By STU CLAMPITT
news@readthereporter.com
Paul Langford is a singer, keyboardist, producer, arranger and – most importantly for Hamilton County – a conductor who will be at the helm for “Holiday Pops!” with Carmel Symphony Orchestra (CSO) this weekend.
Another way to say this would be “Paul Langford, a singer who lost his voice, will be leading a symphony that lost its conductor.”
Langford told The Reporter that while he feels perfectly healthy and is assured by medical professionals that he is not ill, he’s had laryngitis for nearly three weeks. His doctors are reportedly stumped.
“The last time I got sick was probably 15 years ago,” Langford said. “It’s so strange.”
While Langford has a rich set of musical skills, not being able to sing for weeks has been a challenge for him that this writer finds difficult to imagine.
“I had some singing concerts scheduled last week,” Langford said. “At the last minute, I had to hire somebody to come learn my whole show and sing for me. I just played piano, and they stood up and sang for me. It was so strange.”
Langford told The Reporter it was a “maddening” experience.
Photo provided
“I’ve been working on that show for a year with my duo partner and the last minute I was like, ‘We’ve got to hire somebody or cancel or cut half the songs,’” Langford said. “This guy was a real trooper and learned the whole show in three days. It all went great. It was just strange to prepare something for a year and then do half of it.”
This Sunday, Dec. 10, Langford is not doing half of anything – he’s going all in to make CSO proud by bringing his decades of musical experience and countless shows conducting to the Palladium. At 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday he will bring holiday joy to everyone who attends what is sure to be an exceptional performance.
Langford will be joined by Tony-honored singer Ben Davis, former Disney Channel star Amelia Wray, the Indiana Ballet Conservatory, and the Second Presbyterian Choir to perform holiday favorites.
Langford has been preparing for this CSO show for nearly a month, even before he knew he would be conducting this weekend.
“I was writing arrangements for this show,” Langford said. “I found out that the maestro had resigned the position, Janna Hymes. I really like Janna. She and I have a good relationship. I’ve worked with her before, and I’ve been writing arrangements for CSO for a number of years. But when I found out that she resigned, I just sent a quick message to the executive director and said, ‘You know, I found out that Janna resigned and I’m wondering, do you need a maestro for the Christmas shows?’”
According to Langford, stepping into the guest conductor role at CSO was a joy, thanks to the level of talent he will be sharing the stage with.
“Everybody on that stage is a master of their instrument and everybody spent their life becoming great at it,” Langford said. “So even without knowing the people individually, the assumption is with a professional orchestra, it’s a whole stage full of people that are great at what they do. Somebody has to wave the baton, but the talent and the experience is already there.”
There is a fair bit more involved with conducting an orchestra than simply waving the baton, but Langford’s humor and humility were not lost on The Reporter. Still, we did ask him to give our readers a little insight into what it is like to stand at the helm of a group like CSO.
“It’s amazing that it comes together so quickly,” Langford said. “I started studying conducting in 1984. I was 18 years old and now I’m 57 years old. Every nuance of the conducting gesture is supposed to communicate to the singer or the player or the ensemble. Every little movement means something. It’s this unspoken language.”
That language is a little different for each conductor.
“I don’t get up on the podium and explain all my gestures to them,” Langford said. “I just start conducting and they watch and follow. It’s really remarkable. It’s musical sign language. They’re all dealing with the challenges of their instrument all in real time.
Photo provided
Langford said he tries to be clear and easy to follow while instilling confidence and making music. He spoke highly of both the musicians at CSO and the venue they get to perform in.
“I know you might get weary of people saying this, but the Palladium is a spectacular venue,” Langford said. “Carmel is so fortunate to have that space in which the symphony can perform. As a visitor – somebody that’s not there all the time – walking in that room is spectacular.”
You can enjoy that spectacular venue, watch a conductor who has talents ranging across the musical spectrum, and get into the spirit of the holidays with CSO at 3 or 7 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 10. There are still some seating options for tomorrow’s performance available starting at $35. Get your tickets online at this link.