Entering its 88th year, Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra’s season promises to be one of the most ambitious to date. EPO will weave an eclectic selection of genres through 10 classics and pops concerts along with the return of the New Traditions Diversity Series and the renamed Uncorked Series. Evansville Living caught up with Music Director Roger Kalia to learn what to expect this season.
Evansville Living: What is the main message behind this season’s theme?
Roger Kalia: “Inspired!” is all about inspiring our community, especially … where everyone is feeling the effects of COVID-19 in the sense that they’ve been isolated. The music is meant to be an inspiring tool. We have some of the greatest, most inspirational music: Shostakovich’s fifth symphony, the Mozart Requiem. This is incredibly inspiring for our audience, but also for our musicians.
EL: How will this season bring musicians and the audience closer?
RK: It’s our mission to really connect with our audiences in new and creative ways. That’s one of the reasons why the Uncorked Series came to be: We wanted to connect in more informal ways with our audiences and show a different side to the musicians.
EL: In which ways does this season differ from seasons past?
RK: The eclectic nature and diverse offerings that the EPO is performing in terms of repertoire, collaborations, and guest artists. Not many orchestras are able to do this amount of music at a high level. My goal is to show the Tri-State and listeners from all over how diverse and versatile our musicians are in the sense that they can play everything from jazz to soul to baroque music to classical music to ballet music.
