INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO) is thrilled to announce the 2023–24 season featuring top names in classical music today, award-winning Pops artists, and innovative fusions with the talented musicians of the ISO at the heart of it all. Subscriptions are available starting Feb. 21, 2023. See the full season lineup here.
One of the most celebrated artists of his era, Grammy Award-winning violinist Joshua Bell headlines the Opening Night Gala on Sept. 23 presented by the Christel DeHaan Family Foundation as the ISO warmly welcomes back the Orchestra’s fourth music director, John Nelson.
The IU Health Plans Classical Series features works and artists known in Indianapolis and around the world. ISO Artistic Advisor Jun Märkl, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Kevin John Edusei, Anthony McGill, Augustin Hadelich, Michelle Cann, and Kenny Broberg highlight a star-studded lineup. Popular musical highlights include Carl Orff’s enduring Carmina Burana, Beethoven’s immortal Fifth Symphony and Violin Concerto, two of Tchaikovsky’s most popular concert works, and Mozart’s masterful Symphony No. 40. Contemporary music lovers will be treated to new Tuba Concerto written by jazz great Wynton Marsalis and performed by Anthony Kniffen, principal tuba; and a new work by Adolphus Hailstork that celebrates President John F. Kennedy’s final speech.
Led by Principal Pops Conductor Jack Everly, the 2023–24 Printing Partners Pops Series includes Grammy and Tony Award-winner Heather Headley from Sept. 15–16. Tony Award-nominated and Emmy Award-winning actress, singer, and recording artist Liz Callaway returns Nov. 10–11 to celebrate the best of the stage, screen, and pop hits of the 60s and 70s. Grammy nominee and American Idol finalist Cody Fry brings his singer-songwriter talents and genre-blurring music to the ISO for a special concert with Principal Pops Conductor of the Nashville Symphony, Enrico Lopez-Yañez.
Maestro Jack Everly leads the 37th annual AES Indiana Yuletide Celebration December 1–23, 2023, for a magical holiday production featuring tap-dancing Santas, dazzling choreography, and stunning costumes. The 2023 host announcement is to come this spring!
Conductor and composer Steve Hackman return in 2023–24 to bring his visionary Uncharted Series to Hilbert Circle Theatre following sold-out performances this year. The Uncharted Series offers Indianapolis music fans new avenues into classical music, beginning Nov. 8 with Kendrick Lamar X. Stravinsky, which combines Stravinsky’s Petrouchka with Kendrick Lamar’s Pulitzer Prize-winning album DAMN. Female vocalists are highlighted in And I Love Her: Music of the Beatles April 17, 2024, continuing with From Beethoven to Beyoncé June 5, 2024, a fantastical trip through an imaginary music festival curated by those two artists, combining the greatest composers of all-time with the best popular artists of today.
IU Health Plans Classical Series highlights
- For ISO’s Opening Night Gala on Sept. 23, world-renowned violinist Joshua Bell performs Bruch’s delightful Violin Concerto No. 1. The program also includes Mendelssohn’s jubilant Symphony No. 4, “Italian.”
- Sept. 28–29: Time for Three returns to Indianapolis to perform Contact, a dazzling concerto written for them by composer Kevin Puts, who received a Grammy Award for the composition in 2023. Conductor Kevin John Edusei makes his much-anticipated return with a program featuring Prokofiev’s epic Fifth Symphony and Beethoven’s dramatic overture to Goethe’s Egmont.
- Oct. 6–7: ISO concertmaster Kevin Lin shines in Saint-Saëns’ Third Violin Concerto. Conductor Matthias Pintscher leads the ISO in Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony.
- Oct. 27-28: Soprano Janice Chandler-Eteme delivers the immortal words of President John F. Kennedy and poet Robert Frost in a newly co-commissioned work by Adolphus Hailstork titled JFK: The Last Speech.
- Jan. 19–20, 2024: Conductor Jeannette Sorrell, New York Philharmonic principal clarinetist Anthony McGill, and soprano Sonya Headlam perform music of Mozart and Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, a contemporary of Mozart’s whose life was depicted in the 2022 film Chevalier.
- Feb. 8–10, 2024: 2006 IVCI Gold Medalist Augustin Hadelich returns to Indy to perform Beethoven’s beloved Violin Concerto.
- April 4–6, 2024: Pianist Michelle Cann makes her ISO debut with some of the most popular melodies in Western music in Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1. ISO Assistant Conductor Su-Han Yang conducts Rachmaninoff’s expressive Third Symphony.
Printing Partners Pops Series and Film Series presented by Bank of America highlights:
- Cirque: World of Dance is an all-new show created by Troupe Vertigo in collaboration with Maestro Jack Everly. The Oct. 13–14 program marks its seventh appearance with the ISO.
- Following multiple sold-out performances at the Kennedy Center, Grammy-nominated Cody Fry rings in 2024 at Hilbert Circle Theatre Jan. 12–13 with his signature pop sensibility accompanied by the ISO and led by guest conductor Enrico Lopez-Yañez.
- Other Pops highlights include a full symphonic tribute to the Beatles on Feb. 2–3, 2024, featuring never-before-seen photos displayed on-screen during the concert.
- Pops favorites Frankie Moreno and Tony DeSare join forces March 15–16, 2024, for a night of rock, jazz, and pop hits featuring two dueling grand pianos on stage.
- South Pacific: In Concert offers highlights from the popular musical with the Indianapolis Men’s Chorus May 10–11, 2024.
- The Film Series presented by Bank of America features a celebration of 100 years of Disney animation and music with Disney in Concert: The Sound of Magic on Oct. 21, 2023. This experience includes favorite characters and soundtracks from Disney movies and theme parks accompanied by a live ISO performance conducted by Maestro Jack Everly.
- The Film Series presented by Bank of America also includes the beloved original Toy Story in January, followed by Star Wars: The Force Awakens on April 19–20, 2024, to be performed for the first time at Hilbert Circle Theatre.
The ISO is honored to welcome a host of new and returning guest artists and conductors, including:
Debut Conductors
Kazem Abdullah
Yue Bao
Vladimir Kulenovic
Michael Sanderling
Jeannette Sorrell
Lidiya Yankovskaya
Returning Conductors
David Danzmayr
Kevin John Edusei
Hans Graf
Jun Märkl
Matthias Pintscher
Alexander Shelley
Enrico Lopez-Yañez
Debut Artists
Kenny Broberg, piano (APA winner 2021)
Michelle Cann, piano
Alexandra Dariescu, piano
Benjamin Grosvenor, piano
Anthony McGill, clarinet
Carolin Widmann, violin
Heather Headley
Cody Fry
Returning Artists
Augustin Hadelich, violin
Vadim Gluzman, violin
Time for Three
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano
Frankie Moreno
Tony Desare
Liz Callaway
Troupe Vertigo
Unheard Voices
Through the Unheard Voices initiative, the ISO continues to highlight the works of composers who have historically been overlooked in classical music. The 2023–24 season features works by Grażyna Bacewicz (1909–1969), Nadia Boulanger (1887–1979), Joseph Boulogne “Chevalier de Saint-Georges” (1745–1799), Adolphus Hailstork (b. 1941), Augusta Holmès (1847–1903), Hannah Kendall (b. 1984), Wynton Marsalis (b. 1961) and many more.
Film Series presented by Bank of America at a glance:
Disney in Concert: The Sound of Magic (Oct. 21, 2023)
Toy Story in Concert (Jan. 6–7, 2024)
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (April 19–20, 2024)
Uncharted Series at a glance:
Kendrick Lamar X Stravinsky (Nov. 8, 2023)
And I Love Her: Music of the Beatles (April 17, 2024)
From Beethoven to Beyoncé (June 5, 2024)
ISO Subscriptions—Best Value
Subscriptions are the best way to experience the ISO, offering the greatest value and the most benefits. For the IU Health Plans Classical Series, patrons who subscribe to the full 16-concert package can receive up to 40% savings over the cost of purchasing a single ticket. For the Printing Partners Pops Series, patrons who subscribe to the eight-concert series receive the equivalent of a 25% savings over the cost of a single-ticket purchase.
ISO Subscriptions—on sale February 21, 2023
Patrons may renew current subscriptions or become new subscribers beginning February 21 by visiting the ISO’s website at IndianapolisSymphony.org, by phone at 317-639-4300, by mail, or in person at the Hilbert Circle Theatre Box Office. The deadline for subscription renewal is March 20, 2023.
Among many of the benefits of becoming an ISO subscriber is advance ticket buying opportunities for and discounts to special events such as Opening Night Gala and the annual holiday tradition, AES Indiana Yuletide Celebration, and Kroger Symphony on the Prairie. Subscriber benefits include discounted tickets to classical and pops concerts and an opportunity to purchase a pre-paid season parking pass to Express Park Garage, located at 20 N. Pennsylvania.
For more information about all Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra presentations, visit IndianapolisSympony.org or call the Hilbert Circle Theatre Box Office at 317-639-4300.
About the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra
The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, at home and thriving in the heart of Indianapolis, offers an exceptional artistic and musical experience. The orchestra is open to all and dedicated to creating an inclusive and innovative experiential environment that is inspiring, educational, and welcoming. The ISO celebrates historically beloved performances while engaging audiences by introducing new voices through programming including the IU Health Plans Classical Series, the Printing Partners Pops Series, the holiday traditions of AES Indiana Yuletide Celebration, and the popular Film Series presented by Bank of America. For more information, visit www.indianapolissymphony.org.
