Chamber Orchestra Strikes Deal With Butler
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra has reached an agreement to be housed at Butler University's Howard L. Schrott Center for the Arts. ICO Executive Director Elaine Eckhart says the deal is the “single most exciting thing” to happen to the orchestra in its history.
February 27, 2014
News Release
Indianapolis, Ind. — The Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra (ICO) and Butler University have formalized a partnership designating the ICO as the professional Orchestra-in-Residence at Butler’s new Howard L. Schrott Center for the Arts.
The arrangement will further the respective missions of each organization. For Butler students, faculty, and staff, it will bring a regular association with a professional orchestra. For the ICO, it will provide a performance venue that is suitable in size, acoustics, and location for the 34-member orchestra.
Among their first projects together will be an art-music collaboration. The ICO's composer-in-residence, James Aikman, has discussed his piece Triptych: Musical Momentum with senior art students from Butler’s Jordan College of the Arts. They are creating visual art triptychs—three side-by-side panels—inspired by this piece. The artwork will be exhibited at the Schrott Center during an April 11 ICO concert and Butler ArtsFest 2014, April 3-13, 25-27.
“Community partnerships, like this one with the outstanding Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, are an important part of the mission of Jordan College of the Arts and Butler University,” said Ronald Caltabiano, Dean of Butler's Jordan College of the Arts. “This agreement affirms the excellent relationship our organizations have enjoyed for years and points to further collaborations in the future.”
ICO artistic personnel and guest artists will be available to offer master classes, music appreciation programs, and other academic panels and lectures. Butler’s students will gain access to world-renowned guest artists who perform with the ICO, enriching the academic and artistic programs as well as the college experience.
“The Schrott Center is the single most exciting thing that has happened to the ICO in its 29-year history,” ICO Executive Director Elaine Eckhart said. “Never before has the ICO had access to a facility that is perfectly suited to its artistic needs. It opens numerous artistic possibilities for the ICO in the future.”
In addition to being a state-of-the-art concert hall, the Schrott Center serves as a teaching facility for the University. ICO programs will be coupled with or used to enhance Butler curriculum and Butler ArtsFest.
The ICO will perform at the Schrott Center on Friday, April 11, as part of Butler ArtsFest, and also will perform at the Schrott in May. The orchestra plans to present five of its seven concerts at the Schrott during the 2014-2015 season.
About Butler University
Butler is a nationally recognized comprehensive university encompassing six colleges: Arts, Business, Communication, Education, Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Together, these colleges offer more than 60 undergraduate areas of study, eight pre-professional programs, and 19 graduate programs. Around 4,700 students are enrolled at Butler, representing 45 states and 49 countries. Ninety-five percent of Butler students will have participated in some form of internship, student teaching, clinical rotation, research, or service learning by the time they graduate. This community-centered immersion is coupled with classroom learning that nurtures critical thinking, effective communication, cooperative teamwork, and ethical decision making to prepare students for both professional success and to have lasting impact in their communities. Butler’s overall placement rate for the class of 2012 was 94 percent, including 19 percent who went on to graduate or professional school.
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About the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra The Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra’s ongoing mission is to advance and promote music composed for the small orchestra through professional concert performances and educational programs. Filling a much-needed role in the community, the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra also provides accompaniment to many area arts and educational organizations. The ICO offers a variety of educational programs, including the FUNtastic Classics series and the ICO Youth Ensembles. The FUNtastic Classics series introduces elementary school children to the instrument groups of the orchestra and the concept of communicating ideas through music. The ICO Youth Ensembles include a wind and jazz group, comprised of high school musicians from schools throughout central Indiana. The auditioned ensembles provide students with an excellent learning opportunity that allows them to explore their musical abilities and expand their knowledge.
Tune in to WFYI-FM (90.1) each Monday evening at 10:00 p.m. to hear the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra Broadcast featuring excerpts of live ICO concerts. Intimate concert experiences, classic repertoire, and original programming are all part of the ICO experience. For more information about the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra and its 29th “Intimate, Classical, Original” season, visit icomusic.org, call (317) 940-9607, or email info@icomusic.org.