Words from Thomas Osborne

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Words from Thomas Osborne

What inspires you to compose?

Plenty. There's so much around us all that can be a source of inspiration, from the music blaring from a passing car to the strumming of some never-before-heard instrument. Each day we find ourselves surrounded by an eclectic variety of sound, and I try to make sense of those sounds in my music.

Are there specific composers who influence you?

I've always felt a strong pull from European and American composers like Stravinsky, Ives and Reich. Lately, though, I've found myself writing pieces inspired by folk and traditional music from the other side of the globe. Music from Japan, Korea and Indonesia have all provided the sparks for recent works.

What inspired you in the composition of this piece, Smoke, Steel,

Stone, Cinder?

The piece was written for David Stock and the Duquesne University Contemporary Ensemble. Since Duquesne is located in Pittsburgh, I took inspiration from the myriad industrial images I came across while visiting. At this time in my life, many of my pieces were based on the elements. I'd written pieces about water, ice and fire. This piece continued in that vein, and was inspired by the elements of industry.

I wrote this piece in 2005, when I was living in Los Angeles and studying at USC. I moved to Hawaii a year later.

Do you have other thoughts you would like to share with the audience

prior to the performance?

I'd only like to add that it's wonderful to have Orkestra Projekt performing this piece, having heard so many great things about the group. I haven't lived in Indiana for some time now, but it's fantastic to hear that there is now a group in Indy dedicated to the performance of contemporary music. The city is fortunate to have a group like this, and I'm excited to be coming back to work with José and the ensemble.

Bold Moves

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Bold Moves

This next concert is full of bold moves by Orkestra Projekt. We're going to perform pieces that challenge your ideas of what classical music has been and can be.

It's Local

Smoke, Steel, Stone, Cinder by living Indianapolis native Thomas Osborne, is a musical description inspired and representative of these various materials.

It's Interactive

Windows for Kandinsky by living American composer, J. Alex McHattie, raises our awareness of what we might consider to be the physical material that helps musicians create music.

It's Literal

Siegfried's Idyll by Richard Wagner will ground us literally with a romantic piece that provided some thematic material for a major opera.

It's Atmospheric

The Geometry of Sound, by living Russian composer, Rodion Shchedrin surrounds the audience with three small ensembles.

All of this will be in the casual environment of the Earth House at 327 N East St, Indianapolis. Click on the tickets to purchase yours now!

Interview with M. Schelle

Friday, January 29, 2010

Interview With Michael Schelle, composer of Heartland

What inspired you to write Heartland?

The piece was commissioned by The Manhattan Chamber Orchestra, and I knew it would be premiered in NYC (2007) -- the Midwest thing evolved quickly, not as a slam to the midwest, but more an acknowledgement to the innocence and good humor.

What unique techniques did you use for this composition?

The pieces makes use of traditional notation, spatial/proportional notation, ad lib (with restrictions/guidelines), theatrical things, vocalizations, hand gestures, texts, props, etc. Each of the 7 movements captures an 'aspect' of each of 7 Midwest states ... like 7 little Midwest operas.

What are some of your favorite parts of this piece? What makes it your favorite?

Favorite parts ... Hmmmm, like asking me to pick which of my kids is my favorite. :-) Well, on any given day ... I LOVE the final movement, the Indiana movement -- the audience sing-a-long, I also love the farm animal noises in Ill-i-noise ... and the theatre in Bluegrass Voodoo, the frightening Master Race implications in Michigan Militia, the simple tenderness of the piano solo lullaby Badger Baby, the systematic destruction of the Ohio State University fight song in Buckeye Zombies. Guess I really enjoy it all :)

What do you think of new music in Indianapolis? The MidWest?

New music in Indianapolis ...? Well, OP and Ronen, that's about it in terms of consistent acknowledgement of new music (local and otherwise). ISO tries safe new music chestnuts occassionally, chamber orchestration occasionally, but compared with most cities our size, Indy is very conservative and SAFE.

What do you think of Orkestra Projekt?

Orkestra Projekt is the great chamber music group in town!! Daring, challenging, hip, cool, experimental on many levels, talented committed players, and music director Jose Valencia is one in a million. Daring to spit in the face of conservative 'James Whitcomb Riley Indiana' and instead conjure up the notorious aura of ex-Hoosier, Ezra Pound ... and PROVE that new things in music CAN be exciting, fun, rewarding, and accessible!!

www.schellemusic.com

Perspektive.Vision

Friday, January 08, 2010

JANUARY 30.2010 7:30PM // EARTHHOUSE // 237 N EAST ST

Join Orkestra Projekt in exploring its next music Perspektive – Vision. An evening of music and art in a casual atmosphere, free light hors d’oeuvres and drinks with some of the coolest classical music audiences in metro Indy.

Pictures at an Exhibition will be performed and complemented with original artwork from students at Zionsville Middle School showcased throughout the performance. Heartland by Michael Schelle is an irreverent take on music depicting the seven Midwest states. The audience will enjoy this light-hearted set of pieces with titles such as: Zombies, Bluegrass Voodoo, and Ill-i-noise. A little theater is involved, including voodoo doll poking, audience-singing, gun shooting and other experimental craziness.

“Intimate and interactive, traditional art put through a contemporary blender”

It was TIME

Sunday, November 01, 2009

It was TIME

We have started our seventh season with a fantastic and beautiful evening! Many of our friends and fans of Orkestra Projekt were there.

Wow! We haven't stopped hearing about how people really enjoyed the new venue. We really enjoyed working and performing in Earth House. We were able to light up the ensemble, show some video with one of the pieces, and really get people involved with the performance.

We'd love to hear more from you about your experience.

Many people still say it was one of the best performances we have had. Comments have been made about how the pieces by Arvo Part were some of the most beautiful moments they had experienced.

Another friend had said she was afraid of an evening of minimalist music, afraid of not understanding it, afraid of it being difficult to appreciate. When paired with Jeff Hopper's video, she came to an understanding that she could appreciate this music like the water of a river that she enjoyed. Maybe now she understands our motto: fear no music.

And thank you to all who really got into the music-making with the Rzewsky piece, Les Moutons de Panurge. While we worked hard to practice it, we couldn't really predict the influence of so many of the audience members.

Keep in touch with us. Write to info@orkestraprojekt.com and let us know your personal experience with Orkestra Projekt. We'll be able to put some of these onto our site.

Images from our 6th Season: OP Rocks!

Saturday, September 26, 2009

We finally have added some images from our previous season, OP Rocks! Check out the Gallery for a full set of shots.

Our first show in January of this year called Shake was at Herron High School in a large room that they use as the cafeteria currently, but which has had many uses over the years; it provided a very warm feel. It was the first in a round of new venues for Orkestra Projekt after our home for our first five seasons - The Old Centrum - was forced to close its doors from lack of funding. The sound was tremendous, the atmosphere intimate, and the crowd a sell out (we turned away over 20 people that night because we couldn't fit anyone else in the room!).

Our second performance of the season called Agitate took place over two nights at the new Indy Fringe building in June. Two nights in the worst heat of the entire summer with no A/C didn't stop us from having nearly full houses each night. We had some challenging pieces, and the reaction was very strong...another case of OP reaching for a different classical music experience.

Our sixth season was short due to our issues finding a venue that would be right for us at the beginning of the year, followed by schedule conflicts. In the end, though, it worked out great. Both venues were incredibly hospitable to us, and we continue to look for ways to stay involved with Fringe.

So once again we're on the move: this year to Earth House, the progressive cooperative that is breathing new life into the Lockerbie Central United Methodist Church and turning it into a performing arts center. We will be here all season this year, and it is with great anticipation that we get to share our new digs with our loyal and growing audience! So come out Saturday, October 17 @ 7:30pm for the first of three shows for our seventh season: Perspektive.Time.

Penrod a Success!

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Thanks everyone for stopping by the booth on Saturday to find out more about us, voice your continued support and pick up some candy! All of the volunteers manning the booth said turnout was huge, and we have over 100 people on the list who will be eligible to win one of two pairs of season tickets to our shows. We will announce the winners this week, so keep your eyes open for an email or letter from us. Good luck to all!