The fall season has officially arrived.
The air is cooling down, but the energy remains hot as ever in central Ohio's arts community.
All Sides Weekend Host Christopher Purdy is talking with three key players in the local arts scene.
Columbus' Palace Theater is celebrating its 100th anniversary.
ProMusica is preparing to launch its new season.
BalletMet is premiering a new ballet centered on the life of film legend Marilyn Monroe.
Host:
- Christopher Purdy, All Sides Weekend and Classical 101 morning host
Guests:
- Chad Whittington, CEO, CAPA
- Janet Chen, CEO, ProMusica
- Remi Wortmeyer, artistic director, BalletMet
Transcript
This transcript is generated with AI. To ensure its accuracy, review the audio file.
Christopher Purdy: Good morning, I'm Christopher Purdy, delighted to welcome you all to today's edition of All Sides Weekend. This is the time of the month when we get together and talk about arts and culture in central Ohio. And you don't have to get your notebooks out or your phones or your calendars, there's going to be a lot to keep track of, but we're going to give it all to you. And the show is archived on our website, so if you want to check back later, then you can get your calendar out. But meanwhile, I want you to enjoy the conversation. And we have a great. Wealth of what's going on culturally in central Ohio and I have three terrific people to talk to about it. They are Janet Chen who is the chief executive officer of Pro Musica the Magnificent Chamber. Did I get your title wrong?
Janet Chen: I know you're fine. No, it's perfect. Okay.
Purdy: Let me do that again. Pro Musica, they are beginning another exciting new season in the Southern Theater. Not that they've been not busy because they gave summer concerts as they always do. David Donsmeyer is the music director and Vadim Glutsman, the violinist, is the musical partner. But Janet Chen runs the works there at Pro Musiaca and she's to tell us about the new season. I am delighted to welcome Chad Whittington, who is the CEO of CAPA. Because of CAPA, we have theaters downtown and all over our area that are usually filled. And we have one theater celebrating a great anniversary, which you are going to tell us about. And Chad Wooding is returning to the stage by popular demand. We'll talk about that later. And Remi Wortmeyer is here. Remi is the artistic director of Ballet Met and of all the His next ballet, which opens, I believe, October 16th, Swans, Princesses, that's right, because this ballet is about Marilyn Monroe. Is this the only ballet ever about Marilyn Monroe? I believe so, yeah. So talk to me about Marilyn, the ballet.
Remi Wortmeyer: So yeah, we're really excited to be partnering with Tulsa Ballet and Oregon Ballet on this co-production of Marilyn, the full length story ballet. It's been created by three women. Danielle Rowe is the choreographer. The designer is Emma Kinsbury and the music director and composer is Shannon Rugani. So it's a really wonderful three strong, powerful women creating a story about a very powerful and interesting, but also vulnerable icon of, you know, the 20th century really.
Purdy: Yeah, the argument can be made that Marilyn Monroe was all her professional life at least very badly exploited by men So to have a team of women giving her her story this new impetus. I think is especially interesting What was their thought behind? Everybody thinks they know Marilyn Monroe The poor woman has been gone over 60 years and everybody know who she is She's been gone twice as long as she was alive and yet the fascination endures. Why do you think that is?
Wortmeyer: Well, I think she was a bit of an enigma in a way. You know, she had this obviously a very public persona, a very, you know, she's an icon in this, in her styling as well. You know she was really, even now we see a silhouette, not even an image of Marilyn and we know who it is and what, you now what picture it's from or whatever. So I think there's those iconic things about her, but there's also that part that we don't understand about her. We don't really understand the suffering. We- we- we hear about it. We know there were certain moments in her life, different relationships that troubled her. We knew that she came from a really troubled childhood. And that obviously had repercussions throughout her life and the decisions and the people that she came in contact with, or she allowed closer to her, I guess. Or you can say also the people that then could take advantage of her, which was very sad and unfortunate. And so I think that. We kind of see all this and we see the tragic life of Marilyn, a little bit like, you know, there's a similar way we look at Princess Di in a way, you know, there's these very beautiful, important
Purdy: They both died at 36. I just can't, that just occurred to me. Yeah, there you go.
Wortmeyer: Yeah. And, and Elton John wrote that beautiful song for which, you know, worked, which he utilized for both. Um, so yeah, I think that she's definitely an icon in our, in our minds and it's for both good and all the wonderful movies she created and the, and the joy that she brought to the screen and to the world. But there's also that tragic part that we, we kind of also connect to.
Purdy: What would be the challenge for the woman who was dancing the title role? Again, somebody, everybody thinks they know. Now we're doing a ballet, so we're not hearing Marilyn Monroe. We're just looking at her and watching her move, which was part of the appeal, let's face it, in the films. But there is a component of her that we know, the whispery voice, that will be missing.
Wortmeyer: Very true, very true. Well, I think it's been done really beautifully, especially with costume design. There's these incredible costume designs based off the original movies and things, those iconic dresses. There's the white dress, there's the pink dress from, is it, but the diamonds are a girl's best friend, that moment.
Purdy: "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes."
Wortmeyer: There's these iconic moments, but there's also a lot of storytelling through the dance and through these heavier moments with the different men. And what is very interesting to see in the studio when we see Danny Rowe working with dancers is we right now have three casts.
Purdy: You have three Maryland's?
Wortmeyer: Three Marilyns at the moment, yes, and it's up to Danny and myself to work out over the next week if everyone is going to have the opportunity to perform and if there's going to be the whole three up there. But what's beautiful to see is their different interpretations are all unique, but they all very much connect to the essence of Meryls.
Purdy: I Is Joe DiMaggio in it? Is Arthur Miller in it. I won't ask about the Kennedys but okay. Marilyn is a ballet choreography by Danny Rowe and the music is by Shannon Wigani and it opens in the October 16th. You wrote to Davidson Theater for a run of several performances. There'll be a bunch of chances to see Marilyn and we'll talk more about what's coming up also with your season and what you've been doing and what Ballet Met is doing, bringing beauty to the. To the community and I want to turn to Chad Whittington. Now you're celebrating, among your venues, you're just celebrating the Palace Theater this year, which has its 100th birthday. And I'll tell you a quick story, if I may. A number of years ago, I interviewed Kay Ballard, the great comic actress who had just written a book, and she was all over the place. To interview her was a trip. I mean, she was great, but, um, uh, she said she came into the station and she said what city am i in and I said Columbus i love Columbus she said Columbus i played the palace theater in 1951 with may west and so okay so i guess it was open in 195 1 at least with Mae West so talk about the newly refurbished Palace Theater.
Chad Whittington: And that's a great story for the palace, because it's a venue that has seen all kinds of performance over its life. So really, this is the beginning of a multi-year celebration. The palace turns 100 in November, so just around the corner. And then in 2028, we've got both the Ohio and the Lincoln Theater turning 100. So we're really packaging it together. We're gonna celebrate all the way through the end of 2028. Because that's pretty impressive, too. If you look around Columbus, the number of historical theaters we've gotten. On a per capita basis, puts us in the top five in the country in terms of historic theater. So I think it's a great testament to the community and their support for history. And so that's one of the things we're trying to do is show gratitude to the committee for the buildings being here 100 years. It's not just Kappa, it's been a lot. It's been several iterations over 100 years and then generations of people. So we think it is important to recognize that. And then I do wanna say, speaking specifically about the Palace Theater, we can't talk about the palace without talking about Cathy. Lavec because she is the one person if you say who's the one person that made a difference between the palace being here and not it's really Kathy Laveck became responsible for the palace theater in the late 70s there was actually a plan to turn it into a parking lot for the Lavech tower of which it's a part of
Purdy: Literally to raise the building that they were going to do.
Whittington: To replace the section of the building where the theater is and build a parking lot that would have been basically in that corner of the Lavec Tower where the Palace Theater now sits. And she said, this is crazy. This is a beautiful theater. It's got historic importance to the city. And she single-handedly put the money into it to save it, to refurbish it. She learned the business of performing arts because she really was in love with the building and didn't have background. Performing arts, but she knew to keep that building active, to justify keeping it to be a theater, she needed to put acts in it. So, learned the business, brought in people to help her learn the business and ran it for well over a decade before handing it over to CAPA in 1989.
Purdy: November, I think it's November 14th, you're having a big gala celebration. Talk about that.
Whittington: We are, we're really excited. The genius of Ray Charles, that takes place on November 14th in the Palace. And we wanted to find a performance that represented a lot of what the theater has been. I said, it's had all kinds of, everything from comedians to family shows to opera to Broadway. But Ray Charles played at the Palace a number of times over his career. And music has been such an important part of the Palace history since it reopened in the 70s. So we just felt like we had to do something. And even before, as you mentioned, going back into the 50s. So we've got a great. Event coming up, Paul Schaeffer will be there, Patty Austin, Aloe Blacc, and Billy Valentine, who is a local guy, will be coming back to Columbus. So this is a curated event. This is not something touring around the country and it's just making a stop. This is something we put together for ourselves to celebrate the anniversary of the palace.
Purdy: I was in the building for the first time in 20 years about a year and a half ago and was amazed at just the restoration that you did and the beauty of the interior and how I mean that's got to be a destination now for any kind of touring venue or I'm sure a lot of people want to play the palace but they want to pay the palace in Columbus Ohio.
Whittington: Absolutely, we like to keep all of our theaters up to top tier level in terms of what they look like because that is important to the artists coming through. And so you're talking about the big renovation we did in 2018, which really, the auditorium is absolutely beautiful now. But we also did a renovation that the public might not necessarily see. It took place back in the 2005, 2006 timeframe and remodeled all of the dressing rooms and the backstage areas. Because to your point, when artists come through, They talk to one another. They tell folks where they've had a good experience and where they haven't, and we want to make sure.
Purdy: They talk about the plumbing, they do, they talk about plumbing.
Whittington: Plumbing and catering and all kinds of things like that and so we want to make sure they have a top-notch experience so we've we've invested money in the palace in the last 25 years both for the artists and for the audience
Purdy: And it is beautiful and we should all look forward to the gala on November 14th and happy birthday to the Palace Theater. Congratulations to Mrs. LeBec and to you and our friends at CAPA. Chad Whittington is the CEO of CAPA Janet Chan you know I always look forward hearing from Janet Chan because she runs Pro Musica so beautifully and that's such an important part of our cultural scene. Very often you'll go to a Pro Musiaca concert and you look at the program and you'll see two composers you know and one you don't. And the one you don't is the one you want to hear again. So that's a formula that's been working for you for a long time. So how's everything at Pro Musica?
Chen: Thank you, yeah. Things are going really wonderfully and looking forward to opening our season the weekend of October 7, 18. So hope you go to see Marilyn in the ballet and then the next day come over to Pro Musica at the beautiful Southern Theater, which has been our home since it was restored. But yeah, I mean, very excited about this season and I think overall our general mission and. Way as we think about how we bring music to the community and to audiences is providing something that feels familiar, but also bringing in new works, new repertoire, but new and reimagined ways of listening to music to audiences that you really can't experience either if you're sitting in your home or your living room, and bringing new works to life. So, you know, We're in our 48th season now and. Up to date, we have commissioned 73 new works, and that's something we're incredibly proud of and continue to do as we gear towards our 50th anniversary in a couple years. So yeah, I think it's just a wonderful blend of coming into the theater and hearing something that you're familiar with, but letting yourself be moved to hear something that either is fresh off the ink and something that's never been heard before.
Purdy: One thing I think Pro Music does really, really well is that you get the audience to trust you. I mean, people may come and not even know what's being played that night because they just know they're going to get something. They'll walk out with something they love. And I think that's something that you probably have worked on yourself as you and David and everybody sit there and plan what is being played when that you come up with. But it's working for you.
Chen: It is. And I think in some ways we feel that's a responsibility, right, as being a modern day orchestra. And while classical is still always going to be in our DNA, it's about shaping the future and form of what we do. And audiences are a big, big part of that. So if you think about in Mozart's day, Beethoven's day. So they were premiering all the works that we're familiar with now. There were audiences who were going crazy and, you know, experiencing that for the first time. We have to remind ourselves that in our capacities now as a community and audiences, we're kind of, we're in the same boat. And so it brings us great joy. And yes, the hope is audiences will trust us. And I appreciate when audiences tell me, I love this piece, this piece I wasn't so sure, but I'm glad I was here for it. Glad I was.
Purdy: I'm glad I was here for it.
Chen: Yeah, yeah.
Purdy: And remember Bach was once new music.
Chen: Exactly, exactly.
Purdy: You're listening to All Sides Weekend, and we're going to take a quick break and come on back. Don't go away.
Purdy: We are back, this is All Sides Weekend. I'm Christopher Purdy talking with Chad Whittington, who is the CEO of CAPA, with Remi Wortmeyer, who is The Artistic, do I say Wirtmaier or Wirtmyer? What am I saying?
Wortmeyer: Both sound good out of your mouth. Not too tight.
Purdy: Point for you, the artistic director of Ballet Met and Janet Chan, who was the CEO of Pro Music. I just wanted to follow up on the conversation we were having on the other side of the break. For example, you're doing Mozart's Great Mass in October, but you also have a work by Max Richter on the same program with the Mozart, so there's a mix there that still goes on.
Chen: Absolutely, yeah. And that kind of, as we were talking about, that balance of something new and something that's familiar, one would not really think about pairing Max Richter, who many know, you know, recognize his music. He's an incredible composer. This piece on the nature of daylight most recently was on the film Hamnet. But to pair a piece like that from Max Richtor with Mozart mass, you now, on paper it looks very odd, but- When you think about the sonic journey of that, where you go from something very contemplative and very just kind of insightful to something like Mozart's Mass, which is just so powerful in its own right. Again, I think on paper, you wouldn't think about it, but when you come to hear it, I think you'll be really moved.
Purdy: Well, you wouldn't think about it, but I think you're going to have people thinking really good thoughts when they're in the seats for the performance. And again, it's something that will be unexpected to them just composed with two pieces by Mozart. But I mean, my impression is that there's nothing arbitrary that you really you guys sit down and figure it out.
Chen: Yes, yeah, yeah. We're very thoughtful about what would pair well, but also what would be challenging for the audiences and challenging for musicians, you know, equally. So, you know, kind of looking a little further down into the season in December, we have Clarice Assad, an incredible composer of today, Brazilian-American. She's written a piece called Play with an exclamation point, written for Third Coast Percussion, which is a percussion Yeah, with the orchestra and that's, you know. Just visually going to be really fun, but you pair that with Schubert Three, which is also on on the program. So we have fun with that, right? So we want to give audiences something that's different and interesting. But, you know, again, it just is is an opportunity to also introduce people to new composers who are doing great things today.
Purdy: Janet Chen is CEO of Pro Musica. You can go to, I guess, opening night of October 17th and 18th at the Southern Theater, Mozart's Mass in C and the Rurtevento in G and On the Nature of Daylight by Max Richter. That's their first of several programs coming up in the coming season. Chad Whittington, you mentioned the birthday also of the Lincoln Theater. Now, the Lincoln was brought back by Kappa about what, 10 years ago? 15 or 16 now. 15 years ago. What had happened to it before CAPA restored it? Do we know?
Whittington: I don't know the particulars, really all of the theaters, the story is pretty similar for most of them. They opened for a purpose, whether it was film or vaudeville, if you're talking about the palace, and had a heyday, really, I think, for the Lincoln for a long time, it was the home of African-American artists in Columbus, you know, obviously the neighborhood over there is historically African- American, and then particularly with that, when the states got built and cut the neighborhood off. From the rest of the Columbus and impacted that neighborhood and it impacted the theater as well. So there was a long period of time where the Lincoln Theater sat empty to the point that, you know, it was, think about the other theaters that we've renovated, a lot of the fixtures may have been taken out, but the buildings themselves were in good shape. The Lincoln was not, I mean, you could stand in there and look up and see the sky. So it was raining inside the building.
Purdy: I was going to ask you when you yourself walked in for the first time as the planning window what you found
Whittington: Yeah, yeah, not much, you know, kind of the four walls of a building and not a lot inside. And so part of the process actually of restoring the Lincoln Theater was to look at photos to figure out, okay, the wall coverings and the paint scheme, the Egyptian theme that was in there. We had to resort to pictures to figure how we were going to do all those things because the building itself was in such disrepair that we couldn't determine. Those you know the interesting thing about one of the interesting things about the Lincoln is It has a balcony in it now We did put a balcony and that when we restored it and that was not something that was original But it added to the seat count. It was also something that We felt we needed just because of the kind of events we were going to have there
Purdy: I remember years and years ago I did an interview with Nancy Wilson, the great singer, and Nancy Wilson from Columbus, she grew up in Columbus, and she was talking about what that neighborhood was in the years leading up to and including the Second World War when she was a teenager and she started to sing professionally and what the opportunities, there were clubs everywhere, there was businesses everywhere, it was a thriving neighborhood before the interstate. And she was describing a neighborhood that probably none of us in this room experience because it was so long ago but it was and she one thing she said you know i was 15 years old and nobody messed with me because all the all the bartenders you know they were afraid of them and so they you know, they kept their eye out.
Whittington: Long Street was referred to as the million dollar mile, that section of Long Street, because they would say there were so many businesses and so much activity, a dollar could pass hands a million dollar, or a million times just on that section of Long street.
Purdy: So we will also be celebrating the Lincoln community of plans for that for a kind of a birthday party for them.
Whittington: We do. In late 28, we're in the planning stages of that right now. Well, come on back in two years, we'll talk about it. For sure.
Purdy: So we're celebrating the Palace Theater and then there's a birthday coming up for the Ohio Theater as well. And I also want to make note of the fact that Opera Columbus is presenting their take, a different take, on the Pirates of Penzance Call, I think Pirates, on November 6 and 8, starring Chad Whittington. I mean, how is that happening? That's exciting.
Whittington: How is that happening? I would like to know. I'd like to know too. I think I got told after the decision was made.
Purdy: Oh, you did? Okay, well...
Whittington: It's fun, I've been a part of our Broadway announcement at times, done little cameos there, but I think this is my first time as part of a really legit production, so it's my premiere.
Purdy: You're actually going to have a set and costume and
Whittington: They came to my office and measured, took measurements a couple of weeks ago. So this is, this is real. They've been pretty coy so far about what exactly I'm going to be, uh, doing, but, uh, we'll have rehearsals here soon and I'll find out, but I'm excited. I saw, so this is the production Pirates, the Penzance musical that took place on Broadway a couple years ago. And, and one of the really fun things is this is the first time this version has been licensed outside of, of New York. So it's a, it's premier.
Purdy: Leave it to Julia.
Whittington: Yeah, absolutely. So excited about that and excited to be a part of it. And Mitch from GCACA is a part of it as well. Oh, is he really? Okay.
Purdy: Oh, is he really okay? Is he is he on stage with you? Does he also?
Whittington: He is on stage as well. Yes. Oh, is this good?
Purdy: Oh, this is going to be a too wet company. This is going be wild. All right.
Whittington: I'll let him do the singing.
Purdy: Yes, okay. We are talking about arts and culture in central Ohio. I'm Christopher Purdy with Remi Wortmeyer, who is the Artistic Director of BalletMet, with Chad Whittington, who is the CEO of CAPA, and with Janet Chen, the CEO Pro Musica. And Remy, you have Marilyn coming to the stage in October at the Davidson Theater, which is going to intrigue a lot of people because it's Marilyn Monroe herself dancing her life with some other recognizable people. I don't want I haven't seen it. So I can't give it away. I know a little bit about her life as I know what everybody else knows about our life, which isn't much except a really kind of sensational parts of it. So I'm looking forward to that. Who was Shannon Rogani?
Wortmeyer: So yeah, she used to be a dancer, actually. So she was a dancer in, I believe, San Francisco Ballet. And then she moved on and moved into composition. And her, Dani, and Emma all formed a team. They all kind of created this production together. And yeah, and they created something really special.
Purdy: Now, I'm assuming they're going to put it on Ballet Met Dancers, they're not going to bring it on yet. Yes, okay.
Wortmeyer: Yeah, so, well, actually, so like I said, it has been a co-commission. So it was created in Oregon Ballet on Danny Rose Company. She's a director of Oregon Ballett and it's movie, it went to Tulsa and now it's coming to our company on our dancers. And she's actually changed some things and made some modifications and kind of as it, as it evolves, it gets more and more, which is really exciting to see. And yeah, I think what's beautiful about it, like you said, there's no words, so we don't hear Marilyn as such. We see her childhood, we see her life, and it unfolds in a very emotional and very sensory kind of way through the art of dance.
Purdy: What else is going on with BalletMet? Now you're traveling a bit yourself and then you're bringing some work back to Columbus
Wortmeyer: Yeah, so I'm busy right now creating a new Swan Lake, which is a co-commission with Atlanta Ballet between Ballet Met and Atlanta Ballet. It will premiere at Ballet Met in February, and I actually think it's just after my birthday actually. Yes, it's on the 19th. My birthday is on the 18th, so...
Purdy: We're going to sync you then. There you go, there you go.
Wortmeyer: There you go, there you go. Like, like Marilyn. To the president. Get Kardashian out of that dress. And um, but yeah, so that's going to be a brand new Swan Lake. Very excited about it. Half of it is being created on the Atlanta Ballet Company, which is why I begin, begin there next week. And then the rest is created on us.
Purdy: Yo, yo, yo. How do you half create a ballet in one go back?
Wortmeyer: Go back, rewind. Yeah, so I go over there, we had the big discussion with the director of Atlanta Ballet to see how we would make this work. And so in order for everyone to feel like they've been part of the creation process, I thought it was really nice to go over there and to create on their dances about probably up to an hour of material, because the ballet is about two hours long, two acts, just under two hours. Two acts and it's gonna be performed live by not only our dancers, but we'll also have the symphony. So that's it.
Purdy: Very terrific. Wonderful. Yeah. So that'd be lovely. Yep. And then Nutcracker season.
Wortmeyer: Nutcrackers actually, yes, before that, exactly. And before that even I'm creating a new, well, I'm not creating it. I'm choreographing a new musical called Ordinary Woman, which is in collaboration with CAPA and that's premiering in November.
Purdy: Chat in that too.
Wortmeyer: I think he might have to be. I think it might be his new career. 20th of November to the 22nd at the Davidson Theater.
Purdy: What's that about? What? Tell me. So it's.
Wortmeyer: So it's written by Malcolm Rock, it's based on Cheryl, well it's utilizing Cheryl Crowe music, but it's a whole new story. And it's been re-orchestrated by Chloe, a female incredible composer, Australian composer, Chloe Shiroti.
Purdy: So we have Sheryl Crowe, we have Remy and we have CAPA and we have the Davidson Theater and Ballet. That's that's an exciting
Wortmeyer: Yeah, actually, I'm starting choreographing that today, actually. Oh, you're today, okay. Yeah, today is the day that that gets done.
Purdy: He's not at rehearsal yet, he's on the radio, so he should be there at 12.30, but you know.
Wortmeyer: Well, yeah, exactly. The rehearsal starts at 12.30, so I'm gonna be...
Purdy: Don't go by me. But anyway, Janet Chen, I'm going to turn it to you to be the adult in the room. You have another concert, you have Bach, Avroperta, and Schubert, again, and then Is it the Assad? Oh, Clarice Assad. She was the one you were talking about. Yes talk about her tomorrow
Chen: Yeah, so Clarice, again, she's probably one of the most prominent female composers of today. Her name might sound familiar because her father, she has a father and uncle who are the Assad brothers. Yeah. I've
Purdy: Yeah, I was gonna say, oh, they're here in Sargeant, must be there.
Chen: Yes, exactly, wonderful guitarists and mean legends in their own right. And kind of fun fact, so this is probably now about 15 years or so ago, we actually commissioned Clarice to write a double concerto for her father and uncle with Pro Musica, two guitars and chamber orchestra. So we've kind of had sort of this connection with Clarice and just over the last decade plus. Um, just seeing her just kind of break through sort of the glass ceiling in terms of, uh, commissioning has just been really wonderful. So one of the things that we really wanted to do was to bring her back and highlight her obviously as a composer. So she's written this piece play with third coast percussion, but she actually will be here because she has a small part in the piece. She's a vocalist as well. So, in essence, this is kind of what we have. Kind of produced over the years as our composer-performer series. So the composer has not only written the piece, but they're actually here with the audiences and part of the work that they created. So again, this is not very different from 200 years ago when Bach wrote something and then he just got on the instrument and performed it. So very, very excited about that. And Third Coast percussion is just such fun. One.
Purdy: It's fantastic.
Chen: Fun, fantastic, you'll be blown away.
Purdy: And one thing that Pro Musica does, I think you continue to do it, maybe not all the time, but you also have talk backs after the concerts with cookies, by the way. We do have cookies. Yes, we have cookies, but those are really interesting, particularly if you're hearing the piece for the first time and the composer comes out and talks to you about what, why they did what they did and what, and really.
Chen: Exactly. Yeah, this is, we call it our CODA post concert conversation and after because, you know, in some ways there's always a wonderful benefit to share insight, you know about, you know, what you might hear, how long, especially for new music. I think people are daunted by it, but I would just encourage everyone to come with an open mind. So it's good to kind of know a little bit about the context, but really I think what we get so much joy out of is afterwards, the emotions and... I think coming to concerts or any event is honestly a social event, right? So we just feel the buzz and the energy of the audiences who wanna ask questions to the artists. Like, it can range from anything. Like Vadim Guzman's string broke in May and that's all people wanted to talk about because they'd never seen that, you know, actually live before. But...
Purdy: But you just sailed on you
Chen: He just sailed on. So yeah, so it's a great opportunity to kind of have some community after enjoying, you know, a 90 minute show.
Purdy: This is All Sides Weekend, the arts and culture segment of the month programs. I'm Christopher Purdy. We are talking with Janet Chen, who is the CEO of Pro Musica, who has a wonderful season of concerts in the Southern Theater, having already done a season of summer concerts outdoors. They're now moving inside beginning October 17th and 18th with Mozart and Max Richter. And there's always something new that you've never heard before on these concerts that you will probably want to hear again. Remy Wirtmeyer is here, he is the Artistic Director of Ballet Met, with the production of Maryland. I've been saying it's your production. Well, you're signing the checks for it, so while they're here, it's you're production of Maryland and Chad Burlington, CEO of CAPA, celebrating Cerval Theaters and the Arts in Columbus. We have one more segment, don't go away, we'll be right back. We are back all sides week and Janet Chen I wanted to ask you one more thing, but I want you wanted to do a shout out
Chen: I do, yes. So for Mozart Mass coming up in October, we're really excited to partner again with the Capital University Chapel Choir. We worked with them about a year and a half ago for Mendelssohn's L'Hopgesang. Gosh, such an incredible, talented group of singers. They'll be enhanced by the Columbus Choral Artists, which are community singers. This is a double choir, so 50 singers on stage. Um, but you know, just wanted to. Kind of just mention that because they're, you know, this group is really a gem here in our community and we're excited to work with them.
Purdy: That's from Mozart's Great Mass, for Pro Musica. One more question for Jenna Chen. What are Naked Classics?
Chen: Clothing is not optional. It's a naked classics. We love naked classics, I would highly encourage everyone to come. This is something that we've done now for about a decade. We have a wonderful host who created this, Paul Rissman. David Dansmeyer and Paul knew each other in Scotland when David was the assistant conductor there. Naked classics is, this is how I would describe it. It's like a cooking show. So we take one piece, Let's just say it's Beethoven five. On the first half of the program, Paul and the musicians and David break down the piece. So we talk about the history, what was going on in the composer's life, anything that kind of contributed to this piece becoming what it is. There's some musical elements of like understanding structure, but it's all done in a very fun and entertaining way that's both accessible but also you learn something. So you get all the ingredients of this recipe or this masterpiece that you're gonna hear. We take a break and then on the second half, the orchestra plays a piece in its entirety. And it's so much fun. And that's why we call it Naked Classics because we're kind of stripping down the piece and the enigma of, you know, again, going back to like feeling like. You should come to a concert and know everything. No, that's not the case. We do it at least once a year and the audiences have really grown for that just because I think people, it's come, you know, obviously come as you are relaxing and again, fun, entertaining, but you learn I think something. So we love the piece and love the program and Paul Rissman is a genius and you have to see him in action to really kind of fully understand. What he brings to this. So again, it's a lot of fun.
Purdy: That's part of what pro music is doing when they're not doing concerts and talk backs and out in the summer. So Pro Musica, another gem of the community, now back in the Southern theater for a new season beginning October 17th and 18th. Chad Whittington, so we've talked about the renovation and celebrations of 100 years for the Palace Theater and the Lincoln coming up, the Ohio Theater coming up. Meanwhile, who's filling the theaters because they are being filled. Oh, yeah.
Whittington: Fall's my favorite time of year. I love the weather and I love the fact that people come back to the theaters and it's busy. We've got the Broadway series that's starting off with Death Becomes Her, the first week of October. The symphony started their season last week with Rachmaninoff and Bartok.
Purdy: That pianist was out of this world. Yeah. Eva Gregardian. Yeah, that was a great evening with the symphony.
Whittington: And I don't know if anybody noticed or not, but we did spend some time working with the symphony to repaint the shell over the summer. So it's got a fresh new look to it.
Purdy: And Melvin is smiling and.
Whittington: From heaven I for sure yeah she was a very generous donor to making sure sure that happened it's been a great piece for the symphony for boy 15 years now yeah I think so and the theaters are full I would go to go to Kappa comm to see all the shows but we've already talked about you know ballet met and Pro Musica both starting but Columbus Jazz is starting their season contemporary has jagged little pill over at the studios right now which I haven't I haven't been able to see it yet but I heard it's a fantastic Productions Things are heating up and we'll stay busy all the way through the holidays. What's going on with the projected new
Purdy: to the church.
Whittington: So if you drive down Third Street right now, you'll see a construction fence. And during the week, you'll folks there, they're working on it. So the Sunday school off the back has been demoed and they're now working where the parking lot used to be to prep for new build. So over the next few months, you should see the new build start to go up. So the historic church is not changing. The 1859 building, we're renovating and preserving that. So another great piece of history that we'll own. And yet building some new support space around it. So expect that we will have that open by next fall, about a year and a half from now.
Purdy: Um, is it 30 years that the Southern was renovated? It was 90.
Whittington: So we are approaching 30 years.
Purdy: But what I remember was it was all over the news at the time when when people were going in there because I think the building had always been used for something. I think there were kung-fu movies being shown and there was I think a church on Sundays but there were drop ceilings and asbestos ceilins everywhere and the beauty of it was it really was nowhere but it was like King Tut's tomb apparently when they started ripping things away. I mean they were taking pictures of what was discovered and what had to be restored. That was still there.
Whittington: Yeah, multiple layers of paint trying to figure out, strip all that stuff down and yes, take out all the things to really, people have adopted the theaters for various uses over the years and just slapped things up. So we're always, we always wanna make sure that you have a history lesson when you come in and you can see something similar to what you would have seen it if you were there when it was built. In the case of the Southern, it's older than our other theaters, that's 1895. So Thank you. A lot of work goes into that. It makes the preservation process more expensive, but we think it's worth it in the end. And I think that's the beauty of celebrating all these anniversaries is I talk a lot about, so think about what these theaters have seen from the change and the people that have sat in here over the generations, but it's been through world wars, it's through an epidemic, it's being through civil rights movements, all of these things. And yet we're still in there experiencing joy, being challenged emotionally. Creating memories and experiences with those around us. And so it has this commonality over its entire life at the same time.
Purdy: I remember when the renovations were going on, the great Rosa Stoltz came in. She was a theater historian and part of CAPRA for many years and a great, great lady. But she was talking about what they found out of actually who performed in the Southern Theater, you know, and it turned into the 20th century. Isadora Duncan played there and Rachmaninov played there, and they had all kinds of vaudeville and the silent films and you No. She said also I think there was a live stage presentation of Ben Hur complete with Chariot Races, which I guess people were smaller than I was going to say.
Whittington: I had a small stay at Chess.
Purdy: I don't know, but there was an incredible history we don't think of. We don't exactly think of who performed there and what went on there and was available to people 150 years ago.
Whittington: Which I think is also a testament to the fact that part of what we do is make sure that they stay relevant to current audiences. So again, it's the same, you know, we're trying to connect to people in the same way, but we have to do it in a way that stays relevant. And that's, as we look ahead to the next hundred years, that's really what we're focused on. Columbus is growing, which is exciting. That's good for our business, but it's also diversifying. So how do we make sure we're programming among all the theaters? In a way that is going to reach everyone that's out there in the community. So that's something we talk about a lot. That's hard to do.
Purdy: That's hard to do, isn't it? That's a lot of meetings, that's a lot of thinking, that asking a lot of different people a lot of different questions.
Whittington: It is, it is for sure. And you have to be thoughtful about it and you have to be willing to listen to the community. But that's why I think when we talk about Wrightsville Music Hall, AKA the church and the Idea Foundry, these newer buildings we've gotten into, they're smaller, they're more flexible. So I think some of the newer communities that exist with Columbus, it's a way for us, you know, maybe they can't fill a 2,000 seat house with some sort of programming we want to bring. But if we can start at the Idea foundry or Wrightsille Music Hall it becomes a stepping stone to other things.
Purdy: Other things as well. And let's acknowledge the 75th anniversary of the Columbus Symphony which is now in their 75th Anniversary season. We have another show about to talk about with that but I just I do want to put it out there make sure I'm just as their season begins that they are now 75 years in the business and they are returning to Carnegie Hall. Some of us were there 25 years ago. 25 years we did a big special on the 50th anniversary and their very first conductor George Hardesty was still alive. And we had a wonderful visit an afternoon with him who kept he kept looking at me and saying who the hell are you again so i had to sort of explain it to him but once once he clicked in he was delightful and he and had complete recall of what of how the columbus symphony went into business uh uh now 75 years ago so congratulations to them but never mind that you should write a Nobody would read it. Pro Musica, you are working on your 50th anniversary season, aren't you?
Chen: Coming up in two years, yeah, I think right, right after. How's this next year? Yeah, yeah.
Purdy: Are you 50 years old, Belle? Not you, but Belle met, you know.
Wortmeyer: Yeah, next season is our 50th.
Purdy: No kidding, what do you have planned, anything?
Wortmeyer: A lot of really exciting things.
Purdy: You're not gonna tell me no, are you? No, that's it, okay. All right, you know, there'll be swans and princesses and Maryland and everything else. Let's talk about the academy and the school. Most dance companies, if I'm not mistaken, have a school attached to them. First of all, is that a revenue stream or is that just because you're trying to eventually feed into the company?
Wortmeyer: I mean both, both, absolutely. Yes, there's a revenue stream to it that helps the whole organization but the priority in my opinion is to nurture talent and we have an incredible academy and they do have a lot of opportunities to work directly with the company. So Nutcracker is one of them. This year we have something like 200 students that are going to be involved in our Nutcrackr program which will be at the beautiful Ohio Theater which is Truly spectacular. Also Swan Lake this year, we have... Many, many, many, many of our trainee program, our whole trainee program pretty much is involved in Swan Lake. So I think they get these opportunities, these real opportunities to work in the professional sector to see what the career is like, which is really special and unique to our academy compared to a lot of other academies around America and the world actually. So that's fantastic. And we also do a lot at outreach. We also have our second company, our Ballet Met twos go out into the community and perform at schools and perform in care facilities. No
Purdy: Now, are these younger dads, Bentley, I mean, too, like they're sort of students who've been to Bridge. Okay.
Wortmeyer: The bridge. Okay. Yeah, that's the bridge. That's kind of the entry point towards a professional career They are paid a stipend. Um, and they do work between the main company and also their own work this year I'm very very excited that i've been able to implement a new program for them called sleeping beauty It's called my first sleeping beauty So like the my first nutcracker series, which has been really successful where younger people Can come and create and and experience a much more sensory friendly experience of the ballet. It's a shorter performance it's usually around an hour it's narrated and the lights are a little bit up and things like this so for the really young kids and things it's it's we're okay with them yelling and screaming doing what you know being kids is okay in that situation and so I've started a new program yearly that's the we're premiering it with my first Sleeping Beauty and that's also something I've been working on this week choreographing on the ballet met twos it's a program for the ballet Met twos to do their to do all the roles, where normally they don't get to do lead roles. And it won't be the main company dancers, it will be the ballet matoos doing the lead roles and the trainee program and the academy working as the.
Purdy: You have a theater on your sort of campus, don't you, in back of the... We do, yeah, we just...
Wortmeyer: We do, and we just opened that up for the first time in many, many years for actual performances again. And that was also another program I added to our repertoire, which is called Future Icons. It's a choreographic workshop where we offer choreographers from around the world to apply. We had three incredible choreographers this year, one from Brazil, one for Korea, and one from Japan, actually. And they all came over and they worked directly with our company. And they created three beautiful pieces which were performed in our Black Box Theater, which is our small theater within house. And Eric Figueredo actually won not only the People's Choice Award, but he won a future commission with the company. Very talented young voice.
Purdy: Congratulations to him. I'm gonna make the point, I always like to make the point with performing arts organizations that when you go and you sit in the audience to something that's marvelous what you're seeing is about 30% of what the actual company does because not only are they rehearsing, they're out in the community, they are doing other touring things, they do all of your constituents teach and work in the community and I think people need to understand that. Yes, it's magnificent to sit and hear a performance or see a performance of something, but what goes into that performance and where that performance goes when it leaves the Southern Theater or the Ohio Theater, it often goes all over the state. So people need to really understand that. I mean
Wortmeyer: I mean, you say that, I mean when we talk about our students, we have students that are now principal dancers all over Europe and everywhere so, and they're really representing the organization, the company as well, so I think that, and Columbus really, so, I think it's so.
Purdy: How many are in the main company? How many dancers do you have now?
Wortmeyer: We have 28. Really, no kidding, yeah. 28 in the main company and eight in the second company.
Purdy: So you can fill the stage with everybody. When you put everybody out there, you can really fill the stages.
Wortmeyer: Yeah, I mean, I'd love to keep crying. I'm from companies of 70. So I would, you know, in an ideal world, we would have even more.
Purdy: You walk past Joan Sutherland's portrait. I do, absolutely, yeah you remember that, yeah, yeah. And you have three, who else has three Marilyn Monroe's? Well they also do other rows, they do every other row in the back. You probably have four or five Joe DiMaggio's in the thing and we won't even go into it, never mind. Chad's one of them. Anyway, I want to just make sure in the two minutes left, But C. Janet, I tell you, I'd count on you to be the consultant. That Maryland is running in October at the Davidson Theater the Ballet Met website has all the information I think you're starting on the 16th with a with a is that the scene
Wortmeyer: With the senior dress as a matinee and the evening show will be the premiere.
Purdy: So we'll see one Marilyn at least, that's terrific. And we have November 14th at the Palisade, a huge gala.
Whittington: And a community day tomorrow, actually. So if you wanna come to the Palace Theater, it's not an event, it's just an opportunity. There will actually be some small vignette type performance things, but it's really an opportunity to come look at the building rather than just be there for a performance and see it in all its beauty and see what it looks like from the stage. You're telling me this now at 1156-40- Thank you.
Purdy: Okay tomorrow what time can they come tomorrow? One to five. One to five tomorrow for an open house shall we call it? Yep. At the Palace Theater as they prepare to celebrate the 100th anniversary of that venue and Janet Chen is here as well you have Mozart Mass and Max Richter's music on the same program October 17th and 18th. Identify again the two choruses for us so we make sure that
Chen: Yeah, Capital University Chapel Choir and then enhanced with Columbus Choral Artists. So a group of 50 incredible singers on stage with the orchestra.
Purdy: And enhanced with pro music as musicians at the Southern Theater.
Chen: And four vocal soloists.
Purdy: And vocal soloist and David Donsmeyer, the music director of the orchestra, who also has an orchestra in Oregon. Yes, he's a music director.
Chen: Yes, he's the music director of the Oregon State.
Purdy: So he comes back and forth now and it's always wonderful to have him in town. I thank you all for coming in and for the conversation. I thank you Remy Wirtmeyer, the artistic director of Wirtmaier, of Ballet Met. I thank you Janet Chen, the CEO of Pro Musica, and I thank you Chad Whittington, the C.E.O. of CAPA for literally keeping the lights on all over the community. Thank you very much for that and happy anniversary. Go see the Palace Theater tomorrow from 1 to 5 for free. Look around the building and help celebrate a birthday. I'm Christopher Purdy. Thank you Chris Johnson. Thank you Marcus Charleston. Thank everybody for listening. This is All Sides Weekend on 89.7 NPR News. Buy tickets.