Katie Swaney, a 2016 Center Grove High School graduate, will perform in “A Sondheim Celebration” with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, which will staged on Friday and Saturday at Hilbert Circle Theater in downtown Indianapolis.
SUBMITTED PHOTO | CORINNE LOUIE PHOTOGRAPHY
The music of Stephen Sondheim is woven through with magic.
His contributions to Broadway and musical theater are legend — from “Company” to “Sweeney Todd,” “Into the Woods” to “Sunday in the Park with George.” He won dozens of awards and has composed the soundtracks to countless people’s lives.
All of those elements make performing his music an honor, said Katie Swaney, a singer and Center Grove High School graduate.
“Stephen Sondheim composes some of the trickiest music in the musical theater canon — from an orchestral standpoint, from a vocalist standpoint,” Swaney said. “It’s definitely tricky music, but I love it. He’s very good with lyrics, very smart with the music he puts together. It’s been an exciting process.”
Swaney joins a talented group of performers, as well as the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, to pay homage to the master composer. “A Sondheim Celebration,” which will staged on Friday and Saturday at Hilbert Circle Theater in downtown Indianapolis, explores his collection of music spanning his impressive career.
Guest singers with extensive experience in the world of Broadway have been chosen to take on some of Sondheim’s best known songs.
To be included with such a gifted group — while celebrating a sublime composer — has been a thrilling opportunity, Swaney said.
“To be able to sing with these incredible Broadway stars they’ve bringing in, and the absolutely phenomenal musicians in the orchestra, and the choir they bring in, it’s one of the most magical experiences I’ve ever had as a performer,” she said. “I’m very honored to be asked to be part of it, and I’m honored they trust me to be part of it.”
Swaney, a 2016 Center Grove graduate, discovered her passion for musical theater while a student. During her time at Center Grove, she was active in theater and performing arts — though it took some encouraging from Kathleen Kersey, who was Swaney’s theater director at the school.
“I always grew up with such a love of music, and didn’t quite realize how important it was to me until I was in high school,” she said. “I knew I loved to sing and dance and act, but I couldn’t figure out the best way to harness all of those things. (Kersey) asked me one day, ‘So, have you ever thought about musical theater?’ And I never had, but it ended up being the perfect fit.”
Swaney earned her bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Indiana University in 2020, being cast in shows such as “Wonderful Town,” “City of Angels” and “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” Outside of school, Swaney has been cast with companies such as Bigfork Summer Playhouse and Arizona Broadway Theatre in shows including “Chicago” and “Newsies.”
Her experiences led her to the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and its signature yearly event, the AES Indiana Yuletide Celebration. During her time at Center Grove, she had worked with accompanist and musical director Greg Sanders, who is a vocal director for the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and active throughout the Yuletide preparations.
Sanders invited to take part in the performance, and in 2021, Swaney was part of the show.
“From there, maestro Jack Everly and I really formed a strong connection. He’s been so kind to me and supported me so much and believed in me so much, they’ve given me a lot of opportunities from that,” she said.
The connections she made with the symphony orchestra have only strengthened over time. She had done multiple concerts with the symphony orchestra.
In early January, they reached out to see if Swaney wanted to be part of a Sondheim tribute.
“Stephen Sondheim is probably my favorite musical theater composer of all time, so I jumped at the opportunity, of course,” she said. “I’m so thankful they’ve given me the opportunities to perform and to do what I love to do.”
To prepare, Swaney has put in hours and hours of work at her piano since receiving the music in March, perfecting the complicated compositions on her own.
Earlier this week, the entire cast gathered in Indianapolis to rehearse together and with the symphony orchestra before the show opens.
“It’s been a lot of hours learning the tunes, fine-tuning everything, working on the details, summarizing the lyrics,” Swaney said. “It’s a lot of individual practice before we all came together.”
The entire process has been a surreal and exciting one, Swaney said. And she can’t help think of how her career as an adult has connected to her childhood in central Indiana.
“I grew up listening to the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, and I can’t believe I’m on the stage where I used to watch my favorite performers,” she said. “From that perspective, it’s kind of full circle. I’m so grateful they’ve kept asking me to come back. I’m so grateful for that.”
IF YOU GO
”A Sondheim Celebration”
What: A performance by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and guests, including Center Grove graduate Katie Swaney, honoring Stephen Sondheim by exploring his collection of music from “Sunday in the Park with George,” “Sweeney Todd,” “Into the Woods,” “Company” and more.
When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Where: Hilbert Circle Theatre, 45 Monument Circle, Indianapolis
Tickets and information: Go to www.indianapolissymphony.org/event/a-sondheim-tribute
