The Search Draws to a Close by Andrew Tallackson
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THE TM 911 Franklin Street Weekly Newspaper Michigan City, IN 46360 Volume 37, Number 11 Thursday, March 25, 2021 The Search Draws to a Close by Andrew Tallackson Wilbur Lin leads LaPorte County Symphony Orchestra during its March 14 performance at LaPorte Civic Auditorium. All concert photos by Bob Wellinski. “We have an audience. How about that?” • The presence of Wilbur Lin, fi nal candidate in The giddy relief in Tim King’s voice was evident as the “Bravo Maestro!” conductor search, one pro- he introduced LaPorte County Symphony Orches- longed by the pandemic. tra’s March 14 concert amid a round of applause. • A program whose rendition of Gershwin’s “Rhap- After a diffi cult year in which COVID-19 took its sody in Blue,” which featured a virtuoso turn at toll on many an arts organization, the ensuing per- the piano by LaPorte’s Carey Scheck, was, in my formance embraced an air of hope. opinion, one of the symphony’s fi nest hours. As LCSO’s executive director, King now could King was all smiles. The musicians, the board, check off a few items from his administrative wish the tech team — everyone — could argue now was list: the time for optimism and renewal. • The fi rst LCSO concert with a live audience in Think about it. At this time last year, everything more than a year. Continued on Page 2 THE Page 2 March 25, 2021 THE 911 Franklin Street • Michigan City, IN 46360 219/879-0088 Beacher Company Directory e-mail: News/Articles - [email protected] Don and Tom Montgomery Owners email: Classifieds - [email protected] Andrew Tallackson Editor http://www.thebeacher.com/ Drew White Print Salesman PRINTE ITH Published and Printed by Janet Baines Inside Sales/Customer Service T Becky Wirebaugh Typesetter/Designer T A S A THE BEACHER BUSINESS PRINTERS Randy Kayser Pressman Dora Kayser Bindery Delivered weekly, free of charge to Birch Tree Farms, Duneland Beach, Grand Beach, Hidden Shores, Long Beach, Michiana Shores, Michiana MI and Shoreland Hills. The Beacher is Jacquie Quinlan Production also delivered to public places in Michigan City, New Buffalo, LaPorte and Sheridan Beach. John Baines, Karen Gehr, Tom Montgomery Delivery get it under the wire. Everyone was tense and wor- The Search… Continued from Page 1 ried about it. They don’t feel that way now. We’ve already played under these conditions. They know was up in the air. Programs by four of the six LCSO what is expected. There is not a tenseness that was conductor candidates were in the bag: Russell Ger, there this time last year. And it’s better for the can- Maria Mercedes Garcia Diaz, Alexander Platt and didate. I don’t think he feels the tension either.” Carolyn Watson. Lin was in town, with one rehears- If Lin had any case of the nerves, he didn’t show al under his belt, when Indiana imposed its COV- it. Amiable, humble, he was practically chomping at ID-19 guidelines for self-isolation and quarantine. the bit to get started on “Rhapsody in Blue.” Arts organization after arts organization shelved its “I really like this, not just because it’s one of the slate of programs. Our overall quality of life was in most dazzling, the most stunning pieces you can limbo. As the months dragged on, with no end in sight to the pan- demic, LCSO began ex- ploring options through outdoor performances and virtual concerts. Conductor candidate Christopher Fashun ar- rived in November for a virtual lineup of “The Great American Song- book.” That concert also involved LCSO taking crucial health measures that included socially distancing the musi- cians from each other. Now, with a crowd of about 300 present at LaPorte Civic Au- Making sure musicians worse masks and were socially distanced from each other ditorium for the fi nal remained a priority during the concert. “Bravo Maestro” concert, a process begun in 2018 imagine, but also because this is the piece that ac- was drawing to a close. Did King, at any point, fear tually put the United States of America on the map this moment might never arrive? He laughed when in the grand scheme of western classical music,” he asked that question. told the crowd. “I was more scared for the November (2020) con- “Before Gershwin, there were a lot of well-re- cert than this one,” he said. “I always felt like we’d spected jazz musicians, but they were never consid- be somewhere further along by the time March ered serious musicians by musicians of the world. came along. It was the Nov. 7 concert that scared This piece put Gershwin on the map. This piece put me to death. I was so worried we couldn’t get that American orchestra music on the map.” concert in and, therefore, we’d have to go another And with that, Scott Kurtzweil, LCSO’s principal year of doing this. clarinet, fl awlessly unleashed the piece’s legendary “It’s exhausting for everybody,” he continued, “but clarinet trill opening. From there, Lin and the or- for some reason, I think it worked out for the best. chestra felt like an extension of each other. There I think there was too much pressure last time. We was no lag between Lin’s brisk command through knew COVID was coming, and it was like we had to his baton and the desired response from the musi- THE March 25, 2021 Page 3 cians. The sound was so tight, there were moments when I closed my eyes, appreciating the work as if listening to a recording of it. And then, there was Scheck. “Rhapsody in Blue” is no easy feat for a pianist. It requires a certain athleticism, a propulsive energy and skill. But Scheck, a LaPorte Community School Corp. middle- school music teacher, was not intimidated. Her fi n- gers raced across the keys with a precision that was mind-boggling. Her technical prowess was matched by her interpretation of the piece, the feeling she EQUIPPED TO MAKE YOUR AIR invested in it, from thunderous intensity to delicate sensitivity. The response in the end was a rousing standing PERFECT. ovation that edged close to a minute in length. RECEIVE UP TO $900 IN REBATES with the purchase of a complete Ultimate Comfort System.* $73 CHECKUP ON AIR CONDITIONERS Carey Scheck’s turn at the piano for “Rhapsody in Blue” yielded a nearly one-minute standing ovation. After the concert, Scheck chatted with concertgo- ers in the LaPorte Civic front lobby. So impressed was the audience, in fact, it was diffi cult for The Beacher to conduct its interview. Everyone, it seemed, wanted to compliment her. That included a student of Scheck’s who didn’t hesitate to ask, “Are your hands red?,” prompting hearty laughter from Scheck. The boy continued. “I think my hands would hurt. That was too much fi nger moving. I couldn’t do that.” The educator in Scheck emerged, offering a gentle “awww” before adding, “They are OK, al- Owner Kevin Doler though if I practice too much, they get a little sore.” 219-879-8525 Scheck fi rst played a solo arrangement of “Rhap- Taking care of your family has been my sody in Blue” during a 2019 LCSO A La Carte fun- family’s business for more than 60 years! draiser, prompting King to inquire if she’d be inter- ested in performing it with the symphony. Ready to appear with LCSO last year, Scheck was grateful for the delay COVID-19 caused. Sadly, Offer expires June 11, 2021. *Rebate requires purchase of qualifying items between March 8, 2021 to June 11, 2021. Qualifying items must be installed by June 18, it was around that time her father became ill and 2021. Rebate claims (with proof of purchase) must be submitted (with proof of purchase) to www.lennoxconsumerrebates.com no later than July 2, 2021. Rebate is paid in the form of a Lennox Visa® Prepaid card. Prepaid Card is subject to terms and conditions found or referenced on card and expires 12 months after issuance. Conditions apply. See www.lennox.com/terms-and-conditions for complete passed away. Coping with that loss, she stepped terms and conditions. away from “Rhapsody in Blue.” © 2021 Lennox Industries Inc. Lennox Dealers are independently owned and operated businesses. Continued on Page 4 Superior Products-21SP-BW-B2.indd 2 3/2/21 2:54 PM THE Page 4 March 25, 2021 He graduated from Riccardo Muti’s Italian Opera Continued from Page 3 Academy. The Search… After the concert, Lin took a few moments to “I took most of the summer away from it, then speak with The Beacher. His focus was less about picked it back up and that made such a big differ- himself and more about everyone involved in the ence,” she said. “To have that time on it, then away, performance. it was really great. “We did our hard work, and it paid off for me “The piece is very tonal,” she continued. “It makes and the orchestra,” he said. Asked about Scheck, a lot of musical sense, so memorizing it is not quite he exclaimed, “Carey, oh my God. Why are we hid- as challenging. It’s defi nitely one of those pieces ing Carey from us in this town? So tell me, is every where, once you know it, it’s just in you.” teacher in your school district a concert pianist? So ❑ impressive.” The second half of LC- Lin had nothing but praise SO’s March 14 concert was for the musicians.