Sevitzky to Indiana

Of midwestern orchestras, none has risen so rapidly or so recently as the Indianapolis Symphony. Until 1930 Indianapolis had no resident orchestra, had to depend on occasional visits from the Cleveland, Cincinnati and Detroit bands. That year an old violin teacher named Ferdinand Schaefer brought together 60 unemployed musicians to form the co-operative Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Before an average house of 400 they played five times, earned less than $5 apiece for each concert. At the end of the season the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce and the Junior League formed the Indianapolis State Symphony Society as sponsors.

Within four years the Indianapolis Symphony was giving additional performances at Muncie, Bloomington and Lafayette. It began to hire soloists, guest conductors. This season it easily met a $25,000 budget. Last week the Indianapolis Symphony announced its most ambitious plans to date. Old Conductor Schaefer will retire. Fabien Sevitzky, conductor of Boston's People's Symphony, will succeed him with a three-year contract, his reward for a sensational guest performance this winter. The orchestra plans 20 home concerts, 15 more on a Statewide tour.

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