Maestro Everly is also principal pops conductor of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra , the Naples Philharmonic and the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa .
A childhood inspiration was the Broadway musical Kismet . arranged , the overture to Mame . He said , ‘ You should conduct this .’ He was so quietly encouraging .
Did you get a stereo for high school graduation ? I had a Fisher receiver and Fisher speakers in high school and took them to college . They were huge . They ’ d pull the whole thing down if you put them on a bookshelf . They were such high quality at that time , it was a really big deal for me . I treasured those speakers and that receiver , and took them to New York when I graduated Indiana University . Avery Fisher , who started that company , was quite the musician and philanthropist . Avery Fisher Hall became the home of the New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Center .
Did you study music at IU ? I majored in piano and set design . When I graduated and moved to New York , I was studying set design with the great Lester Polakov down in Greenwich Village . I was doing both : designing sets for one theater , playing piano for another .
What can you tell people about conducting that they might not know ? The non-verbal communication you have with musicians is very hard to explain . It isn ’ t just what you ’ re hearing , it ’ s also what you are prepping for four bars later . You know it ’ s coming , you are looking at them to make sure they know it ’ s coming .
Orchestra musicians do a different repertoire every week of the year . It ’ s one of the hardest jobs . They are consistently having to think ahead , whether they are playing Shostakovich or Richard Rodgers .
Tell us about the upcoming Celtic Celebration . It was my debut here at the BSO . When I did it in 2003 , I was asked to incorporate the Irish band of then-Mayor Martin O ’ Malley . At the time , I thought , well , okay . I had structured the piece to the n th degree , but somehow I ’ ll try to work in the Mayor . It turned out to be really enjoyable . I was sweating bullets , of course . But everyone loved it . The Celtic Celebration is a blast .
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And you ’ ll also be doing The Doo Wop Project . How did that come about ? About a year ago , we were in New York and went to 54 Below , the night club . They said , it ’ s a guy group called The Doo Wop Project . We were just blown away . It ’ s five guys and some instrumentalists who have taken the genre of doo-wop singing and not only do the classics of that era , but apply the style to other songs . Some are contemporary , like Sam Smith and Adele . We thought they were so good that we talked to their music director , Sonny Paladino , and said , ‘ This would be great in the pops arena .’ So , for the last year , we ’ ve been working with them . They ’ re just incredible performers . And the audience just eats them up — they ’ re so accessible .
Speaking of shape-shifting genres , what do you think of Hamilton ? I enjoyed it very much . I was impressed by the genius of it . It would be foolish of me to go on about any reservations I have about it . Do I wish it could be more lyrical and less talky ? Yes . As human beings , we really do need to sing . We need to sing , not talk in the shower . But it ’ s a brilliant production , brilliant . The original company just blew me away . And to think I was actually interested in the story of Alexander Hamilton . That ’ s the shocker : Who knew ?
The non-verbal communication with musicians is very hard to explain . It isn ’ t just what you ’ re hearing , it ’ s also what you are prepping for four bars later .
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Do you enjoy the time you spend in Baltimore ? I ’ ve always loved it here . I lived in New York City for 25 years , and with my appointment to the Indianapolis Orchestra , I thought I should move back to Indiana . In Baltimore , I don ’ t own up that I live in Indianapolis . There ’ s still that sports team thing . And I ’ m not talking tennis .
Baltimore , for me , really is charm city . There ’ s so much to be loved here . I ’ ve been coming here since I started my career . Hello Dolly and They ’ re Playing Our Song played the Mechanic . I conducted a production of Kismet , the show that changed my life , for the Baltimore Opera .
We just did Hairspray in Concert and I can ’ t tell you how many people said , ‘ You know , I needed to see that right now .’ It takes place in the early ’ 60s , and it presents human issues in an entertaining way . And it always gets you thinking .
January – February 2017 | Overture 11