ing is not only his songs over the years, but also his piano concerto. It’s for full symphony orchestra and it’s its own style — it’s not really jazz. It’s really cool. I’m thrilled to play with him.
left Ben Folds | Photo Allan Amato / provided above Alexander Mickelthwate will take over as OKC Phil’s full-time music director at the end of its current season. | Photo provided
Symphony Orchestra in 2014. The piece is featured on his 2015 album So There, a collaborative release with the New York-based chamber sextet ensemble yMusic. So There was Billboard’s No. 1-selling classical album for several weeks after its initial release. There are a number of other projects keeping Folds busy outside orchestral work. He is currently wrapping up years of off-and-on writing on a to-bepublished memoir. Last month, Folds announced a co-headlining tour with the eclectic alternative rock band Cake, set to begin its national jaunt in August. Oklahoma Gazette recently caught up with OKC Phil’s incoming musical lead Mickelthwate ahead of his biggest concert in the city yet. Mickelthwate, who is moving to Oklahoma from his role as music director of Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, hopes this concert is just one of many ways OKC Phil will overlap with popular culture under his watch.
It helps us put out a new face to the community, to be Beethoven but also 21st century. Alexander Mickelthwate Oklahoma Gazette: When did you hear that Ben Folds would be performing with OKC Phil and that you would get a chance to conduct the show? Alexander Mickelthwate: I heard in maybe autumn that they were adding another concert. The whole season was already booked, and then this one special came up with Ben. It was great, and I’m very excited for it. It is a great honor to work with him. OKG: Are you a fan of Folds? Mickelthwate: Well, now I am. I’m very classical, but I really love his music. One thing I really find interest-
OKG: What does a show like this do for OKC Phil and the kind of crowd it can attract to see the orchestra? Mickelthwate: Well, I’ve done this a lot now with really creative artists working with symphonies. I love it — I think it opens up the classical world to a whole bunch of new audiences. It’s very exciting to connect with a crowd that is younger, but also not younger. I mean, a lot of people love him. It’s a really cool thing to have an artist like Ben come in to work with the orchestra. It helps us put out a new face to the community, to be Beethoven but also 21st century.
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OKG: Do you see other ways that classical and orchestral music have intertwined or connected with pop culture? Are there other areas where those two worlds are colliding? Mickelthwate: Yeah, lots of them. For me, there’s been lots of crossover in the last 10-12 years. I actually hear orchestras performing music from video games and music from different films and with live accompaniment by film. But also performing with, like, really cool indie bands. The live orchestra sound enhances the experience. It’s really cool, and it’s really changed in the last 10 years where the orchestra has more front in those crossover genres and creates these really cool experiences — something that one might not realize. In film, you have John Williams, but you also have orchestral soundtracks in all sorts of amazing indie films. It changes the way one feels about the film. It’s awesome. OKG: Are you excited to take over at OKC Phil full-time next year? Mickelthwate: Oh yeah; it’s really cool. It’s amazing to have Joel [Levine] here for like 30 years. He’s like this institution almost. We get along really well, and it’s great to have someone like that to talk to here in Oklahoma. OKG: Hopefully you’ll build your own epic legacy here. Mickelthwate: Hopefully. It’s a great place to move to right now. There’s so much happening here. It’s a young place. People are moving back, it seems. Something is happening.
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Ben Folds w/ OKC Phil 7:30-10 p.m. Tuesday Civic Center Music Hall 201 N. Walker Ave. okcphil.org | 405-842-5387 $29-$283
Tickets and Info TOWERTHEATREOKC.COM @towertheaterokc 405-70-TOWER | 425 NW 23rd St. OKC O kg a z e t t e . c o m | a p r i l 2 5 , 2 0 1 8
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