Isaac Selya, music director of the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, is shown at a past concert.
Photo provided | Tim Miller
As a youngster, Isaac Selya wondered what lurked in the deep as his imagination went in way over his head.
Under the sea, neither mermaids little or big had anything on the preteen.
“I had kind of a morbid fascination with the things down there (in the ocean),” said Selya. “I think that’s something very primal that a lot of people have.
“And this upcoming music encapsulates that. It tells you that there’s something down there, and it’s huge, and you don’t exactly know what it is.”
The music director of the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic referred to the ensemble’s ocean-themed “Mysteries of the Deep” concert slated to make a creative splash at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Judson Erne Auditorium. The mysteries begin with the foreboding, who-might-be-next theme from the movie “Jaws.”
“If you’re focusing on water on all, you’ve almost got to tangle with that work,” Selya said of John Williams’ Oscar-winning composition. “It’s one of the most famous pieces ever dealing with water.”
Later in the concert comes the theme from the film “Pirates of the Caribbean,” with members of the Philharmonic Youth Orchestra playing side-by-side with the Philharmonic performers. The piece will feature 110 musicians on stage at once.
“It’s a very good piece for youth orchestra because it’s challenging and makes them work, but it’s within the bounds of what’s possible for those seriously developing on an instrument,” Selya said. “… It’s a really important experience for a young musician to have to see how far you go, and it’s also a practical reminder to them that they work to get there (to an orchestra).”
He called youth orchestra leader Vanessa Edwards “absolutely incredible.”
“What we have here in Columbus because of her is absolutely insane,” Selya said, offering a reminder that he has seen youth orchestras worldwide. “It’s off the charts.”
Selya mentioned that, besides sheer entertainment, one motivation for such a concert is to point his conductor’s baton at the need for carefully caring for natural resources such as oceans.
“I like getting the general idea out there about appreciating the ocean,” Selya said. “I think we all know that a lot of our natural resources are not in the same shape that they were some 200, 500 or 1,000 years ago. I think it’s important to remind people … that we have to be stewards of what we currently have.”
Columbus resident Julia Lowe, executive committee chair of the Hoosier Chapter of the Sierra Club, mentioned that members always love to see other organizations highlight environmental and related causes to a range of audiences, including those supporting the arts.
She believes a message of caring for the oceans can resonate effectively, yes, at a classical music concert. And she’s delighted to see the local professional orchestra mix entertainment and education.
“I certainly don’t think that’s too much of a stretch,” Lowe said. “I think these things can be woven together to create a very positive message.”
Selya’s overall message this season with his programming is in part to show the public how music significantly ties in with every aspect of everyday life — and therefore how music is integral to society and humanity and not an extra amenity.
His youthful preoccupation with sharks eventually led Selya to consider the grandeur of waterways and the general awesomeness of those creatures therein.
“Part of me back then was absolutely terrified that they even existed,” Selya said with a laugh.
Today, he’s feeling more goose-bump excitement — that he and his musicians can usher such awe-inspiring mysteries from the very depths all the way to the surface of awareness.
About the concert
Who: The Columbus Indiana Philharmonic performing an ocean-themed concert “Mysteries of the Deep.”
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
Where: Judson Erne Auditorium, 1400 25th St.
Information and tickets: thecip.org.
