the FORT WAYNE PHILHARMONIC presents
friday
JULY 8, 8PM
IPFW AUER PERFORMANCE HALL

MEET THE ARTISTS

Fortissimo will include sets of music by The Phil, Clem Snide, Metavari and The Orange Opera, each performing separately and together. Working directly with songwriters and musicians from each of the bands, The Phil's associate conductor Bradley Thachuk has scored original, symphonic accompaniment for each artist's songs. Portions of Fortissimo will feature cinematic video installations by Metavari, as well as artwork by One Lucky Guitar, Inc.


FORT WAYNE PHILHARMONIC (Fort Wayne, IN)

Now performing its 67th season, The Fort Wayne Philharmonic is a member of the League of American Orchestras and a funded member of Arts United of Greater Fort Wayne, the Indiana Arts Commission and National Endowment for the Arts. Under the Music Direction of Andrew Constantine, The Phil is comprised of 42 full time musicians and 20 additional per service musicians. The Phil plays over 200 concerts per season, including the Masterworks series, Pops series, Signature series, Family series and many regional and educational concerts. For additional information, log on to our website at www.fwphil.org.


CLEM SNIDE (Nashville, TN)

Eef Barzelay of critically acclaimed, Nashville TN-based indie alt-country band Clem Snide will headline Fortissimo.

Clem Snide and the band’s frontman Eef Barzelay have performed three times in Fort Wayne since August, 2008, with sold out performances that have each been nominated for Whatzup Whammy awards for Best National Concert. Clem Snide frequently tours with Ben Folds, who played a memorable show with The Phil in 2008.

Allmusic.com describes Clem Snide’s sound as “conjuring a sweet and lusciously melancholy sound that merges the tunefulness of vintage pop, the late-night vibe of cool jazz, the lonesome spirit of classic country and the delicate touch of folk.” The Onion AV Club says it’s a “distinctive mood of mournful positivism.”

In addition to releasing seven critically acclaimed records with Clem Snide, Barzelay composed the score and soundtrack to 2007 Sundance Award Winner Rocket Science. Barzelay’s first foray into the film and TV world came when his Clem Snide song “Moment in the Sun” was used as the theme song for the NBC dramedy Ed.


METAVARI (Fort Wayne, IN)

Metavari are an instrumental rock-quartet from Indiana. They formed in the Winter of 2006 and are currently composed of members, Nate Utesch, Andrew McComas, Ty Brinneman and Kyle Steury. The contrast of digital elements along side organic rock arrangements and vintage equipment create the multi-layered compositions that have given the act national attention. Visualizations and archived footage are edited along side each arrangement and videos are projected live. Metavari have shared the stage with many notable acts in their genre such as Unwed Sailor, Maserati, Yndi Halda, Caspian and Early Day Miners, and toured briefly with Lymbyc Systym, This Will Destroy You and El Ten Eleven.

via Crossroads of America Records: “It’s hard not to feel smarter after you’ve listened to Metavari. It’s also hard to pinpoint what exactly it is that Metavari does to assign so much meaning and sincerity to instrumental music, always getting their point across without uttering a single word. Their groovy, laid-back hooks combined with thoroughly processed and synthesized patterns of thought and purpose give us hope for the future, and reminds us that technology is best used as a tool for human expression.”


THE ORANGE OPERA (Fort Wayne, IN)

The Orange Opera channels a classic vibe, enriched with some stellar signposts of early ‘70s rock, driven by the uncanny songcraft of Kevin Hambrick (guitar, piano, lead vocal) and propelled by bassist Bryan Brubaker, guitarist Zach Smith and drummer Kevin Hockaday. This combo melds modern energy with vintage vibe to produce the kind of distinctive, catchy, smart and infectious sound that you recognize immediately: it simply belongs in your ears. Imagine bits of Beatles and Badfinger melodic magic mingling with ELO and Wilco, and you’ve barely scratched the surface. The Orange Opera is one of those essential bands that you hear once and realize that, yeah, maybe there’s hope for pop music after all.

The band has played outstanding shows with Dr. Dog, The Teeth, The High Strung, Floating Action, The Peekers, Pepi Ginsberg and completed several tours ranging from NYC to Austin TX. In 2007, The Orange Opera were awarded 1st place in Whatzup Magazine’s highly competitive 2007 Battle of the Bands, and in 2008 they appeared on a Daytrotter session. The band’s most recent album, Year of the Beard, was mastered in Nashville, TN by former Wilco drummer, Ken Coomer.