American conductor Anthony Parnther is teaming up with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO) for an evening celebrating Black composers.
Parnther joins the ISO as a guest conductor for “An Evening with Sphinx” alongside Venezuelan violinist Samuel Vargas at 7 p.m. on March 20. The free concert is part of a partnership between the ISO and Sphinx Organization. The Recorder sat down with Parnther ahead of the concert to discuss his career, inspirations and significance behind “An Evening with Sphinx.”
Responses have been edited for clarity and brevity.
Would you introduce yourself and tell us about how you got into music and conducting?
Parnther: I’m a Los Angeles-based conductor, and I’m the music director of the San Bernardino Symphony. This is my sixth year in that position. I have spent almost the last 20 years working in film and television music as a day job, having worked on many film and television scores as a studio musician and as a conductor. Then I spend usually around 35 to 40 weeks a year traveling internationally, conducting orchestras like the Indianapolis.
Can you speak to the importance of orchestral music in our culture, especially Black culture, and how it shapes elements of art, film and television?
Parnther: An interesting thing to note is that every single instrument that’s in the orchestra, every modern instrument that you have in the orchestra, was developed in Africa, going back to the violin, when it was a one-string instrument in eastern Africa, (and) the oboe, which comes from Northeastern Africa. There is an interesting sort of lineage when you go back far enough. The orchestra — as an instrumental ensemble — is not relegated only to Mozart and Beethoven. The orchestra itself is genre-less. The orchestra is without genre. It can do anything, so it is something that pervades all levels of culture.
As a Black man making waves in orchestral music, did you face any challenges in finding your particular niche and making a name for yourself in this industry?
Parnther: The short and medium and long answer is absolutely yes. I’ve faced a lot of challenges, and some of them were pretty blatant, and some of them were, were not as apparent on the surface, but yes, it has been a very challenging route and very discouraging. I’ve stuck with it anyways because my passion for music is much more powerful than somebody’s ability to discourage me.
I feel like I owe it to my mother to continue on. My mother was fighting cancer when she bought me my instrument, which was going to be my ticket out of town. I’ll never forget the sacrifices that my mother made for me to have a chance to do something significant with my life. So, I feel like I’m still trying to repay all the sacrifices that this wonderful woman made for me to be able to do this, so I won’t be discouraged.
Your musical accomplishments are beyond impressive. Is there a particular project you’ve worked on, artist/orchestra you’ve worked with or piece you’ve conducted that holds a special place in your heart?
Parnther: I started something called The Rise Diversity Project, which is through an organization called Musicians At Play. We recruit underrepresented young students to come and have an opportunity to sit side by side with Los Angeles studio musicians and record film and television music. There’s been a lot of film and television projects where I was the only person of color in the entire room professionally, and I want to change that. For the last four years, we’ve been putting on this annual event where they get to mentor with our awesome musicians when they get to come into the Warner Brothers scoring stage. This is the only program of its type in the world, and it has already led to job opportunities for young musicians of color already.
Can you tell me a little bit about “An Evening with Sphinx,” the upcoming performance with the ISO?
Parnther: We’re going to start off with a tone poem by a composer by the name of Florence Price. Florence Price is an American composer, the first Black woman to have her orchestral pieces played by a major orchestra when the Chicago Symphony Orchestra played her first symphony in the early 1930s. … And we’re doing a tone poem by her called “The Oak” that was written around 1943. It is an ominous work that has no program notes. We can only assume that, due to the sort of nature of the piece, it has some sort of a dark and somber and rather aggressive tone to it. There’s a lot of mystery around the piece, but it’s a really colorful work by an incredible composer.
We’re also doing a brand new Violin Concerto by Andres Martin, and it’s called the “Morgante” concerto … because it’s dedicated to Michael Morgan, who just passed away a couple years ago. Michael Morgan was one of the first Black conductors to have an international career, and he was a longtime music director of the Oakland Symphony in California … So, this is one of the most significant American conductors we’ve had. This is a piece that is dedicated to his memory (and) will be performed by Sphinx winner Samuel Vargas. It’s a deeply expressive piece in homage to a wonderful American artist.
What do you hope audiences will gain from experiencing performances like this one?
Parnther: The first thing I hope they gain is that they enjoy the music that’s being performed. The next thing is that I hope that they learn something. I think those are the most critical components when I’m giving a concert. I want them to have a good time, and I want them to come away having learned something. I’m just hoping that audiences will be impressed and exhilarated by what they witnessed.
“An Evening with Sphinx” takes place at 7 p.m. on March 20 at Hilbert Circle Theatre, 45 Monument Circle. The concert is free to attend. For more information, visit indianapolissymphony.org/event/24-25-march-sphinx-series.
Contact Arts & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848. Follow her on X @chloe_mcgowanxx.
Chloe McGowan is the Arts & Culture Reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper. Originally from Columbus, OH, Chloe graduated with a degree in journalism from The Ohio State University. She is a former IndyStar Pulliam Fellow, and her previous work includes freelancing for Indy Maven, Assistant Arts & Life Editor for The Lantern, and editorial assistant at CityScene Media Group. Chloe enjoys covering all things arts and culture — from local music, visual art, dance, theater and film, as well as minority-owned businesses. In her free time, Chloe enjoys reading, cooking and keeping her plants alive.
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