Classical Music Indy stepped up our efforts to connect the community to Classical Music. We brought 27 performances to Indy – that’s nearly one performance a day! Read more about our activities in September in our blog post!

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My Music. My Story. Marianne Chalmers-Talkovski.

My Music. My Story. is one of Classical Music Indy’s initiatives to feature music, musicians, and music lovers in a fun way. This week we spoke with Marianne Chalmers-Talkovski, a licensed acupuncturist, about the importance of music in her life and in her work.

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Musical Innovation at the University of Maryland

Orchestra musicians are often stuck in a rut when it comes to style of performances and venue. We spoke with James Ross, Director of Orchestral Activities and Professor of Conducting at the University of Maryland, about how his university is trying to change their approach to performing. Read below to learn about some of the innovations they are implementing at the University of Maryland.

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My Music. My Story. Camille Zamora.

My Music. My Story. is one of Classical Music Indy’s initiatives to feature music, musicians, and music lovers in a fun way. In honor of National Hispanic Heritage month, we spoke with Camille Zamora, opera singer and founder of Sing for Hope. Music, like life, is better when we embrace more than just the familiar. You can read about Camille’s story in English or Spanish!

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VOTE for where we play!

A Day of Random Acts of Music: …

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Every Sunday in September for …

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Getting Luponed: Classical Shushing from the Stage

Concert etiquette has always been a mystery to classical newcomers. People wonder when they are allowed to clap, how much noise they should or shouldn’t make, and whether or not they are allowed to get out of their seat during the performance. There is an ongoing debate about concert etiquette–to shush or not to shush. This week, we looked at a few examples of performers shushing from the stage.

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Losing My Breath

For musicians, dealing with a chronic illness can mean the end of their career. This is the story of singer Margaret Felice, a Boston vocalist whose illness caused her to lose her breath mid-performance. After major surgery and a painful healing process, Margaret was able to overcome her difficulties and come out on the other side.

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The Indianapolis Society of the Classical Guitar

This week we spoke with John Alvarado, President of the Indianapolis Society of the Classical Guitar, about how his organization brings the centuries-old art of classical guitar to today’s Central Indiana.

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Grove Haus: An Eclectic Venue in Indianapolis

This week we are featuring a wonderful local venue that was the brainchild of Mark and Carrie Ortwein, the Grove Haus. This local eclectic event space is located in Fountain Square and is the location of an upcoming event hosted by CMI, stay tuned for more info in the near future!

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My Music. My Story. Bryan Thompson.

My Music. My Story. is one of Classical Music Indy’s initiatives to feature music, musicians, and music lovers in a fun way. We spoke with 19 year-old, jazz saxophonist Bryan Thompson, who grew up on Indianapolis’ west side, attended Broad Ripple Magnet High School for Performing Arts and is currently attending Indiana University.

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Creating Culturally-Inclusive School Communities

Continuing our look at education and the importance of diversity and the arts, we spoke with Bob Guffin who was responsible for taking H.L. Harshman Magnet Middle School from a failing school to a model program for student achievement. He shares with us the key tenants to culturally inclusive learning environments and why it matters.

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A Culture of Caring: Creating a True Learning Community

“A Culture of Caring is not just an educational philosophy but a means of fostering an open, accepting, and inclusive environment.” Nancy Lindhjem from Children’s Resource Group Indianapolis shows us how a community member can be engaged in developing positive school culture.

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In Memory of Kevin Randolph: My Music. My Story.

On June 25, 2016, Kevin Lamont Randolph passed away. Randolph was a musician, educator, and lover of life. Kevin was involved with the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra (MYO) from its inception in 1995—first as a student, and later as the Program Coordinator. We met with Krystle Ford, Associate Director of the MYO, to learn more and share Kevin’s story.

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Outdoor Summer Parties and Music

With the warm weather comes the urge to get outside and get together. Nothing beats a warm-weather soiree with food and music, and getting your guests involved in the food preparations can add an element of fun to the mix. Elise Shrock, from Indy Food Maven, shares a few ways to keep your guests happy, fed, and included in the fun.

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My Music. My Story. Kevin Whited.

My Music. My Story. is one of Classical Music Indy’s initiatives to feature music, musicians, and music lovers in a fun way. Here we talk to Kevin Whited, the Executive Director of IndyCog, a local Indianapolis bicycle advocacy group.

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The Impact of New Immigration Laws on Music and Musicians

Our country is a melting pot of diverse people and cultures that define the breadth of music we know and enjoy in our daily lives. For this reason, CMI asked our contributor Patrick Hanley, Texas-based teacher and writer to share his thoughts about how new immigration laws are impacting music and musicians, and the ways in which our country embraces and disrupts diversity.

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Pack It Up Before You Go-Go: Health-Conscious Festival Feasts

Summertime in Indiana is filled with outdoor concerts! Jennifer Malins, one of our contributing authors to NOTE, gives the run down on how to make healthier choices for bringing food to your favorite outdoor concert. Yum!

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Father’s Day: Urban Initiative High-5 Rallies

In recognition of Father’s Day, we spoke with members of the Indianapolis-based Urban Initiative High-5 Rally, a movement that provides positive male role models and male-run high-five rallies to encourage school success for urban students across the city.

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My Music. My Story. Trish Crowe.

My Music. My Story. is one of Classical Music Indy’s new initiatives to feature music, musicians, and music lovers in a fun way. In this excerpt from “I Walked Naked Through My House Today…..and So Should You,” our friends at Speak Your Story spoke with Trish Crowe about how music saved her life.

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How to Pronounce My Name: Leonard Bernstein

In recognition of Jewish American Heritage Month in May, we hope you enjoy this light-hearted look at Leonard Bernstein by one of NOTE’s newest contributors – Philadelphia-based writer, Michael Silverstein.

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A Classical Conversation with Paul Page, Voice of the Indy 500

Enjoy this Classical Conversation with Paul Page, the Voice of the Indy 500, hosted by Jill Ditmire! We talked to Paul about his life and what led him from classical music radio to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and a broadcasting career spanning more than 46 years!

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Courtney Weaver: My Music. My Story.

This is the story of Courtney Weaver, a professional musician, and survivor of domestic abuse and gun violence who is using her experience to create public awareness through music.

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CMI Random Acts of Music

Random Acts of Music: SPARK @ Monument Circle

One of Classical Music Indy’s …

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My Music. My Story. Heather Wright.

My Music. My Story. is one of …

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My Music. My Story. Eric Salazar.

My Music. My Story. is one of …

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My Music. My Story. Anyé Carson.

My Music. My Story. is one of …

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My Music. My Story. Jason King.

My Music. My Story. is one of …

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My Music. My Story. Stevi Stoesz Kersh.

My Music. My Story. is one of …

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From the Blog

NEW CLASSICAL – ANNA THORVALDSDOTTIR

Anna’s “detailed and powerful” (Guardian) orchestral writing has garnered her awards from the New York Philharmonic, Lincoln Center, the Nordic Council, and the UK’s Ivors Academy, as well as commissions by many of the world’s top orchestras. Her music is composed as much by sounds and nuances as by harmonies and lyrical material – it is written as an ecosystem of sounds, where materials continuously grow in and out of each other, often inspired in an important way by nature and its many qualities, in particular structural ones, like proportion and flow.

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I LOVE hearing Beethoven at the Chatterbox at C-Rev!

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