Backyard Adventures

4B PIKE PUBLISHING BACKYARD ADVENTURES 2017 "No Admittance" doors, normally closed, hang wide open. The welcoming sights continue inside the Victory Theatre, with red velvet seating, gilded wall panels a story high, and bright coats of arms hanging from each viewing box. And on stage rehearses the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra, preparing for its performance of "American Accents" later that night. "Once again, those four bars," says conductor Alfred Savia. "They're not so fast. We play exactly what he wrote: bum, bum, bum, rest." The orchestra resumes at Savia's beckoning, and he watches each section of musicians carefully while guiding them through the music. The musicians follow along obediently. "Don't take the temptation—stay soft," the conduc - tor says. "We really have to hear the winds all through this." Even as the conductor stops and starts the music, even as the musicians drink from coffee cups and adjust their street clothes, an observer can feel the grandness of the orchestra. Backstage, with music seeping through the open doors, volunteers in black polos prepare a meal for the musi- cians, occasionally resting to enjoy the sounds of the re- hearsal. Empty cases for every type of instrument lay out across a dozen folding tables. Rain boots and backpacks and shopping bags the musicians brought in sit under- neath on the grey stone floor. The walls and even the ceiling are grey stone, too. Less glamorous than inside the theatre, yet welcoming in its own way. From the balcony, you can see the orchestra move as one, a single body, breathing, in and out. The music rises and falls. A glimmer of brass in the back catches your eye, then the bows of the strings fluttering back and forth like wings or bees. Then, suddenly, silence. Everyone eases back in their chairs. Someone sprays a bit of air freshener. The conductor nods. "Yeah, just like that tonight—BUM, BUM! " he says. "As big as you can." INSIDE Philharmonic THE EVANSVILLE STORY AND PHOTOS BY ALDEN AND JILL HEURING IF YOU GO See and hear the beauty of the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra for yourself. Their 2017-2018 season, "A Season of Wonder," includes the following: TOYOTA'S OPENING NIGHT BANJO TO BOLERO Saturday, September 23, 2017 at 7 p.m. Featuring Béla Fleck on banjo. Hear the world's most innova- tive and technically proficient banjo player. WICKED DIVAS Sunday, October 29, 2017 at 4 p.m. Featuring Alli Mauzey and Nicole Parker. An evening of Diva showstoppers from the world of Broadway, opera and pop. GIUSEPPE VERDI'S LA TRAVIATA Saturday, November 11, 2017 at 7 p.m. A fully-staged opera put on in coop- eration with the Indianapolis Opera, the University of Evansville Opera Program, and the Evansville Philhar- monic Chorus. To see the rest of the 2017-2018 season and to order tickets, visit the Evansville Philharmonic's website at evansvillephilharmonic.org. Above: Conductor Alfred Savia leads the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra through rehearsal for its production "American Ac- cents" on Saturday morning, April 29, at the Victory Theatre. Right: Part of the violin section rehearse for the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra's pro- duction of "American Accents."

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