Six Months and Counting!

Happy Monday, IVCI Bloggers! We're now approximately six months away from the 10th Quadrennial Competition, and it's getting busy in downtown Indianapolis. We're back again with a few updates and reminders, plus a special guest blog contributor.

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LAST CALL for Applications - 48 Hours Remaining

We are nearing the application deadline for the 2018 Competition! By this coming Wednesday, February 28 at 11:59 PM EST (Indianapolis time), we must have applications and all supporting documentation from participants.

If you haven't uploaded your files, you have two days left! Visit the Rules and Regulations page on our website. If you have any questions, contact us immediately at (317) 637-4574 or email us at ivci@violin.org.

Upcoming at the IVCI

Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio returns to Indy March 13

We're anxiously awaiting the return of the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio, who will perform in Indianapolis on Tuesday, March 13 at the Indiana Landmarks Center. This is the Trio's 40th Anniversary Tour, and they're celebrating by performing Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich's Pas de Trois, which was written specifically for the KLR Trio in honor of their four decades of collaboration. They will also perform the C minor Trio by Mendelssohn, and Beethoven's magnificent "Archduke" Trio in B-flat. The recital is co-presented by the Ensemble Music Society, with Title Sponsor The National Bank of Indianapolis.

Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio

Tuesday, March 13 | 7:30 PM

Indiana Landmarks Center, Grand Hall 

1201 Central Avenue

Indianapolis, IN

Tickets: $30 for Adults | $5 for Students*
(*Use promo code KLR2018 when ordering online or by phone)

For tickets, visit violin.org or call (317) 637-4574

This Month's Guest Blogger: Terry Langdon

Violist with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and IVCI Host Family Volunteer

As some of you know, the IVCI offices are located in the same building that houses the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra in downtown Indianapolis. All of us here at the IVCI have wonderful working relationships with our downstairs neighbors, both staff and musicians. One of those musicians, violist Terry Langdon, is one of the kindest you will ever meet. She's been in the Orchestra for 39 years and has performed for every IVCI Competition since it began in 1982. Dedicated to education, she has even written a children's music book called "Little Cloud's Adventure," which teaches folk songs and map reading. As you'll see, Terry is deeply committed to her community, her orchestra, and - lucky for us - to the Indianapolis Competition, offering her home as a base for one lucky participant in 2014.

Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra Violist
Terry Langdon

I have been a fascinated participant in every IVCI Competition since its inception, having accompanied every finalist from the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra’s viola section. The playing level throughout the years has been lofty, and the stamina and commitment of the violinists to their art is beyond that of mere mortals. Our beloved Competition has launched many enduring international careers, and done so in the most thorough and discerning way possible under the direction of Tom Beczkiewicz and Glen Kwok.

For me, the most challenging works we have put together with the participants are the Bartók Second Violin Concerto and the Walton Violin Concerto.  The most frequently offered, I am hazarding, is the Tchaikovsky. Remembering who takes traditional cuts in that work and who does not poses a high mental hurdle!

My husband John and I very much enjoyed hosting the 2014 Silver Medalist Tessa Lark through all rounds of the Competition. Tessa brought a unique interpretive arsenal of classical, rock and bluegrass styles to the required solo work by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich.  Her brilliant performance of that work in an early round not only gained her a special prize, but also assured a high ranking in subsequent deliberations.  The friendship we formed with Tessa and her parents has continued, and even post-Competition, Tessa sometimes stays with us when she is in town for performances. Tessa recently premiered Michael Thurber’s "Love Letter" violin concerto with the Carmel Symphony Orchestra, and it was a thrill to hear her practicing music few people had ever heard before.

Hosting a participant is a rich and rewarding experience I highly recommend.  Special attention to meals is necessary: the right food, which is whatever the violinist says he/she prefers, the right portions, and especially the right timing. We were also attentive to room temperatures, pillows, and even had our piano tuned slightly sharper to match the one at the Indiana History Center.

I am very proud of Indianapolis for instigating and sustaining this famous and prestigious event, and plan to offer my assistance whenever needed.

Happy listening!