The Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra is inviting guest flutist Demarre McGill to debut a new flute concerto as one of the last performances of the season.
McGill, a principal flutist in the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, will join the ICO for a performance at the Schrott Center for the Arts on April 15. The performance is one of two concerts rounding out the ICO’s 2022-23 season with “Beethoven’s Fidelio” on May 13, said Matthew Kraemer, music director and principal conductor of the ICO.
Kraemer, who is beginning his eighth season with the ICO, said the chamber orchestra is composed of 35 core musicians and holds seven contracted concerts each year in addition to education outreach and community concerts. The ICO also partners with community groups and brings in guest singers and musicians — such as McGill — for special performances, Kraemer said.
“It certainly elevates everybody’s performance, including my own, to be able to work with artists of the caliber of Demarre, who’s just indefatigable,” Kraemer said. “It’s just a real inspiration, musically and personally, for all of us.”
McGill, who is also an associate professor of flute at University of Cincinnati, said he’s been playing flute since he was seven years old. As the featured soloist of the evening, he will perform American composer Kevin Puts’ 2013 Flute Concerto — marking his first time performing in Indianapolis and with the ICO.
Puts’ flute concerto is still a relatively new piece, but McGill said it’s exhilarating to perform and listen to. When it comes to classical music, however, McGill said audience members can be hesitant about hearing new compositions. Though he still appreciates older works — compositions people have loved forever — McGill is also excited to hear and play newer ones.
“This is a work that I think is easy to really internalize on the first listen,” McGill said. “It’s a gorgeous work and that’s the reason why I’m happy to have played it two to three times before and to play it again.”
Traveling and performing with small orchestras around the country in addition to being a principal flutist with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra and teaching at a university keeps McGill busy, but he said he loves doing everything he does because he knows he’s making a difference.
McGill said a lot of the work he does is to improve the climate of an industry that’s “way behind on the diversity front,” because oftentimes professional organizations like orchestras fall behind when it comes to hiring musicians of diverse backgrounds.
However, McGill said he also loves being able to travel and share music not only with local audiences and students but with musicians as well. He said it’s easy and fun because the act of sharing music “bonds you to the community.”
Though McGill is familiar with the flute concerto, this will be the first time the ICO will be performing the piece, and Kraemer said he couldn’t be happier to introduce their Indianapolis audiences to a piece of music that the “ink is still drying” on.
“It’s a very beautiful, very lyrical piece and we look forward to introducing it to audiences,” Kraemer said. “It’s not been in the repertoire because it hasn’t been in existence very long, but it is one of the great modern flute concertos.”
In addition to the Flute Concerto, Kraemer said the ICO will perform “Falla – Three-Cornered Hat: Suite 1, “Aguila – Salón Buenos Aires, Op. 102” and “Ligeti – Concerto Romanesc.”
“The variety of music that’s available for a small orchestra — for a chamber orchestra – as opposed to a large symphony orchestra … our music is very intimate,” Kraemer said. “Every musician on stage is basically a soloist, their parts are very exposed, and this spans roughly 350 years from music that has just been written to music that goes all the way back to the early baroque period.”
Kraemer said the ICO’s 2023-24 season will kick off in October and is set to include two commissioned premiers, “Aarondiehl,” Mary Lou Williams’ “Zodiacs Suite,” collaborations with Dance Kaleidoscope and International Violin Competition of Indianapolis.
The ICO’s upcoming concert with Demarre McGill will take place April 15 at the Schrott Center for the Arts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets begin at $35 and can be purchased at icomusic.org. More information about the ICO’s upcoming season can be found on the website, Facebook and Instagram accounts.
Contact staff writer Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848 or chloegm@indyrecorder.com. Follow her on Twitter @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.
