1234.

Get my shoes in.

Out the door.

Five.

I'm lost.

Six.

Seven.

Eight.

Feels great.

I'm gonna shine.

After I do what I'm gonna do.

I do it again.

Yeah.

Look at the sky with the beautiful color.

But never just for me.

You gotta share it with another.

I got to show, to give.

Let I want singing show.

Take a look and say a beautiful morning that turns into a beautiful evening.

And together make beautiful art.

And if you wanna see that, come along with me.

That's right.

Welcome to Experience Michiana.

I'm the show's producer, Kelsey Zimmer.

Thank you so much for being with us.

As we get out and explore the winter wonderlands of the Michiana area.

We're going to be over at Wellfield to find out.

How many lights do they have in the gardens this year?

We're also going to be at the Midwest Museum of American Art to find out about a retirement that's happening real soon.

But first, we're headed to the South Bend Symphony Orchestra to find out about the home for the holidays concert that's happening this weekend.

I'm here at the South Bend Symphony Orchestra's office in downtown South Bend as we get ready for their big Home for the holidays concert that is happening.

The performance happening this weekend.

And I'm here with Alistair.

Alistair, tell me about your role in the symphony.

Great to be here with you.

I am the music director of the South Bend Symphony Orchestra and couldn't be more thrilled for our holiday concerts this weekend.

And so I did get to see you once conducting.

And I didn't realize, you know, you're from Surrey.

Not to be confused with.

Sorry, but Surrey, which is south of London.

It is, and I'm obviously from Dublin.

We both live over here.

How did you end up in this area?

I know I get asked that question about 50 times a week, so I'm wondering how you did.

I wonder what your answer.

If your answer is the same as I always say witness protection, I actually just that's not my answer then.

No, no, no.

There there's a fantastic orchestra here.

And they had an opening.

I applied for the job and won the job.

And that's why I'm here.

And I love living here.

The orchestra is fantastic.

And, concerts this weekend, two of our most popular concerts all season.

Perfect for the holiday.

Time.

If nothing says holiday like music, does it?

There was a time, a couple of years ago that I got to come along where it was a night of tango, which totally different show.

But it was my first time experiencing, the symphony.

Because sometimes I feel like the symphony, some people are very much like.

Yes, that's definitely for me.

And some people, maybe if they grew up like me, you know, I grew up, you know, a little bit lower class, like more common I did, you know, the symphony was never exposed to me.

So I went along to this with my mom when she was over to visit.

And honestly, I was blown away.

I was like, this is fantastic.

So it doesn't feel like it's always for everyone, but it really is, right?

Yeah, music absolutely is for everyone.

And we, we do our best to make our, concerts and our performances accessible to our entire community.

We do that with programs in the community, not just at the Maurice or DeBartolo Notre Dame.

And we have a full season long of, of concerts that we reach out and we bring people together for music.

It's, it's a wonderful thing.

Music does bring us together, especially this time of year.

Yeah.

And it's just it's really great, especially with Christmas.

It's just where you go to encourage people.

Again, that may not, may not be on their bucket list to go.

What would you say to them just to encourage them that it is for them as well.

And it's concerts are just a wonderful opportunity for great creativity.

And if you if you like music in any sense, any, any shape or form or think that you don't become and you will, music is just part of our DNA.

How we live every single day.

It's everywhere.

Music is everywhere.

Even in the gym that I worked out the other day, I heard the entire Christmas program about the conductor as I was doing my run in my workout.

But the difference is that was canned music.

This was, coming over the loudspeakers to hear a real orchestra, to admire their virtuosity, to to hear and be with, with a group of people, an audience, to have your heart all synchronized together.

And and folks and singing along all together.

We've got some sing along, songs that I said there's nothing like.

Like being in the room.

Like experiencing live this music, this, this feeling.

Yeah.

Which is so powerful this time of year.

The energy, the shared energy is off the charts when you're, you know.

Absolutely.

I always felt that with Irish traditional music, I'm not sure if you're familiar with the diva, but when I listen to it on the radio and make my ears want to bleed, like, you know, and then but when you're in a pub or you're in a live venue and you just feel the energy of the musicians playing together, there's just something very magical about that.

You mentioned about some singalong songs.

What else can people expect from the show?

Well, we have of course, the center of the show is, is are the, the virtuosic, brilliant, dedicated, fantastic, amazing musicians of the South Bend Symphony Orchestra who come from all over.

Some live in town, some come away as far as Chicago and beyond.

We have this year a choir, the Michigan Festival Chorus, which has been directed by, Juan Carlos Alarcon and prepared.

I have a rehearsal with them tonight to get them already.

And there's really when you put holiday music, together, voices and singing are so important.

So not only will we sing for you, you will sing with us.

If you come with us.

We also have, we might have a a visit from Santa as to the expected.

We've got always got some surprises, which I can't tell you about.

You have to come and, and hear for yourself.

But we've got repertoire that is familiar, which people love.

Different arrangements.

Oh, it's all about the arrangements and making great arrangements that the orchestra love playing.

They sound really good arrangements, tunes you might know, but arrangements you might not have heard before.

This helps keeps it all fresh.

So you mentioned Santa being there.

So is this an all ages show you do expect a lot of?

Or is it just for the adults and this you're never too old for Santa.

You're never too obvious.

At least I never will be.

We have a Saturday evening and a Sunday afternoon, and so it's for the whole family.

And you can pick which one you want to bring your four year old or six year old to.

Yeah, I have a two year old, so it has to be the afternoon.

It will be the afternoon.

We don't stay out after 7 p.m.

anymore.

I certainly remember those days very well, but it is really for the whole family.

It's something for for the, community.

Family, if you will, to experience and to enjoy together.

Well, I appreciate it.

And I know we're going to talk to the executive director and learn a little bit more about looking forward to next year as well.

But, it was really nice to meet you and continue great work.

And the symphony really is a joy to see.

So thank you.

Thank you so much.

And now after speaking with Alistair, I'm speaking with Steven, who's the executive director of the symphony.

Stephen, you've been here since August 4th in the area.

Where did you come from before you from here, or did you move here for the role?

A little of both, actually.

Originally, I'm actually from Wisconsin, so I was born and raised, grew up in Wisconsin.

But, for the last 35 or so years, I've had so much incredible experience of working in great locations from Philadelphia to San Francisco, Los Angeles, of Arizona.

But yes, just prior to, to coming back to the Midwest, here to South Bend, that was in, South Florida for the last five years.

So how are you enjoying the, the winter?

Winter.

Yes, I, I needed the reminder, but actually, I, I love it.

It's I, I missed being back here.

I missed of being in four seasons.

The of course, South Florida was hot and very hot, there all the time.

Right.

So it's so wonderful to be back here and be, closer to family as well.

But most importantly, just to be part of a community such as this, that that really understands what it has and, and celebrates, especially within the performing arts.

And I work personally with a lot of nonprofit organizations, and the symphony is a nonprofit.

How do you kind of convince the community that it is a worthy nonprofit when there's, you know, nonprofits helping children and different things?

What is it about the symphony?

Because it does get a lot of support, but how do you really how do you really, reiterate that in the community of just how important that is?

I, I really appreciate the question.

And I think it's something we're always trying to, reinvigorate as well as reinvent a little bit.

Yeah.

Which is that those bonds, and the relationship that we have with the community, we all, as nonprofit organizations, constantly have to show why we are relevant to this, community.

And what makes this a credible, organization to, to support.

And yet it and it can't just be by the sheer nature of our 20, I'm sorry, 93 year, history.

I truly have seen in these four months, how important this organization is, you know, to the entire Michiana region.

This is the largest nonprofit performing arts entity in this in this region.

And even the university looks to us when they are, when they need professional partnership, when they, they look to A-lister, who has, you know, come there and conducted so many different times with the Notre Dame Symphony Orchestra as well.

So we recognize our place in the community and recognize as well so many other arts organizations.

So social service entities, in in value their importance as well.

Yeah.

But just seeing the significant impact that this organization has made for 93 years musically and brought how many tens and tens of thousands of students into our performances with the youth performances as well.

Is it is a a very measurable impact.

That is, I think, worthy of, of support.

We talk to Alastair about home for the holidays coming up, and I really wanted to get to know you since you're new in this role.

But as we have a minute or so left here, do you have any highlights for 2026 that are really on your radar that you think they're going to be just great shows?

I mean, I know they're all great shows, but is there 1 or 2 that you could tell us about?

Oh, absolutely.

I mean, we have the masterworks, series, mosaic as well as pops.

And that's what I love about, what Alistair has brought to this organization for, nine and a half years now.

Is this incredible, mix, of of different styles of music, you know, from here starting in January of 2026, which seems like a lifetime away, but just a few weeks.

Yeah, but it's it's a focus on our musicians, which I think is so important, in January with our, first mosaic of the season, January 11th, featuring our principal opus, and, Jeanette.

And, there will be a beautiful performance in February.

We have, of, local, band playing with us as well as part of our pop series, the Bergamot.

Oh, yeah.

We've interviewed them many times on the show, and they just had a performance recently at the Morris as well.

It really will be.

And then we have the principal.

Clarinetist from New York Philharmonic coming at the end of January.

So it's this, incredible mixture of, of of artists and styles of music, and just a great celebration of what we have right here in this region.

Well, the first experience, as I mentioned to Alistair, was a night of tango that I went along to, and I didn't know what I was getting into, and I absolutely loved it.

So it is great that you were able to bring so many genres and just really reflect the entire community, and not just one sound or, you know, one thing.

And and so I love that you're doing that and I appreciate that.

And I also like to say that the symphony is the greatest instrument ever created.

It is this mixture of sounds and insights as well.

And, you know, from the strings to the brass, percussion, and the winds, it really is this incredible ensemble, making the, the sounds that Alastair has so brilliantly crafted for his nearly ten years of being here.

Wow.

I didn't realize he was here that next year will be celebrating his 10th 10th anniversary season.

Yeah, what a celebration that will be for Alastair with ten years.

Well, thank you so much.

Best of luck in your in your new new role and in 2026.

I wish you all the best.

Thank you so much.

I appreciate you having me on.

Okay, you guys know I love the Christmas season and if you really want to be enthralled in it and we're talking outdoors, you have to head over to Wellfield Botanic Gardens.

And I have my friend Jen with me here today to talk about your beautiful light display that you guys have.

Yes.

We're excited.

It's our ninth annual Winter Wonderland Holiday Lights this year.

It's only been nine years.

I feel like, you know then that, doesn't it?

The funny thing is, is we are looking at the lights a couple of weeks ago, and we had 200,000 lights for our first for your first year.

Oh my gosh.

Okay.

Now is this like a secret or can we tell people how many lights you guys have now?

1.8 million.

Oh my.

Yeah, that's what you see.

It's amazing.

It's blown up so much and are so incredibly proud.

We've been working with Landscape Illumination for years, and our horticulture team has done an amazing job at adding lights every year, new features every year, and my favorite part this year was our Christmas tree that we put inside the rotunda in our visitor center, and I walked by it to get this beautiful symbol show that you guys do, but you have to make sure you step in there.

As I can see that too.

So let's talk about what are some of the new things that people might see this year that they have?

Yes.

Due to popular demand, we added Santa.

I know the big man is coming.

He's coming, he's here.

Thursday night.

Santa is here.

He's inside our gift shop.

The very first night, we had a little mini Grinch coming in.

Oh, my gosh, very, very cute.

Okay, lots of great photo ops for the family.

For honestly all ages, I saw everything from little kids to some of our older volunteers come up.

I mean, anybody is you know, if you are in the Christmas period, how do you not get a hug from Santa during this time?

You have the holiday season, you get a hug.

So is here.

He's here every Thursday.

He's here every Thursday during the season until December 18th.

Okay, perfect.

So we have a little bit more time to visit with Santa before he heads back up to the North Pole.

Exactly.

He's got a lot of work to do.

He does.

I want to have my list as long.

We also have, Roger Carlson.

He wrote our Winter Wonderland Holiday Lights holiday book.

Oh, tell me more about that.

What is that?

It's this adorable book.

It's a children's book that he wrote years ago about our holiday lights.

Yeah, he's going to be coming in and he's going to be doing a private book signing with us this year.

Okay.

And do people need to get tickets for that?

Nope.

That's all for you.

With your admission ticket to the Winter Wonderland holiday.

Yeah.

Okay.

Okay.

So some of the new additions there.

What about the lights?

I mean, how many lights did you guys have last year?

Last year we had 1.5 million.

Okay.

So we've added a lot more.

Oh, yeah.

Every year.

I know people always ask me to for my light display.

Where do they go?

Where do you put them?

Well, landscape illumination has done an amazing job with us every single year.

I don't know what we would do without them.

Honestly, I love them and our horticulture team too has become absolutely.

They've done an amazing job each year.

I'm stunned and floored by what they do every single year in so many colors.

It really is bright.

It's just incredible.

So and I know I'm looking out the window here.

You guys have some special trees out here to talk to me more.

So these are giving tree partners.

What does that mean.

So every year we try to have like 15 to 20 giving tree partners.

These are local community non-for-profit.

They come they volunteer their night or they're giving tree partner night.

And then we share ticket proceeds with them.

Oh that is incredible.

So they kind of have their own special time.

Yeah.

And so they decorated them too.

Yes.

They came out and decorated all of their trees.

You guys did a great job.

Yeah.

I have to come and look at all of them.

And then some of our Giving Tree partners as well decided to add extra little events going on during our holiday lights.

The Elkhart County Symphony is one of our Giving Tree partners.

They're going to come in and have a string quartet on their night, which is for 26.

Oh, that.

It's going to be beautiful.

Do you guys have like a calendar where we can see, like all these, where all these events are?

All of it is on our website at Wellfield Gardens.

Org.

Or you can go to our Facebook.

Oh, that's also good to know too.

Now the grounds themselves.

I know you guys put in that beautiful pavilion out there.

Stunning.

It's got a photo op in there, right?

Oh beautiful photo.

And the whole place is a photo opportunity.

We currently have Santa's sleigh in there.

If I were to recommend anything though, we have a beautiful Christmas present out on the event plaza.

Perfect for selfies.

And you can also stand under it.

And if you get the right angle, you could get a picture of the caterpillar from the children's garden as well.

Oh, that's fun too.

Now I know we have some snow on the ground now.

There's more snow coming too.

Oh, does that affect how you guys manage the crowd flow?

Well, our hort team works super early in the morning, all the way up until the show and throughout the show to clear off all the paths they come in and they'll make sure all the paths are safe and they are clear, safe for everyone when they come.

And thankfully, we have these really big, wide pathways because we provide the city with 70% of its drinking water.

So the well trucks from the city have to come into the gardens.

We got these big wide pathways that they can clear off for you.

And then the children's garden as well.

We have a couple of different fire pits throughout the garden, so something to keep you warm.

Yeah, I love that too.

Yes, I know we have some cold air on its way as well, so that's important.

Now you guys are open for regular hours.

Still, this time of year?

Yes.

We decided we're going to be open every day now, all year round.

Oh wow I know.

So right now we're open 12 to 5 during the more wintry months.

And then 11 to 6 during the summer months.

What are some of the things that people can experience here in the winter time that they might not get to experience in the summer warmer months?

I'm very excited.

Next year we have decided to host two different Sunday concerts in February and March.

Oh Jason Sapin oh, I love him.

Are you kidding me?

I can't wait to see him.

Right?

So he's going to be doing a very vibey acoustic version inside our events rooms.

Okay.

And then we'll also have the whatever brothers.

Oh very nice.

I'm very excited for them to their fan favorite at Well field.

So they're welcome home.

And let's talk about I know we're in this event space.

All of this is kind of newer for you guys too.

If someone wants to have their holiday party here or get together, oh, baby showers, all that can stuff, they can still do that here, right?

Yes.

Come, come to our website.

We have plenty of opportunities for you to come and rent out these beautiful spaces.

We actually held the rental last night for it.

We're at they had their holiday party in here and they absolutely loved it.

And it was a great time.

And I can imagine with the backdrop of all of the lights, I mean, how can you not?

I'm if you're to do it during our holiday lights rentals as well, you get access to the gardens too.

Oh well, that is important to know.

Okay.

Now, I know you guys have big things coming up for next year or two.

Do you want to talk a little bit about that?

Yep.

We have those two concerts.

Our education coordinator, Christy, has been doing an amazing job at planning all of our events, I believe.

If I'm not mistaken, I saw a matcha tea making coffee.

Oh.

She is.

We're going to come back for that one.

Oh, that's a good.

That sounds good.

That's a great one.

Yes, we'll definitely be doing that one I love it.

So you guys have lots of stuff on the docket for next year.

But so much to see and do here.

And I love that you guys are open all year long.

Now for the people, the opportunity to experience the space in all four seasons.

Exactly.

And I think there's plenty of people that will love to come out into the gardens and still see it in the winter time, still experience walking around in our wintry Paradise with a little bit of snowfall.

And for a lot of people, this is a family tradition.

100% sure if you're bringing their friends in along with them too.

I know I have friends who come here every year, and they keep adding all of our friends into it.

Over there, the crowd keeps getting bigger and bigger, which is why the sidewalks are wider and wider, right?

Awesome.

Well, thank you so much.

Where can people get information?

How do they get their tickets?

Go to Wellfield gardens.org/winter Wonderland holiday lights or you can go to our Facebook as well.

Awesome.

Thank you so much and always a pleasure to see you.

Come on out.

We'll see you here with all of the lights in the winter wonderland.

Okay, I'm in one of the special places here in Elkhart County, and I have with me my friend and you are getting ready for retirement.

I am after a long haul through the decades.

That's incredible.

Okay, Brian.

So you have been here as long as I am old.

Yeah.

That's true.

Gee, that really puts it in perspective.

I'm young.

So you're young at heart too, right?

Yeah.

You've been here a while, and this museum has really just grown so much over that time.

Let's take it back to that time when you first started here, you know, what was it like to be a part of that?

Well, it was sort of unreal because I was right out of college and, arrived in Elkhart, which was totally a different culture than what I grew up in, in southern Indiana.

Okay.

And but I was I had this aspiration of, of moving eventually to Chicago, and I felt like I'd been there a couple times and it was seemed like I could survive there.

Yeah.

But, entering the third Elkhart Juried Regional as an artist young artist aged 23, I won Best of show.

And, it would be about five weeks later that the late Jane Burns, one of my mentors, and the late doctor Richard Burns, called me in for an interview to replace two curators who were leaving to take other positions in other locations.

How old is the museum here?

The museum has, recently celebrated its 46th anniversary, so it's fairly new back then.

Yes, I was here, but really it was about two and a half years into its life.

Okay.

So okay, I wasn't at the very beginning.

I really kind of feels like it at this point.

Right?

Yes.

And you have seen so many art come through these walls, right?

Yes.

So let's talk about your art in particular.

You are more of a mixed media artist yourself.

Yes.

And I, pursued that career for, oh, you know, at least, 15, 16 years simultaneously and outside of the realm of learning, the profession of curatorship here and and what that meant in every professional sense of the word.

You know, I was an art history minor, so I was well read in, in modernism.

However, American art was in its still the scholarly scholarship of American art was still in its infancy.

So what's wonderful about this museum is that the scholarship has risen exponentially.

When I arrived, there were two books on American art history on the shelf.

Oh, wow.

And today there would be thousands of books.

Absolutely.

And so, you know, learning my, my career, 15 years into it, I decided, well, you know, I, I'm going to set the making art aside.

I'm going to get a masters and I'm going to concentrate on my curators.

So now that you're going to be retiring, what does that mean for you?

Well, you got to go back to that.

That'll be one of the things that I do that for you.

But I'm not pursuing it so much as a career move, you know?

Okay.

More for, you know, I mean, today there are more artists in the world than ever before.

You know, maybe 80,000 to 90,000 people graduate with fine art degrees every year.

And, there's really I always used to say there's less than 1%, certainly teaching jobs available at the college level if you have that MFA.

But, maybe 10% find their way into some art related, profession or job.

And, and that's what my mentor, Joan, the late Jonas Howard, who was professor at IU Southeast in New Albany, told me.

He said, you know, there's a lot of jobs in the art world that, are related in.

He said maybe you could find an entry level position in a small museum as a preparatory, and it worked out for you.

It just kind of worked out that way, you know?

So what advice would you have to someone who might be considering going into a career in the arts, more specifically into kind of the curator role?

Yes.

Well, you know, there are more opportunities to be an intern in a position in a museum, perhaps.

Depends on where you live.

Okay.

But, I mean, when you're thinking, art, I know we have incredible art here, especially in Elkhart County.

When you're thinking a career, should we be exploring?

Oh, yes.

Absolutely.

I mean, we should have more.

If you're a student, whether you're in the high school level.

You know, when I was in the seventh grade, I decided I was going to be an architect and go to Ball State, wherever that was.

And, but you know, that changed.

But wherever you are, you could investigate your local art galleries, whether they're commercial or not for profit, local museums, if visual art, if it's dance or any of the other arts theater, then, you know, get involved wherever you can.

What have been some of your standout pieces that you might have run into or artists?

Oh gosh, I, I did do a kind of a list because I got curious about how many famous world famous artists I have met in my career.

Okay.

And there's at least an artist and art critics.

You know, I met the late Robert Hughes, who was time magazine art critic in Milwaukee at the same time I met the late, Phillip Pearlstein.

And both were very gracious to me.

And I was only about 24 years.

So you are brand new.

And, over the years, I met Louise Nevelson.

I met, gosh, there's been so many that it's hard to recant.

I'd have to look at my notes now.

I see the impression on you.

Oh, yeah?

And how does that play into your role here?

Well, you know, some of the artists I met were artists that the museum had begun to collect and over the years when I started, there were 224 works in the permanent collection.

Okay.

Today there's close to 6800 works.

And so congratulations for that.

Thanks, thanks.

Well, it's the deep well that we go to to generate thematic shows.

And, and you know when, when I would receive something from a collector or from a living artist, I would just relish the fact that, you know, it was a gift.

So we didn't buy art.

We it had to be donated.

So when is your last day here?

Well, my last day will be December 30th or 31st, depending, and you'll still be a part of the museum family in some way or form.

Well, I'm hope so.

They won't just shut the door.

I mean, although, you know, they wanted me to stay longer, but I think sometimes it's important to step aside and let the next generation step up.

And, my co-director or our executive director now, Jennifer, has done an outstanding job of advancing the mission of the museum.

So I feel like my legacy is pretty secure from 50 to 100.

Well, I, I do know a story about every work of art and everyone that gave it.

And if I have met that kept notes and, and my, young colleague Randall Roberts, who has assumed that role as curator has been here ten years, and he's a very good quick study, and he's absorbed a lot of those stories and can find his way so well.

Your legend lives on.

I hope I met him when he was 16 years old.

Oh my gosh, congratulations.

Thank you for 44.

Tremendous.

Thank you so much.

It's so nice to have you here today.

Absolutely.

Thank you.

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