November is National Native American Heritage Month, and Classical Music Indy is always looking to highlight unique projects that impact our music world. This year, we were thrilled to discover the Native American Composers Apprenticeship Project, a part of the Grand Canyon Music Festival. We spoke with Clare Hoffman, Co-Founder and Artistic Director of the festival, about how their program trains Native American students from rural Arizona to compose music.

Indianapolis has a robust local classical music scene, worthy of being treasured as one of our city’s defining assets. And with NOTE, Classical Music Indy aims to tell stories that will delight and surprise avid classical fans, as well as welcome those new to the world of classical music. For this first issue, we chose to feature Women in Music, to celebrate local influencers past and present that have made stunning accomplishments not only with their talent, but also with their leadership in the genre.

In recognition of Native American and Alaska Native heritage month, Classical Music Indy spoke with Steven Alvarez, the Director of Arts & Education at the Alaska Native Heritage Center. Alvarez is a classical percussionist and vocalist. Read below where Alvarez highlights four prominent musicians in the Native community.

Classical music is rich with history of magnificent music, compelling divas, and innovative composers. Not every world premiere was grand, however.  This Month in Classical Music History is a series dedicated to finding stories of the good, the bad, and the downright weird. This month, we’ve dug up moments from history that are often overlooked. Read about a composer’s poisonous encounter with mushrooms, a prominent opera house, and the first stereo!

To help your Valentine’s Day plans, we asked Classical Music Indy’s very own talented radio host, Michael Toulouse, to create a list of music inspired by the Lover’s Holiday. Michael shares what makes each of these pieces particularly inspiring, tragique, and romantic.

As we approach the end of this year, we take time to contemplate the successes of our organization. Classical Music Indy’s President and CEO, Molly Deuberry Craft, writes that 2016 was “a notable year.” Read below to see all that CMI has achieved this year in the name of music. Happy New Year and best wishes for 2017!

We attended and performed for Celebrate Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) at the Eiteljorg Museum with partner Nopal Cultural this past Saturday, October 29. There’s still time to visit Nopal Cultural’s Día de los Muertos Linocut Prints and Altar Exhibition that will be on display and FREE to view through Nov. 2 in the Lilly Auditorium at the Eiteljorg Museum. Read below to learn more about Día de los Muertos and the events that happened this past Saturday. 2017 Update: The event is being held Oct 28 from 11am-5pm, learn more here.

My Music. My Story. is one of Classical Music Indy’s initiatives to feature music, musicians, and music lovers in a fun way. Eduardo Luna an artist, DJ, and community advocate. He is currently working as a Big Car Collaborative staff artist and is a co-founder of Nopal Cultural, a local latino arts organization. Read below for Eduardo’s take on the importance of music, what music means to him, and how music affects community.

Eighth Blackbird is an innovator in modern contemporary classical music, through championing new music and supporting risk-takers in contemporary classical, they are a leader for the future of the genre. Jen Richards is the former Managing Director of …

Classical Music Indy employs a diverse range of musicians for our events around Indianapolis. In 2016 we hired 95 musicians. Classical Music Indy has dedicated our blog articles to outstanding women musicians this month. We’ve shared about great women music educators in America and about under-recognized women musicians throughout history. This week, we take a look at a few of Classical Music Indy’s top performers – women who are doing great work here and now in the city of Indianapolis. Read below about these incredibly talented musicians, and hopefully you’ll hear them at one of our events in the near future!

After besting over 130 applicants for the job as music director of the Carmel Symphony Orchestra (CSO), Maestra Janna Hymes has taken the helm as the CSO’s first female conductor. Her journey to the podium began as a teenager when a music teacher was t …

In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, we had Samantha Stutsman, author for Indianapolis Monthly, speak with composer Jorge Martín, and pianist Eugenio Urrutia Borlando about how their heritage has influenced them both professionally and personally.

My Music. My Story. is one of Classical Music Indy’s new initiatives to feature music, musicians, and music lovers in a fun way. In this excerpt from “I Walked Naked Through My House Today…..and So Should You,” our friends at Speak Your Story spoke with Trish Crowe about how music saved her life.

Get ready to dance! Although an unfamiliar style to some, klezmer is a music that has an undeniable folk sound that is combined with rhythms of dance. This musical style uses instruments to imitate the laughter and/or weeping of the human voice and is most often heard during times of merriment. Read below to learn more, and to listen to some recordings at the end.