The Carmel Symphony Orchestra (CSO) invites you to celebrate the longest day of the year on June 21 at 8:30 p.m. as the orchestra launches its first-ever Summer Concert Series at Coxhall Gardens, located on the northwest side of Carmel.
Get ready to spend an evening under the stars as you enjoy pre-concert performances by Central Indiana Dance Academy, Dhol Indian Drumming, Indiana Ballet Conservatory, and Kathak (North Indiana) Dance Academy starting at 5 p.m. Stay to hear the CSO perform solar-related favorites as the sun goes down and reveals a full Strawberry Moon against the dark evening sky from 8:30 to 9:45 p.m.
Led by Principal Guest Conductor Joel Smirnoff, the CSO will be joined by soloists Asako Tamura, former CSO Concerto Competition Winner Cooper Olsen, and Carmel Jazz Festival Artistic Director Blair Clark. The trio of artists will perform works by Mendelssohn, Puccini, Barber, Gershwin, Vivaldi, and Carmichael, as well as an original arrangement of Japanese folk songs by Conductor Joel Smirnoff. The evening will end with special guest Blair Clark performing Stevie Wonder’s “You Are the Sunshine of My Life.”
About the Soloists
Tamura
Asako Tamura
In 2002, Tamura launched her international career as the female soloist in the Three Tenors Concert with Pavarotti, Domingo, and Carreras at the Arena of Yokohama during the World Cup Championships. Since then, she has made numerous appearances with various operas and orchestras around the world, including the Summer Opera Festival at the Foro Romano, the Teatro Filarmonico in Verona, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, L.A. Asian American Philharmonic Orchestra, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, and Tokyo City Orchestra, among others.
Click here to hear Tamura sing in Lucia di Lammermoor with Ramón Vargas.
Olsen
Cooper Olsen
Former winner of the Carmel Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition, Olsen studies violin with Professor Mimi Zweig in the String Academy at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and has won numerous solo awards, including: first prize winner of the Michael Ben & Illene Komisarow Maurer Young Musicians Competition with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra in 2022, as well as awards from the Tri-State Rising Artist Violin Competition at Northern Kentucky University, the Bloomington Symphony Competition, and the Rising Star Young Artist Concerto Competition at Southeast Missouri State University.
Click here to hear Olsen perform at the 2021 Chicago Violin Competition.
About Maestro Joel Smirnoff
Smirnoff
Highly acclaimed conductor Joel Smirnoff has led orchestras across the United States, Europe, and Asia. Past President of the Cleveland Institute of Music, violinist with the Juilliard String Quartet and Current Faculty member and past Chair of the Violin Department at Julliard, Mr. Smirnoff is the Artistic Advisor of the Carmel Symphony Orchestra and a Carmel resident.
Maestro Smirnoff has handpicked the repertoire and guest artists for this concert, personally arranging the Japanese folk song which Asako Tamura will be performing. Come prepared – he may make a surprise performance himself on violin towards the close of the evening.
Click here to learn more about Maestro Smirnoff through his 2022 interview.
Corporate Partners
During the evening, enjoy historic cars on display at the Gardens sponsored by Artomobilia. Get a preview of what to expect from the Artomobilia event scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 7 in the Carmel Arts and Design District.
Bring your dinner or visit food trucks and drink vendors, including Bier Brewery and Sugar Creek Winery.
This concert is presented in partnership with the Hamilton County Parks and Recreation Department.
Lawn seating and youth pricing are available to meet everyone’s budget. VIP seating provides the best view of the concert. VIP tickets also include access to the air conditioned Coxhall Mansion and the CSO’s inside VIP Patron Bar and amenities. Table purchases provide you with front-row seats and help underwrite the cost of CSO’s education programs.
Tickets are available on Eventbrite.
Coxhall Gardens is located at 1677 Towne Road, Carmel. In the event of rain, the 8:30 p.m. CSO performance will move to Clay Middle School, 5150 126th St., Carmel.
About the Carmel Symphony Orchestra
The Carmel Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is a Resident Company of the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel. The 70-member orchestra of professional musicians performs at the Palladium, a 1,600-seat concert hall at the Center. Founded in 1975, the CSO performs concerts featuring an eclectic repertoire of some of the world’s greatest symphonic music. The CSO is committed to enhancing the community’s quality of life through creative, artistically excellent performances and educational experiences for diverse audiences of all ages. Visit CarmelSymphony.org or follow along on Facebook to learn more. You can call the CSO at (317) 844-9717.