UIndy music faculty host ‘A Night in Bohemia’
The University of Indianapolis music department hosted “A Night in Bohemia,” which featured the music of Czech composers, on Nov. 7 in Ruth Lilly Performance Hall. The concert was performed by UIndy faculty and several members of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.
UIndy Adjunct Faculty of Music David Bellman presented the program. He is a founding member of the Ronen Chamber Ensemble and principal clarinetist of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.
The concert was chamber style, which is different from an orchestral setting because there is no conductor. The musicians act as a sort of democracy and decide together what will happen at any given moment in the music.
“Playing chamber music, it’s just unmatched,” Bellman said.
The first of the three pieces on the program was “Bohemian Sketches for Flute, Clarinet, and Piano,” written by Karel Husa and arranged by Michael Webster. This piece was in eight brief movements. The second piece was “Duo. No. 2 for Violin and Cello” by Bohuslav Martinu. Lastly, was “Serenade in D minor for Wind Instruments, Cello, and Double Bass, Op. 44” by Antonín Dvořák.
“A lot of European composers made, and still continue to make, great music,” said junior music composition major Jake Towe. “Dvořák is a big name in music history. That’s why I came out to see the concert.”
Bellman said that working with students is the main advantage of his job, and that teachers truly learn from their students.
In the past, the Ronen Chamber Ensemble has played works of local composers, one of whom is UIndy Professor John Berners.
“I thought the first piece was pretty nice,” said sophomore exercise science major Kevin Bachek. “My last name is from [the] Czech Republic, and that was a little inspiration for me to come.”
UIndy Professor of Music Paul Krasnovsky has been affiliated with the Monday night Faculty Artist Concerts for his entire 33-year career at the university. He said one of the things that separates UIndy from other schools is its strong partnership with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra because work with professional musicians encourages students to be professional also.
Many UIndy faculty members are also members of the ISO.
Krasnovsky said that the entire UIndy music faculty has a profound love for what they do. He said the Faculty Artist Series is an extension of that love and gives the faculty the chance to perform and connect with students on a level that cannot be achieved in a classroom setting.
“The musicians at the concert were 12 of the finest musicians on the planet,” Krasnovsky said. “It is a real privilege and honor to work with musicians of this caliber. It’s also equally fun to work with our students, and we get pleasure in everything that we do.”
