The Louisville Orchestra is embarking on a statewide "In Harmony" tour through Western Kentucky, which includes stops in Murray, Hopkinsville, and Henderson. Inspired by Music Director Teddy Abrams, the initiative aims to bring classical and regional music to communities beyond Louisville. The tour repertoire includes traditional European music, bluegrass, and contemporary pieces, like John Williams' iconic Star Wars compositions and works from Kentucky native Ben Sollee, who is joining the orchestra on tour. WKMS Morning Edition host Daniel Hurt spoke to Gabriel Lefkowitz, conductor of the Louisville Orchestra, about the tour, compositions listeners will hear, the versatility of the orchestra, and the unifying power of music.
"This is an initiative that started two years ago but has been cooking up in our collective brains for much longer than that," Lefkowitz began. "Our music director, Teddy Abrams, noticed quite long ago that a lot of professional orchestras, when they tour, they bring a program of Mozart and Beethoven and other great European music. While that's a great experience for the orchestra, it's not exactly the way you serve your community and neighbors best."
"Teddy had this idea that was long in the making that we should perform not just in Louisville and around our city but also throughout the entire Commonwealth," Lefkowitz continued. "Just over two years ago, the state legislature generously approved funding for this initiative, and it's been a really incredible experience to bring our music — which does have composers like Mozart and Beethoven — but also traditions of this region. We perform a lot of bluegrass. We've gone on tour with folks like Michael Cleveland [and] Chris Thile. On this leg of the tour, we're featuring another Kentucky native, the great cellist, singer-songwriter, and incredible artist Ben Sollee. We're bringing him on tour as our soloist."
"We perform as an orchestra, but around those big performances, many small ensembles of two to four to six musicians from our orchestra are also playing in schools and libraries and various community centers near where our big orchestra performances are," Lefkowitz said. "So, we're really making the most of these kinds of residency opportunities wherever we go, and the response has been incredible."
"One of my favorite things to encounter at our concerts afterward in the library, when we're saying hello to everyone, the music teacher from the local public elementary or middle school comes out and says, 'Thank you so much for being here. I've been preaching to these children about the power of music and how it can really bring together and move you. They got to experience that at this level for the first time in their lives as a result of this tour.' So, that's what it's all about."
Lefkowitz said the Louisville Orchestra will perform selections by John Williams, Richard Wagner, Edvard Grieg, and Antonín Dvorak, in addition to works from the featured soloist, Ben Sollee. "This will be a really fun program. It's kind of a best of the best. I want folks who love classical and orchestral music to enjoy these great works, and I love people who don't think they love classical and orchestral music to realize that they already do. This music is so pervasive in our lives already."
"We're playing some very famous pieces, like "Ride of the Valkyries." We're doing an awesome bit of music with "The Throne Room" and the finale from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. But then we've also got unfamiliar music to audiences that I know will capture their hearts. One of the things our audiences really love seeing is how versatile an orchestra is. It can play Wagner, it can play Mozart, but it also can rock out, almost like a hair metal band. We do it all, and that's been a big priority," Lefkowitz said.
Of serving as the conductor for the Louisville Orchestra, Lefkowitz said, "It's been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my — and I think all my colleagues' — musical career. We are gaining a lot from this experience as well. The performer in all of us is completely enamored with the kind of response we're getting on this tour, where people are so moved and appreciative. There's nothing better for a performer than that. You can tell all the musicians are so dialed in and excited about this and so full of purpose. It's a really wonderful time for us to be part of the Louisville Orchestra."
The "In Harmony" Western Kentucky residency begins September 24 with a performance at Lovett Auditorium on Murray State University's main campus in Murray, followed by a performance at the Christian County High School gymnasium in Hopkinsville on September 25. The residency ends on September 26 with a performance at the Preston Arts Center in Henderson. All performances begin at 7:30 pm.
More information can be found about the “In Harmony” tour here.
