Aiken Symphony Orchestra season continues with Indigo Girls concert
Sep. 18—The Aiken Symphony Orchestra partnered with the Indigo Girls for their second event of the 2022-23 season Friday evening.
The concert began shortly after 7:30 p.m. at the Etherredge Center on the campus of USC Aiken.
The Indigo Girls are a folk rock duo from the Atlanta area. From 1987 until 2020, they have released around 15 albums including "Shaming of the Sun" in 1997 (reached No. 7 on the Billboard 200) and "Swamp Ophelia" (reached No. 9). The duo is also known for being active politically and for identifying themselves as lesbians.
Ann Rundorff was attending the concert with her daughter, Adrienne Knowles.
She said she had known about the Indigo Girls for a long time but had never seen them live. Rundorff added she goes to the symphony when she can. She said she was glad the symphony was back.
"It's wonderful they're here again," Rundoff said. "We're delighted to be here."
Florida resident Theresa Guerriero was wearing an Indigo Girls shirt to the concert.
She said she was a huge fan. Guerriero said she saw the group open for Neil Young in 1989 and has been following them ever since.
Guerriero said the group's lyrics are incredible and give her goosebumps no matter how many times she hears the songs.
North Carolina resident Victoria Bartelson was also wearing an Indigo Girls shirt.
She said she was a really big fan of the group. Bartelson said she was introduced to the group by her best friend in the 1980s. She said the first song she heard was "Galileo."
Aiken native Ann-Ray Crocker was also sporting Indigo Girls gear and bringing her mother, Trina Crocker, to her first Indigo Girls concert.
She said she first heard about the group in the late 1980s or early 1990s. Crocker said she attended her first concert then but hadn't gone in several years when she joined a couple of Facebook groups for the Indigo Girls about five years ago.
Crocker said it was awesome to be able to bring her mother to the concert.
"My mom has never seen them and really doesn't know what they're about and what they meant to me as a person who came out as lesbian in college," Crocker said. "They're like the backstory of my life. They're my soundtrack."
The 2022-23 Aiken Symphony Orchestra season has been titled, "Feel Every Note." The performance schedule is divided into three segments: the masterworks series, the chamber series and the pops series.
The masterworks series began with Pictures at an Exhibition featuring soloist pianist Nathan Lee and the works of Rossini, Gershwin and Mussorgsky/Ravel on Sept. 10.
The next concert is Mendelssohn's Scottish on Oct. 15. The concert will feature soloist violinist SooBeen Lee and the works of Mendelssohn and Saint-Saens.
There are also masterworks concerts on Feb. 12 and April 22.
The chamber series will begin on Nov. 29 with a performance of Handel's Messiah at Saint Mary Help of Christians Church located at 138 Fairfield St. S.E. and will also feature a Winter in Vienna performance on Jan. 15 at the Amentum Center for the Performing Arts located at 126 Newberry St.
The pops series will begin on Dec. 11 with Home for the Holidays, a performance that also features the Aiken Civic Ballet. The series and the season will conclude with a concert on May 14.
With the exceptions of the chamber series concerts, all concerts are held at the Etherredge Center at USC Aiken. The concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. and doors to the theater open at 7 p.m.
For more information or for tickets, visit aikensymphonyorchestra.com.
