Twenty-five years ago, Dr. Michael Davis stepped onto the podium at an Indianapolis Symphonic Choir rehearsal ready to conduct Brahms’ Requiem. Fresh from completing his doctoral studies, he felt prepared. Then, before giving the first downbeat, he asked the singers a question: How many of you have performed this piece before?
Hands went up across the room.
“I remember thinking, ‘What am I doing here? What can I possibly contribute?’” Davis recalled. “Some of these people had been singing Brahms’ Requiem longer than I’d been alive, or at least longer than I’d been studying. We’ve always had longevity in the Choir, and they have spent their lives with these pieces. They were the guardians of this music, and I was the guest. In many ways, it still feels that way.”
That moment began a relationship that would span 25 seasons and reshape Davis’ understanding of what it means to make music.
More Than Music
Davis joined ISC because of the music. Twenty-five years later, he talks just as readily about the people.
He has watched singers build friendships, navigate difficult seasons of life, and continue singing through it all. He has worked alongside artists and communities he may never have encountered without the Choir.
“You never quite know what’s going to happen,” Davis said. “You have a room full of incredibly talented, intelligent people, and everyone expects something great to happen. It always does. You just don’t know exactly when or how it will come together.”
Those moments have accumulated across decades and left lasting impressions.
“If I could go back and talk to myself on that first day, I’d say, ‘It’s going to be every bit as difficult as you think, but it’s going to be more worthwhile than you can imagine,’” Davis reflected. “What you don’t expect are 25 years of relationships and laughter. People that are no longer with us, people that you see every week, people whose health declines and still they spend their last days and weeks performing with us because it just means that much.”
A Limitless Love for Music
The relationships Davis built through ISC also expanded his musical world. He remembers the Choir’s gospel celebration concerts and collaborations with Indianapolis musicians including Tim Bratton, Rodnie Bryant, and Lamar Campbell. Those programs connected him with artists, churches, and a broader musical community throughout the city.
“That’s one of the great gifts of this work,” Davis smiled. “ISC introduced me to an entire community of people through our programming. I loved the music, but without the Choir, I may never have had the opportunity to build those friendships.”
That openness to different musical traditions has become central to Davis’ approach.
His formal training lies in choral and classical music, but his musical interests have never stopped there. Other traditions have reinforced a belief that has guided much of his career: genres may give us useful language for talking about music, but they do not determine its value.
“There is something to learn everywhere,” Davis said. “Whether it’s bluegrass, jazz, classical or choral music, the music speaks for itself. Those different musical worlds overlap much more than we sometimes acknowledge.”
Why Mood Indigo — and Why Now
That philosophy makes Mood Indigo a fitting celebration of Davis’ 25th season with the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir.
The ISC first introduced the concert nearly two decades ago, and Davis has long played a significant role in shaping it. The program sits naturally at the intersection of the musical traditions that have influenced him throughout his career. It also offers audiences a different way to experience the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir.
“Mood Indigo can be an entry point for someone who may not be ready to walk into a concert hall for two and a half hours of music written hundreds of years ago,” Davis said. “You can come spend 90 minutes with music that feels accessible and familiar and experience what this Choir can do.”
On Saturday, October 10, audiences will have two opportunities to experience Mood Indigo at the historic Walker Theatre, with free performances at 2:30 and 6:00 p.m. Special guest artists Frank Vignola and Vinny Raniolo will help set the tone for the evening, bringing authentic New York-style jazz to Indiana Ave. The celebration continues that evening with the Jazz Soirée – Mood Indigo After Party at the Kurt Vonnegut Museum.
For Davis, however, the milestone ultimately comes back to the feeling that has kept him returning to the Choir for a quarter century. Asked to describe those 25 seasons in three words, he chose an appropriately musical refrain:
“‘Oh my goodness.’ Twenty-five years comes with peaks and valleys, bright places and difficult places, and everything in between. But then you walk into the room, the music starts, you hear that sound, and you think, ‘Oh my goodness.’ That’s why we keep showing up.”
Celebrate Dr. Michael Davis’ 25th season with the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir at Mood Indigo on October 10. Join us at 2:30 or 6:00 p.m. at the Walker Theatre, then continue the celebration at the Jazz Soirée.
Find tickets and more information at indychoir.org/performances.
