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Conductor Isaac Selya will lead the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic Saturday.
Before conductor Isaac Selya picks up his baton to open the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic season, he’ll pick up his video game controller.
The 37-year-old Cincinnati resident will enjoy a bit of the adventure and a lot of the music of Nintendo’s “The Legend of Zelda,” a favorite game for his unwinding time. The theme from the game that sometimes features swordplay will form the centerpiece of “Swordcraft,” his debut program Saturday at the local Judson Erne Auditorium.
“To tell the truth, it’s an experiment,” Selya, said, speaking by phone from his Cincinnati home that he shares with his cats that he often includes on his humorous Facebook posts. “And you have to be willing to do some experimentation.
“So, I’m hoping that this opening program will cut two ways. First, I hope there are people — and they may skew a bit younger and include those in their 30s, 40s or even 50s — who might say to themselves “I don’t ordinarily go the symphony, but I’d like to hear the music of ‘Zelda’ live.
“And I hope that concert cuts another way, with, for instance, people who may have gone to the symphony their whole life who show up because they want to hear the (Richard) Wagner piece (of The Valkyrie) at the end.”
Adding to the concert theme is “Overture to The Anonymous Lover” by champion fencer and composer Chevalier de Saint-George. Also on the bill is Howard Shore’s score from J.R.R. Tolkien’s literary series “Lord of the Rings,” which also could attract a newer, younger audience that organizers expect to total about 700 people.
Selya, hired only in late May after a season of tryouts with seven different candidates to replace longtime artistic director David Bowden, assembled compositions at lightning speed for the seven concerts of the season, titled “Feel Every Note” by mid-June so promotional and marketing efforts could begin pronto. Concert themes range from the swashbuckling opener to mental health to other focuses such as music and architecture.
Does this sound like a new community leader with his finger reaching for the pulse of the city?
“There definitely will be a lot of collaboration,” he said, referring to everyone from mental health providers to the leaders of Exhibit Columbus.
And plenty of energy and exuberance from Selya. Donnie Robinette, the Philharmonic’s executive director known by many for his own indefatigable ways, can tell you.
“He nearly wears me out when he comes to town,” Robinette said with a laugh.
Robinette, who quickly bonded with the maestro months ago over their shared love of Zelda, already has taken note of how Selya’s team of musicians have reacted to the music director’s tastes for tunes.
“Oh, they love it,” Robinette said. “They’re super excited that it’s just a little different than what’s been in the past.”
But the band leader acknowledged that his pre-concert work the past couple of weeks would look rather bland to an observer.
“A lot of my personal musical preparation at this point is not very exciting,” he said, referring to poring over the overall sheet music for the program. “A lot of it is just making sure that all the jots and tittles on there agree.”
His labor of love leading his new group will include another matter of the heart: Girlfriend and violinist Pin-Hsuan Chen has been selected as associate concertmaster after blind auditions. Selya took a moment to repeatedly emphasize the blind audition part. Also, a few of his Cincinnati music mates have joined the local orchestra to fill vacated chairs.
He believes that audience members with especially perceptive ears may notice a slight difference “in the orchestra’s style” that he called “a kind of Brahms tonal palette” through Bowden’s years. His sound will be a change.
“My specialty,” he said, “is a little more Mozart.”
About the concert
Who: Music director Isaac Selya leading the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic in his debut role
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Judson Erne Auditorium, 1400 25th St. in Columbus
Information and tickets: thecip.org
