Everly routinely covers the popular waterfront when it comes to repertoire, anything from vintage operetta to the current cirque craze (sure enough, "Cirque de la Symphonie" is slated for next season).
"The challenge is to strike a balance and, hopefully, stay one step ahead of your audience," the conductor says. "I've felt the cold shoulder sometimes because of what I programmed. When that happens, I criticize myself, and wonder if it was how I approached it. It's up to me to create a situation where they will buy it."
Everly sometimes creates that situation in extra-musical ways.
"Jack cares about the entire experience," says BSO vice president and general manager Kendra Whitlock Ingram, "The Vegas show was a really good example of it, with the fake casino and showgirls walking around in the lobby. At the sci-fi show we did earlier, he had laser lights moving in the hall. Jack wants people to have a great time from the moment they walk in."
Ingram, who has worked for other orchestras with pops series, sees another unusual quality in Everly.
"I've seen pops concerts where there's a guest star singing and the orchestra is just playing whole notes. Jack won't ever let that happen," she says. "His charts [the music on the players' stands] are incredible, whether he does the arrangements or not. Jack likes to showcase the orchestra as the star."
BSO musicians appreciate that attention.
"The people on that stage are racehorses who want to run," says Hampton Childress, associate principal bass. "They want to feel challenged, and Jack is a very challenging guy, very meticulous in rehearsal. And he's one of the few pops conductors who is expressive in his work. That's what we thrive on. I find that most pops conductors are personalities first and musicians second. Jack has both of those assets in spades. When we play a concert with him, everyone walks out feeling good."
Traditionally, pops crowds skew just as old as classical ones, an issue Everly tries to address. A show that will soon be given in Indianapolis, and next season in Baltimore, focuses on the music of Billy Joel (sung by Michael Cavanaugh). "That means a sudden lowering of the normal age bracket," says Everly, who notes that the Indianapolis performances quickly sold out. "You will change the demographic of the hall depending on what you perform."
Next season's lineup includes a salute to the disco-crazed '70s, including music by the Bee Gees, ABBA - "and a touch of the Village People," Everly says. "How could we leave out that? The musicians have already asked me if they can dress for it, like they did when we had our '50s show. I'm going to take them up on that."
tim.smith@baltsun.com
