We were amazed with the amount of new development that included residential, commercial and mixed-use structures we saw during our recent visit to Carmel, Indiana.
It was truly impressive, but perhaps one of the most impressive developments for us was the city's new Center for the Performing Arts.
Carmel's Center for the Performing Arts consists of three distinct venues: the 1,600-seat Palladium concert hall; the 500-seat Booth Tarkington Theater; and the 200-seat Studio Theater.
The three venues, constructed for a show-stopping $170 million, play host to a variety of national and international concert acts, theatrical productions, dance performances and more.
We were able to take in a performance of the Royal Drummers of Burundi at the Palladium during our visit.
We also dropped into a pre-concert drumming session conducted by Indianapolis' Bongo Boy Music School elsewhere in the arts center where concert-goers participated in a drumming circle. It was a great warm-up for the main event. It really looked like a lot of fun, but I was unfortunately too busy taking photos to really participate much in the session.
The Royal Drummers of Burundi are from eastern Africa and showcase the drumming and dance traditions and techniques passed down through generations in Burundi. Drumming and dance performances are often part of family celebrations and ceremonies like births, funerals and royal coronations, as well as a key part of Burundi's cultural heritage.
The group, which began touring in the 1960s, helped popularize world music over the years, inspired the WOMAD festival, plus influenced and appeared with modern musicians like Joni Mitchell, Echo and the Bunnymen, Def Leppard and Adam Ant.
The Palladium, with state-of-the art features like the first large-scale, all-glass acoustic canopy over the stage, sound-reflecting walls and adjustable acoustic curtains is a great place to see, and hear, a show.
The building's architecture, with its high ceilings, symmetrical design and central dome, is inspired by Italy's Villa La Rotonda, a building designed by famous Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio in 1566.
The Booth Tarkington Civic Theater, named for the Indiana writer, primarily hosts dramatic performances, musicals, dance, lectures and variety shows.
The Studio Theater is a more intimate venue that primarily hosts community theater performances, cabaret shows and comedy performances. It has flexible stage and seating options that allow for cabaret, proscenium, in-the-round or thrust configurations, and also serves as support or rehearsal space.
The Indianapolis Civic Theater, Carmel Symphony Orchestra, Carmel Actors Theater of Indiana, Carmel Repertory Theater, Central Indiana Dance Ensemble and Gregory Hancock Dance Theater all call the Center for the Performing Arts home.
The Great American Songbook Collection and Initiative, a project of Grammy-nominated musician, composer, author and collector Michael Feinstein, also makes its home at Carmel's Center for the Performing Arts. The organization's mission is to preserve the popular music of the early- to mid-twentieth century for current and future generations.
Feinstein agreed to locate his extensive collection of music memorabilia to Carmel's performing arts campus, provide educational programming and classes for the center, and serve as the Artistic Director for the Center for the Performing Arts.
Feinstein is a busy guy, also frequently performing in Carmel and hosting shows on television (PBS) and radio (NPR).
Researchers can access the Great American Songbook's reference library, study space and listening room. Visitors can also see memorabilia like video clips, original sheet music or a pair of Fred Astaire's dancing shoes on display.
Feinstein and his spouse recently donated $1 million to support the Songbook programs like an annual music competition and the only high school-level vocal academy dedicated to performances of the music of Broadway, Hollywood and Tin Pan Alley from the first half of the twentieth century.
Check out Tim's take on our visit to the Center for the Performing Arts (with a couple of short video clips), Drumming at the Center for the Performing Arts.
© Dominique King 2013 All rights reserved
Comments