Professor to speak on art,
music in pre-concert
talk
 By
Anna Herkamp
Senior Writer
When he was 8-years-old, Rob Sovinski was paid
a nickel to help clean up the Avalon Grotto fraternity house. This house,
he said, was every kid’s dream.
Though a nickel might not seem like very much by
today’s standards, Sovinski said he saw K. C. DeRhodes' house as
a castle. The house, built in 1906 in South Bend, Ind., is one of several
Frank Lloyd Wright houses in the state.
Sovinski said that even as a kid, the house’s
architectural style was something he admired. The terrace, low rooftops,
open spaces and wide windows provided a great place to explore.
Almost 30 years later, the associate professor
of horticulture and landscape architecture says this was one of the
experiences that helped fuel his love for Wright’s work.
Because of his profession as a landscape architecture
professor and his passion for Wright’s work, Sovinski will be speaking
at "Eye Music," a pre-concert discussion of the Lafayette
Symphony Orchestra’s "Taste of Tradition" concert at
6:45 p.m. on Saturday.
The concert will be tied into the Frank Lloyd Wright
exhibit "Winged Seeds of Indiana" at the Art Museum of Greater
Lafayette.
The title "Winged Seeds of Indiana" comes
from the botanical names Wright often gave his houses. West Lafayette
is home to the Samara house, one of Wright’s Indiana creations.
"Samara" is the name of the small seeds in pinecones.
Because Wright admired music and nature and was
a musician himself, he called his work "Eye Music," Sovinski
said.
Many people might not see the connection between
architecture and music, but Sovinski says there are plenty of parallels
between the two.
"In music as well as architecture there are
many structural similarities such as form, balance, rhythm and harmony,"
he said.
Beethoven was Wright’s favorite composer,
said Beverly Reid, marketing coordinator of the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra.
In both of the artists’ work, there is a clear sense of abstraction.
Beethoven’s music gives impressions of sounds
in nature — for instance, bird chirping, said Sovinski. These impressions
are very similar to Wright’s work with architecture.
Sovinski won’t be the only person at the discussion.
His wife, principal cellist of the orchestra, Margot Marlatt, will also
be demonstrating some of the principles of the evening’s musical
selections.
Sovinski and his wife travel all over to find and
appreciate the houses of Frank Lloyd Wright, he said.
Architecture and music all fall under the same
umbrella of art, Sovinski said.
"His houses are like 3-D sculptures you can
inhabit."
He said he hopes the concert will help people to
understand that "functional" objects can still be appreciated
for their beauty and that the symphony and architecture are the same
level of art.
The concert is a part of the annual Keller Concert
for the orchestra, said Reid. The Keller Award gives young musicians
the opportunity to play with professional musicians.
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