Louisville Orchestra’s visit filled Danville with music
Published 5:56 pm Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Michael Cleveland and his band Flamekeeper were featured as special guests for this leg of the LO’s “In Harmony” tour and joined the LO onstage for the second half of their performance. Photo by Addie Osborne
At the Boyle County Community Leaders Meet and Greet, the Louisville Orchestra was honored with a proclamation and awarded the key to the city. From left: Magistrate Steve Sleeper, Danville Commissioner Rick Serres, Judge Executive Trille Bottom, Teddy Abrams, LO Chief Executive Graham Parker, Danville Commissioner Donna Peek, Danville Mayor J.H. Atkins. Photo by Addie Osborne
LO musicians collaborated with The Heritage Area String Program for a special pre-show performance in the Norton Center lobby. Photo by Addie Osborne
Teddy Abrams and patrons applauded The Heritage Area String Program during the pre-show performance in the Norton Center lobby. Photo by Addie Osborne
Michael Cleveland (middle) spoke about the successes and struggles of being an artist with disabilities during the roundtable forum in the Norton Center lobby. The forum was moderated by Justin Padgett (left of Cleveland), director of student life at the Kentucky School for the Deaf. Photo by Addie Osborne
A packed audience applauds the orchestra. Photo by Addie Osborne.
Teddy Abrams took a bow before stepping onto the podium and launching into the first song of the performance. Photo by Addie Osborne
Michael Cleveland (middle) and his band Flamekeeper were featured as special guests for this leg of the LO’s “In Harmony” tour and joined the LO onstage for the second half of their performance. Photo by Addie Osborne
Michael Cleveland and his band Flamekeeper were featured as special guests for this leg of the LO’s “In Harmony” tour and joined the LO onstage for the second half of their performance. Photo by Addie Osborne
The Louisville Orchestra. Photo by Addie Osborne
Attendees browse the booths at the Norton Center. Photo by Addie Osborne
Danville Mayor James Atkins holds a signed poster for the In Harmony tour. Photo by Addie Osborne
Attendees mingle at the Community Leaders meet and greet. Photo by Addie Osborne
By: Addie Osborne, Norton Center for the Arts
An ordinary Friday in Danville turned into a celebration of community, culture and collaboration when the Louisville Orchestra came to town.
The Louisville Orchestra’s (LO) visit to Danville on March 8 marked the penultimate stop on their historic “In Harmony” tour of the Commonwealth. This two-year musical journey, funded through the Kentucky legislature and which began in May 2023, brought orchestra musicians to numerous communities throughout Kentucky, performing to audiences of all ages and musical tastes.
Concluding a day packed with events, community-building and collaboration, the LO performed to a full house at Centre College’s Norton Center for the Arts, led by Grammy Award-winning conductor Teddy Abrams and featuring special guest Michael Cleveland, another Grammy Award-winner and one of the most awarded fiddlers in the world.
Before the orchestra took their final bows to a roaring standing ovation in Newlin Hall, the musicians spent their day engaging with the Boyle County community. Harpist Grae Roepke led a harp demonstration at the Kentucky School for the Deaf, while LO Creators Corps member and composer Tanner Porter spoke with Boyle County school students about the art of making music. Meanwhile, a musical storytelling adventure was occurring at the Boyle County Public Library with Once Upon an Orchestra.
Centre students and faculty had the unique opportunity to participate in an open discussion with Abrams in Weisiger Theatre that morning, where they covered a variety of topics and delved into how music brings connection and commonality into our lives.
“In our world today, we are so used to perfection that we forget to marvel at amazing things – like 80 musicians performing with unity,” said Abrams during the discussion. “The orchestra is a symbol of commonality, a model for how humans of all different backgrounds can work together and create something amazing.”
The day’s festivities continued with a reception at the Boyle County Community Leaders Meet and Greet, where Teddy Abrams and the Louisville Orchestra were honored with a proclamation and key to the city, symbolizing their contribution to the cultural enrichment of the community. The Meet and Greet was hosted by Centre College, the Norton Center, the Danville-Boyle County Chamber of Commerce, the Danville Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Arts Commission of Danville-Boyle County, the City of Danville and the Boyle County government. Farmers National Bank was the local sponsor of the Orchestra’s visit to Boyle County.
“It is an incredible feeling to experience so many ways a single orchestra can engage with a community in just one day,” said Norton Center Executive Director Steve Hoffman. “The power of the arts should be recognized for connecting children, people with special needs, artists, musicians and the general public, in a celebration of culture and music. We saw how activities like these enhance our quality of life and transform the lives of so many people.”
A few hours before the performance, the LO’s special guest Michael Cleveland sat down with local citizens for an Artists with Special Needs roundtable forum. Cleveland, who is blind and hard of hearing, spoke about the struggles and successes of his fiddling career, prompting an open dialogue about our region and how our community can make itself a more equitable, welcoming space for people of all abilities. The Roundtable was co-hosted by the Norton Center and the Arts Commission of Danville-Boyle County and was supported through a gift from Dr. Jeff Johnson and Ken Michael.
When the Norton Center doors opened for the concert that evening and excited patrons came flooding in, the Heritage Area String Program (HASP) began its pre-show performance in the lobby. HASP, a local free after-school program for 2nd through 5th-grade students, offers the opportunity for children to learn the cello, violin or viola. Under the instruction of the LO’s composer Tanner Porter, the group performed their own new composition alongside LO string musicians.
The performance in Newlin Hall was a perfect conclusion to a day spent collaborating and enriching the community culturally. Presenting a mix of classical pieces, new compositions and an orchestra-bluegrass crossover with Cleveland and Flamekeeper, the LO proved the unifying power of music in every song. The applause was nothing short of thunderous as the Orchestra and Flamekeeper took their final bows.
“Any time people can come together is so important to our society,” said Abrams. “The orchestra is a wonderful example of that.”
Fun fact: The Louisville Orchestra performed in the Norton Center’s inaugural 1973-74 season under the baton of Jorge Mester. The Orchestra has also performed at the Norton Center in 1975, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, and now, 2024.
