The Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra is scheduled to kick off its free park concert series at historic Garfield Park. The concert will take place on Sept. 4 at 7:30 p.m., according to the ICO’s website, followed by one at Riverside Park on Sept. 5 at 7:30 p.m. and one at Holiday Park on Sept. 6 at 7 p.m. The concerts are sponsored by the National Bank of Indianapolis and the Penrod Society.
Indy Parks experienced a late start to the concert season due to staffing issues, Public Information Officer for Indy Parks Savannah Harris said. Both Harris and the Development and Marketing Manager for the ICO Jessica Edwards said Indy Parks and the ICO are committed to serving the community.
“Every year we do three free parks concerts. … They tend to be in September, all within one week,” Edwards said. “The whole intention is that the three concerts are in different neighborhoods of Indianapolis so that we can serve a wide variety of community members.”
According to Edwards, the ICO has been putting on concerts at Garfield Park for years, a part of the efforts in offering these experiences to others in the Indy area. Harris explained it is still important for Indy Parks to provide low-cost experiences to the community. The orchestra has been working on targeting a general audience online, Edwards said.
“There’s not a specific target; it’s for everyone,” Edwards said. “It’s for kids, it’s for older adults, it’s for middle-aged adults and everything in between.”
Attendees can expect to hear pieces of music they might recognize from artists like Mozart, Edwards said. For that reason, Edwards believes the park concerts are an easy way to get into the ICO concert scene.
“I think the main thing people will notice is that at a free parks concert you might recognize more of the pieces,” Edwards said. “We try to pick repertoire that’s more recognizable, so it’s a better introduction. I think it’s a nice little bite-sized way to get introduced to the ICO.”
The park concerts run a little shorter than regular concerts put on by the ICO, which Edwards said helps make the experience more family-friendly. A way to remove barriers for children and students if they wish to go to the pay-to-attend regular season concerts for the ICO is by showing their student ID to receive a free ticket, explained Edwards. Edwards expressed the importance of young people gaining an interest in classical music.
“We’re always looking for students to come to our shows, we want young people there,” Edwards said. “That’s the only way that classical music is going to continue.”
Since Garfield Park is the oldest park in Indianapolis and offers many amenities, Edwards recommends attendees arrive. Edwards cited the conservatory, beautiful gardens and other activities within the park to make a day of it.
“We really have a lot of time and love put into it [Garfield Park],” Harris said. “ … Our conservatory is absolutely beautiful … the arts center as well. They kind of have rotating exhibits from local artists and so you can go in, explore, see what they have to offer. … So that’s definitely a great place to check out and then just walking the grounds too.”Edwards explained it is encouraged people planning to attend a free park concert register online so the ICO can provide updates about weather if necessary. Attendees can register online at icomusic.org.
