INDIANAPOLIS—Celebrate the performing arts on Monument Circle, April 26, with a free day of music, dance, food, and community connections! With generous support from the Margot L. Eccles Arts & Culture Fund, a CICF Fund, and KeyBank, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra is partnering with Downtown Indy, Inc. and dozens of arts organizations to bring the Indianapolis community together for this exciting event. ISO Music Director Jun Märkl will conduct the orchestra at 5:30 p.m. inside Hilbert Circle Theatre while a live stream of the concert will be broadcast on a jumbo screen on the south side of Monument Circle. Learn more and see the complete schedule here.
Events will be offered from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on the outdoor stage on Monument Circle. Enjoy performances by Okinawa Yuyukai, Lakay Dance, Suzuki Academy, Ballet Folklorico, Indianapolis Chinese Performing Arts, Dance Squad Performance Academy, and Metropolitan Youth Ballet of Indiana, as well as performances by the Indianapolis Chinese Orchestra, Castlewood Singers, Allison Victoria, Bashiri Asad, and the Indiana Association for Chinese Americans. Sampson Levingston will emcee the outdoor stage.
Inside Hilbert Circle Theatre’s open house from 1 to 3 p.m., families are welcome to take part in arts and crafts, two Teddy Bear Series concerts including The Garden Symphony and The Giant’s Violin, an instrument ‘petting zoo,’ enjoy a performance by the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra Chamber Ensemble, and listen to ISO musicians performing on the main stage. No tickets are required to enter.
All outdoor events and the indoor open house at Hilbert Circle Theatre are free of charge.
Around Monument Circle and inside Hilbert Circle Theatre, dozens of community partners will offer the chance to connect and learn more about how their work elevates the Indianapolis community. Outdoor booths will be set up along the southeast quadrant of Monument Circle. If you get hungry or thirsty as you stroll along, check out the food and beverage options from vendors including free water from the Citizens Energy Group H2O To-Go Trailer, Books, Bourbon & Bacon, Gordon’s Ice Cream, and MJ’s Baking Boutique.
The festival culminates in the 5:30 p.m. livestream of the ISO performing Märkl Conducts Strauss, conducted by Music Director Jun Märkl, broadcast on the large screen on the south side of Monument Circle. The concert features pianist Stewart Goodyear performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23, which is known for its haunting second movement and is often featured in film and television. Let the ISO enchant you with the dreamlike allure of Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun. The concert concludes with A Hero’s Life by Richard Strauss. There will be one 20-minute intermission.
Bring your own chairs, blankets, food, and drink while you relax and watch the performance. Please note that paid tickets are required to attend the concert inside Hilbert Circle Theatre. A limited number of FREE tickets to the evening concert will be available on request at the box office, which opens at 3:30 p.m.
“The ISO is thrilled to invite the whole community to join us on April 26 for this celebration of the arts,” said James M. Johnson, CEO, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. “We are grateful to the Margot L. Eccles Arts & Culture Fund, a CICF Fund, for their generous support that makes this event possible. The ISO also appreciates the support of Downtown Indy, Inc., which is a wonderful community partner.”
“From consistent programming at Hilbert Circle Theatre to live-streamed concerts in partnership with Downtown Indy, Inc., the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra has long been a key contributor to the vibrancy of Monument Circle,” said DII President & CEO Taylor Schaffer.
Outdoor stage:
- 1:45 PM Sukhwinder Singh
- 2:00 PM Ballet Folklorico Mosaicos Indianapolis
- 2:15 PM Allison Victoria
- 2:30 PM Suzuki Academy
- 2:45 PM Indianapolis Chinese Orchestra
- 3:00 PM Metropolitan Youth Ballet of Indiana
- 3:15 PM Castlewood Singers
- 3:30 PM Indianapolis Chinese Performing Arts, Inc.
- 3:45 PM Dance Squad Performance Academy
- 4:00 PM Bashiri Asad
- 4:15 PM Chris Bazz La and Lakay Dance
- 4:30 PM Natyalaya School of Arts
- 4:45 PM Okinawa Yuyukai
- 5:00 PM Indiana Association of Chinese-Americans
- 5:15 PM ISO Brass Ensemble
- 5:30 PM Concert Livestream: Maestro Jun Märkl conducts the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Featuring Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun: Claude Debussy; Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major, K. 488: W. A. Mozart, performed by Stewart Goodyear; and Ein Heldenleben (Hero’s Life): Richard Strauss
Food and beverage vendors:
- Books, Bourbon & Bacon
- Gordon’s Ice Cream
- Citizens Energy Group H2O To-Go Trailer
- MJ’s Baking Boutique
Outdoor Community Partners:
- Afghan American Community Center
- Akor Languages
- ArtMix
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Indiana
- Big Car Collaborative
- Burmese American Community Institute (BACI)
- Dieudonne Foundation
- Grassroots Projects
- Greater Indianapolis Multifaith Alliance
- Helpings of Hope
- Hindu Temple of Central Indiana
- Immigrant Welcome Center
- Indiana Latino Institute
- Indianapolis Children’s Choir
- Indy Fringe
- IndyGo
- Indy Reads
- International Center
- KeyBank
- Koffi Koevi
- Mirror Indy
- Monarca Academy
- Nationalities Council of Indiana
- Oulala
- Patchwork Indy
- Pillars of Haiti: Jhonson Art and Kouzin Zaka
- Suzuki Academy
- Ukrainian Society of Indiana
- Umeed-Hope
Open House from 1-3 p.m. Hilbert Circle Theatre:
- 1–3 p.m. Instrument Petting Zoo and Crafts
- 1 p.m. Teddy Bear Concert: The Garden Symphony
- 1:30 p.m. ISO String Quartet
- 2 p.m. Teddy Bear Concert: The Giant’s Violin
- 2:30 p.m. MYO Chamber Ensemble
