Arthur Jordan Conservatory of Music - Opus Yearbook (Indianapolis, IN)

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Sevitzky in accordance with his reputation as one of the foremost champions of American music. It might be of interest to note that the Indianapohs Sym- phony rated highest in the performance of American music among the orchestras of the country. They played 17.3 per cent of all American music performed. After three evenings devoted to chamber music, opera, choral compositions, and solo performance, the festival was brought to a fitting climax in the final concert given at the Murat Theater and conducted by Mr. Sevitzky. In addition to the portion of the program conducted by Mr. Sevitzky, a high light of the evening, both for the orchestra and the audience, was the presence of one of the outstanding present-day composers, David Van Vactor, who conducted the orchestra in his own composition. Marie Zorn, outstanding member of the Jordan Piano Faculty, needed no introduction to the audience. They remembered all to well her performance when she played the Hadley Concertino with the orchestra at Christmas, 193 9. Miss Zorn demonstrated that she has lost none of the bril- liant technique and superb musicianship that marked her previous appearance. Her flawless playing was greeted with an ovation which indicated that the audi- ence appreciated fully the quality of the work and the interpretation which she gave them. Van Vactor ' s Overture to a Comedy, fairly sparkling with wit and humor, and Dubensky ' s Variation on Stephen Foster Themes, familiar to and loved by all, helped to fill out a well-rounded program that would have pleased the most critical audience. Harl McDonald ' s Choral Symphony, performed by the orchestra and a com- bined chorus of three hundred voices, brought the evening ' s performance to a perfect climax. This final concert of the year proved to be, perhaps, the most successful ever to be given by the orchestra, and the enthusiastic response shown by the audience served as a motivation to high aims and increased efforts in the instrumental program for the coming year. The Orchestra, instead of disbanding after the Spring Concert, remained intact this year for the first time. It provided music for the commencement exercises, and acted as a laboratory for the advanced Conducting Class. In this manner the apprentice conductors were afforded an opportunity to conduct an orchestra of symphonic orchestration and size, and a chance to try in actual practice some of the theories they had been absorbing during the class periods. We, the staff, believe that this is the type of cooperative project that will go far in making Jordan one of the finest schools of its kind in the country. May we suggest that the orchestra might also prove invaluable to the students of orchestration by reading through some of the work done by these students. It is all too difficult to find a group who is willing to help the young orchestrator hear the things he has done. Ve hope that Opus II will be able to point with pride to the fact that this hope has been realized. We also hope to be able to point with pride to a rejuve- nated Band next year. Mr. Munger, and a few of the faithful, labored long and hard this year trying to build a Conservatory Band of the caliber that the school deserves, but to no avail. As the large Chorus serves as a training group for the Choir, so might the Band and a Sight-Reading Orchestra serve as training groups for the Conservatory Symphony. Can we, the students of Jordan, afford to neglect an organization potentially so fine? You will answer that question next year when rehearsals of the Conservatory Band begin. We hope you will show that you are really interested in making the Band an organization of equal quality with the Orchestra.

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GRACE NOTES FROM THE THE INSTRUMENTAL DEPARTMENT During the nerve-wracking few minutes of suspended silence prior to the Christmas broadcast, the orchestra was duly lectured by Mr. Sevitzky as to the value and importance of complete silence (to eliminate the possibility of a rain of mutes, inharmonic chair squeakings, and other noises not to be broadcast.) Finally silence was achieved. The announcer kept calling the time at different intervals like an executioner awaiting his victim. Mr. Sevitzky was sitting on the edge of the podium, listening, and waiting; the silence was suddenly cut by the clatter as of falling wood. Maestro had dropped his baton! Remember when the orchestra was told to read Pushkin ' s story of Russian and Ludmilla? Mr. S. said he was going to choose the guiltiest looking member to tell the story. A Grand Pause ensued; then Mr. S. chose . . . one of the most innocent and self-effacing members of the cello section, who promptly recited an excellent condensed version of the story in three minutes. How about the time when we all heard the big, burly, regular breathing of a single string bass in the back of the room? You remember. It was the Maestro himself playing the bass viol for the first time with our orchestra. Didn ' t he look contented and comfortable? Zoom, zoom. And by the way, does he know his stuff when it comes to the bass-fiddle! And there ' s Zawisza ' s comment of What ' s the idea? when someone plays badly. And if it ' s even worse than just bad, he usually offers, Oi, oi, oi! What about the time when a certain member of the brass family insisted on playing a series of indigo notes and was sure that it was correct. Wasn ' t he chagrined when he discovered that he was playing the wrong movement of Schu- mann ' s Fourth? And the priceless comment of Mr. Zawisza when Art Schiller drove his bass viol right through a grand pause. You don ' t belong to the Musicians ' Union, do you? And the time when Mr. Z. told the woodwinds to play a certain passage de- tache. They got the idea though, as did the violins when he instructed them to breathe at the end of a certain phrase. Of course there ' s always the clarinetist who forgets and plays an A-clarinet part on B-flat instrument, or vice versa. Or the horn player who makes the wrong transposition. We must admit, though, that these foolish things don ' t happen as frequently as they once did. Could it be that we ' re improving? Were you there the evening that a certain sweet thing entered rehearsal twenty minutes late, and when questioned by Mr. Sevitzky for a reason, said I forgot where I left my violin. Tsk, tsk. And we always thought you were inseparable. Always good for a laugh is the little private feud between Jean Graham and Mr. Zawisza. Someone has described it like this: You tickle me, He did not tickle her She said to him. Of that he was sure (Jean was talking to Mr. Zawisza.) There was no doubt but that he was sincere. The class giggled with glee How did it start? But Zawisza was grim He ' d just made some remark And Jean looked like Mona Lisa. All the woodwinds he had been scolding. The room was static — But we all realize Not a scnle chromatic That he has to chastise Quisered in that atmosphere. For ' tis future musicians he ' s molding.