Words by Avery Martin; Photos provided by Second Song Musical Instruments

When you walk into Second Song in Goshen, it feels a little like stepping into another world. Instruments cover the walls and hang from the ceiling, filling every corner of the small shop. Accordions sit beside banjos, violins share space with tubas, and nearly every piece has a story waiting to be told. At the center of it all is owner Bill Landow, who always seems to have one of those stories ready.

For the past 14 years, Landow has been building one of Indiana’s most unique music businesses: a resale shop dedicated almost entirely to secondhand instruments. Tucked inside the Old Bag Factory, Second Song buys, repairs, sells, and restores everything from accordions and piccolos to tubas, violins, banjos, and Celtic harps. At any given time, the shop holds around 500 instruments. Some are only a few years old, others have lived many musical lives.

“Every instrument type has its own story," Landow says. “Especially used ones. Selling 200-year-old violins is quite fascinating if you know the history of the thing."

That philosophy shapes his entire business. Landow doesn’t consider scratches or dents flaws; he calls them signs of experience.

“Instruments have a heart," he says. “A lot of the instruments that came out of this area were made by hand through really skilled workmen, and they kind of have a soul."

That’s an idea that carries particular weight in northern Indiana, as the Elkhart and South Bend area is known as the “band instrument capital of the world”. However, Landow believes there is still a gap in that market. 

Many families simply cannot afford a new school band instrument that costs well over a thousand dollars. By purchasing used instruments, restoring them, and selling them at affordable prices, Second Song opens doors to creativity that might otherwise stay closed.

“If a band leader comes to me and shows me one of his students needs an instrument, but the parents can’t afford it, I’ll provide a free instrument for the first year," Landow explains. “If the student continues into a second year of band, the instrument becomes theirs to keep”.

Rather than competing directly with other retailers, Second Song has carved out a niche. Landow buys instruments that others overlook, repairs them, and gives them a second life. He jokes that every instrument in the shop is in “first scratch condition."

His approach is built on trust as much as affordability. Every instrument is serviced before it leaves the store, and every sale comes with a return policy that gives buyers confidence they are making the right investment.

“We really care about the child or the musician getting the right instrument," he says. “If I know it’s the wrong instrument, I won’t sell it to them."

Landow’s vision extends beyond his own storefront. He believes Indiana’s music economy can do more to keep talented musicians rooted in their communities. For him, thriving music infrastructure isn’t built only through large venues or major investments. Instead, it’s built for one instrument, one student, and one musician at a time.

Second Song offers a different perspective: that an old instrument still has something to say, and the next generation of Indiana musicians may find their voice through something with a few scratches and a long history.

After all, that’s what a Second Song is all about. The best instruments are not always the newest ones; sometimes, it’s the ones with an old soul.

The post Second Song Musical Instruments appeared first on Indiana Music Alliance.

Words by Avery Martin; Photos provided by The Lerner Theatre

On show nights, The Lerner Theatre does more than fill seats. It brings people into downtown Elkhart, sends diners into nearby restaurants, adds foot traffic to the sidewalks, and gives residents and visitors a reason to gather in the center of the city.

Celebrating its 100th birthday this year, The Lerner Theatre stands as one of the clearest symbols of downtown Elkhart’s growth and momentum. 

“What the Lerner Theatre does is bring people together,” says Carl Thompson, General Manager of The Lerner Theatre.

Originally opened on Thanksgiving Day in 1924 by Harry Lerner, the theater served as a centerpiece of downtown entertainment for decades. Over time, the building fell into disrepair as the city faced broader economic struggles. During the Great Recession, Elkhart was hit especially hard, forcing community leaders to rethink what the future of downtown could look like.

In 2009, Elkhart began a restoration project costing roughly $17 to $18 million before reopening the theater in 2011. That investment has become part of Elkhart’s broader turnaround story. 

Mayor Rod Roberson points to the reopening of the theater as one visible marker in the city’s shift from decline toward renewed growth.

“From 2000 to 2010, our population had declined. After we opened up the Lerner Theater, our population turned those declines into positives.” He says. “We were tracking at a 4% decline. Now, we’re tracking a 6% uptake since we opened up the Lerner Theater.” 

Today, the theater continues to serve as an economic anchor for downtown. Last year, more than 53,000 people attended events at the Lerner, bringing visitors into local restaurants, shops, and businesses.

The theater’s impact also extends beyond ticketed performances. Through partnerships with Friends of the Lerner, Premier Arts, and the Elkhart County Convention & Visitors Bureau, the venue supports community events, arts education, youth programming, and regional tourism.

“These are programs that we want to continue on a routine basis to develop and grow because we feel not only is it the right thing to do, it also helps to make a better community and a better world,” Thompson said.

Events such as Celebration Under the Stars have also become a major draw. Thompson said organizers expected 5,000 attendees last year but welcomed nearly 15,000 people.

For Thompson, that kind of response points to a larger opportunity for the South Bend–Elkhart region. A thriving entertainment ecosystem, he says, depends on venues, civic leaders, tourism partners, arts organizations, and businesses working together instead of operating in silos.

“As we begin to partner together and work together, we find synergy where we can build programming, where we can build awareness, where we can build an audience,” Thompson said.

The Lerner Theatre’s story is not only about preserving a historic building. It is about what can happen when a city treats culture as infrastructure. A performance venue can bring people downtown, support local businesses, strengthen civic pride, attract visitors, and help a community see new possibilities in a familiar place.

One hundred years after it first opened, The Lerner Theatre remains a gathering place. It also stands as a reminder that arts and culture are not separate from economic development. In Elkhart, they helped write the next chapter of downtown.

Learn more about the Lerner Theatre

The post The Anchor of Downtown Elkhart appeared first on Indiana Music Alliance.

Words by Avery Martin; Photos by Kenzie Gamlin

One day after the launch of the Fort Wayne Music Office, leaders from venues, tourism, economic development, arts organizations, and community institutions gathered to ask the next question: how does Fort Wayne turn this new infrastructure into real momentum?

Originally envisioned as a panel, the session became something more useful: a candid working conversation among people already helping shape Fort Wayne’s music ecosystem. The discussion quickly moved beyond any single venue, artist, or organization and focused instead on how the city can better connect the assets it already has.

A clear theme emerged: the Music Office does not need to create Fort Wayne’s music community from scratch. That community already exists. The opportunity is to make it easier to see, navigate, promote, and support.

Participants described the future Executive Director of the Music Office less as an event producer and more as a connector — someone who understands the full landscape of venues, artists, tourism partners, restaurants, hotels, civic leaders, and music businesses, and can help those pieces work together. As one attendee put it, the role should not simply be a “doer of things,” but a “knower of things.”

The group also explored how Fort Wayne can better tell its music story. The conversation focused on cross-promotion, audience development, and visitor experience — not just sending people to one show or one venue, but helping residents, visitors, and artists discover the larger network of places and experiences that make Fort Wayne’s music scene distinct.

Many of the pieces are already in motion. Venues are sharing audience insights with local businesses. Artists are being connected to Sweetwater and other major community assets. Music is already part of the city’s talent attraction, tourism, and quality-of-place story. But much of this work still depends on personal relationships rather than shared systems.

That may be the biggest opportunity ahead. Fort Wayne has the ingredients of a stronger music economy: venues, festivals, artists, educators, tourism partners, music businesses, and civic leadership. The next step is coordination.

The conversation in Fort Wayne underscored a larger statewide theme: Indiana does not lack music talent or music activity. It lacks the connective infrastructure to turn that activity into stronger businesses, larger audiences, better jobs, and long-term economic growth.

The conversation continues on June 16 at the Lerner Theater, Connecting the Dots: Building Momentum for Elkhart’s Music Economy.

The post Indiana Music Economy Sessions: Fort Wayne appeared first on Indiana Music Alliance.

Visit Fort Wayne is proud to announce the release of the highly anticipated Fort Wayne/Allen County Music Economy Strategy, along with the launch of the Fort Wayne Music Office — one of the strategy’s key recommendations and an important next step in strengthening our region’s music ecosystem.

“The power of tourism lies in its ability to spark economic growth, support local businesses, and showcase the authentic character of a community. Our music scene already draws visitors from across the region, and this strategy positions us to amplify that impact. By investing in our music economy, we’re investing in a stronger, more dynamic future for Fort Wayne and Allen County,” said Jill Boggs, CEO of Visit Fort Wayne.

As outlined in Visit Fort Wayne’s 10‑Year Tourism Master Plan and Greater Fort Wayne Inc.’s ACT Plan, our community seeks to grow our music economy. To that end, Visit Fort Wayne engaged Sound Diplomacy to conduct an in‑depth analysis of our music landscape and develop a comprehensive strategy featuring 17 actionable recommendations. While Fort Wayne serves as the focal point of the report, its insights and goals are designed to support and elevate the entire Allen County community.

This work was made possible through generous support from the Knight Fund at the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne, the Don Wood Foundation, the Northeast Indiana Strategic Development Commission, Greater Fort Wayne Inc., and Visit Fort Wayne.

The Music Economy Strategy can be downloaded at FortWayneMusicOffice.com

Fort Wayne Music Office

The first outcome of the Music Economy Strategy is the development of a Music Board, comprised of seven partners: Arts United of Greater Fort Wayne, City of Fort Wayne, Embassy Theatre, Greater Fort Wayne Inc., Surack Enterprises, Sweetwater, and Visit Fort Wayne. This group was established earlier this year, and today they are introducing the Fort Wayne Music Office.

Music Board Statement – Music is one of Fort Wayne and Allen County’s powerful cultural and economic engines. The Music Economy Strategy gives us a clear roadmap, and the Music Office provides the leadership structure to bring that vision to life. Together, we are investing in an industry that enriches our quality of life, drives economic opportunity, and strengthens our identity as a vibrant regional music hub.

The Fort Wayne Music Office will champion Fort Wayne and Allen County as a unified, vibrant regional music destination, maximizing the cultural and economic potential of our music sector through centralized coordination, promotion, and activation.

The Fort Wayne Music Office will serve as a central point for strategy across promotion, education, policy, and placemaking. A core focus will be elevating and marketing the world‑class assets we already have: nationally recognized education and production programs at Sweetwater, Purdue University Fort Wayne, and the University of Saint Francis; a diverse range of genres and live music venues including the Embassy Theatre, The Clyde, The Brass Rail, and others; and strong support from city and county partners such as Greater Fort Wayne Inc., Visit Fort Wayne, Arts United, and the City of Fort Wayne.

As the Music Office is established, the Music Board is beginning the search for its first Executive Director. Those interested in applying can learn more at FortWayneMusicOffice.com.

To explore the full Music Economy Strategy, learn more about the Music Office, or download the Executive Summary, visit FortWayneMusicOffice.com.

For additional information or media interviews, please contact:

Kody Tinnel, Arts United of Greater Fort Wayne
ktinnel@artsunited.org
260-424-0646

Mary Tyndall, City of Fort Wayne Community Development
mary.tyndall@cityoffortwayne.org
260-427-1127

Kelly Updike, Embassy Theatre
kellyupdike@fwembassytheatre.org
260-247-3690

Jennifer Atienzo-Fisher, Greater Fort Wayne, Inc.
JAtienzoFisher@gfwinc.com
260-203-5737

Surack Enterprises
press@surack.com

Pete Van Baalen, Sweetwater
pete_vanbaalen@sweetwater.com
260-333-9605

Jessa Campbell, Visit Fort Wayne
jessa@visitfortwayne.com
260-424-3700

The post The Fort Wayne/Allen County Music Economy Strategy and Launch of the Fort Wayne Music Office appeared first on Indiana Music Alliance.

Pattern and the Indiana Music Alliance (IMA) are launching the Indiana Music Economy Sessions, a statewide series designed to connect regional music leaders, strengthen local music ecosystems, and explore how music can support tourism, talent attraction, small business growth, and community identity across Indiana.

The series builds on the recently completed regional READI 2.0 arts, culture, and creative economy strategies, several of which identified music assets as important contributors to regional identity, tourism, quality of place, and economic development. The Indiana Music Economy Sessions will bring together leaders in selected regions to explore how those assets can be better connected, supported, and positioned for long-term impact.

The first session will take place in Fort Wayne on Friday, June 5, at the Fort Wayne Philharmonic Center, in partnership with Visit Fort Wayne, Northeast Indiana Regional Development, and the Fort Wayne Philharmonic. 

Telling the Story of a Music Place: Venues, Audiences, and Fort Wayne’s Sound is a lunch conversation focused on how Fort Wayne venues and cultural spaces can grow audiences, tell stronger stories, and become more visible anchors for local culture.

The session will explore how music venues and cultural spaces can better communicate their value as part of Fort Wayne’s broader music ecosystem. Through practical examples, outside perspectives, and local discussion, the conversation will examine how venues can move beyond programming alone and play a stronger role in community development, tourism, talent attraction, and local identity.

“Indiana already has strong music assets — venues, festivals, educators, studios, music businesses, and artists,” said Polina Osherov, executive director of Pattern. “The opportunity now is to better connect those assets, tell a stronger story, and build the kind of infrastructure that helps music contribute more visibly to Indiana’s economy and quality of place.”

The Fort Wayne event marks the first stop in a broader statewide series hosted by Pattern and IMA. Additional Indiana Music Economy Sessions are planned in South Bend–Elkhart on June 16, Bloomington on August 28, and Madison on September 11.

Each gathering will focus on the unique opportunities within its local music community while contributing to a larger statewide conversation about Indiana’s creative economy and the role music can play in regional growth.

The series will culminate in Pattern’s Creative Economy Summit on September 15–16, where leaders from across Indiana’s creative industries will gather to discuss innovation, cultural development, creative entrepreneurship, and the future of creative work in the state.

By connecting regional music conversations to a statewide summit, Pattern and IMA aim to strengthen collaboration across communities, increase visibility for Indiana’s music assets, and reinforce the role music and culture play in shaping Indiana’s identity and economic future.

Event Details

Telling the Story of a Music Place: Venues, Audiences, and Fort Wayne’s Sound

 Friday, June 5

 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM

 Fort Wayne Philharmonic Center

 826 Ewing Street

 Fort Wayne, IN 46802

Tickets are $15 and include lunch. No refunds.

Agenda

10:00 AM – 10:30 AM: Networking

 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM: Panel

 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM: Lunch & Informal networking

To secure your spot, register here: Telling the Story of a Music Place: Venues, Audiences, and Fort Wayne’s Sound

The post Indiana Music Alliance Launches Statewide Panel Series Beginning in Fort Wayne appeared first on Indiana Music Alliance.

When IMA visited Fort Wayne, we weren’t just looking for venues or standout organizations. We were looking for signs of a music economy: the people, businesses, schools, nonprofits, and civic partners that help music become more than entertainment.

What we found was a city with real connective tissue. Fort Wayne’s music ecosystem is not centered around one venue, one festival, or one organization carrying all the weight. Instead, there is a growing network of schools, nonprofits, arts organizations, businesses, and civic partners that are beginning to support one another in visible ways.

Alongside the work done by the community, Visit Fort Wayne has commissioned Sound Diplomacy, the global music, culture and creative economy experts to develop a long-term music strategy that positions music as a key driver in the local and regional economy.

To better understand how this ecosystem functions in practice, we spoke with several organizations working across different parts of Fort Wayne’s music industry. Each offered a different perspective on what growth, collaboration, and long-term investment can look like.

Sweetwater

You can’t go to Fort Wayne covering music industry-related topics and not go to Sweetwater. It’s huge. Literally huge. And while most people know it as a music retailer, what became really clear while talking with the team there is that Sweetwater functions as much more than a store. With thousands of employees and a national footprint, the company provides infrastructure that supports music careers, in the systems that exist beyond the stage, the studio, and shows.

We got the opportunity to speak with Jeff Ostermann, VP and Chief People & Culture Officer, and Kenric Knecht, Sweetwater’s VP of Merchandising, about the many different paths that exist in music beyond performing. Sweetwater has built careers in marketing, audio engineering, production, merchandising, sales, and more, all centered around music.

Fort Wayne Philharmonic

At the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, the conversation focused on talent: how it’s attracted, developed, and retained in the region. We spoke with President and CEO Brittany Hall about the scale of auditions and applications the Philharmonic receives from musicians all over the world. For one tuba position opening alone, nearly 90 musicians traveled to Fort Wayne to audition.

The Philharmonic is also helping make Fort Wayne a place where musicians can build actual lives and careers, not just pass through for a performance. Outside of their main performances, Philharmonic musicians are working full-time out in the community, through schools, libraries, and smaller ensemble performances across Northeast Indiana.

Beyond that, the Philharmonic regularly collaborates with other local arts organizations, reinforcing the idea that Fort Wayne’s creative growth depends on organizations building alongside each other rather than separately.

FAME

One of the most important parts of Fort Wayne’s music industry starts much earlier through the Foundation for Art and Music in Education (FAME). FAME works directly through schools to make arts education accessible to students regardless of background or income level.

We spoke with Board President Andie Mosley and Design & Marketing Manager Josh Flores about how the organization introduces students to music and visual art in a very real way. Every year, students create original work around a cultural theme that eventually gets showcased at the downtown FAME Festival. For many kids, it’s their first experience seeing their creativity treated as something worth displaying and celebrating.

Our favorite part of this interview was hearing how former FAME students have grown into professional musicians themselves, including an example of one who later went on to perform with the Philharmonic. It perfectly captures how these organizations are connected. FAME helps plant the seed early, and places like the Philharmonic and Sweetwater give young artists opportunities to grow later.

Fort Wayne still faces challenges several Midwest cities know well: funding gaps, visibility, and retaining creative talent. But the city also has something many communities are still trying to build: alignment. The pieces are not fully connected yet, but they are visible, active, and beginning to move in the same direction.

To continue the conversation, Pattern is convening a series of events around the state, starting in Fort Wayne with Telling the Story of a Music Place: Venues, Audiences, and Fort Wayne’s Sound at the Philharmonic Center on June 5.

This lunch conversation will explore how music venues and cultural spaces can tell stronger stories, grow audiences, and communicate their value as part of Fort Wayne’s broader music ecosystem.

The post Inside Fort Wayne’s Growing Music Ecosystem appeared first on Indiana Music Alliance.

Words by Avery Martin; Photos by Lydia Norton and provided by FAME

At the Foundation for Art and Music in Education (FAME)’s annual festival, third graders take the stage with music that is entirely composed and brought to life by them. “They write music based on the cultural theme, and then it’s performed at the festival,” says FAME Board President Andie Mosley. “That’s a real experience.”

Rather than relying on parents to seek out arts opportunities on their own, FAME builds its programs directly into schools, making music education accessible to every student. “We’re in direct contact with the teachers,” Mosley says. “We are bringing the students to our programming through the schools rather than just an extracurricular that your parents sign you up for.”

Besides the FAME summer camp program, participation in the Fort Wayne FAME Festival is free to students. With resources like Teachers Closet, teachers can borrow instruments and art supplies at no cost.

A January 2025 report from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) suggests that access to arts education is closely tied to income, and without programs like this, many students are left out.

The report shows that getting exposure to art early on makes a difference: kids who spend time in the arts tend to feel more connected at school, more comfortable working with others, and demonstrate a more curious approach to learning. 

Sometimes, that early exposure carries students into the professional arena. “One of our founders, Dorothy [Kittaka], was at the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, and one of the musicians came up to her and said, ‘I participated in FAME my entire childhood, and it made me realize that I wanted to be a professional musician.’ That’s why we do this,” Mosley says.

But the growth of FAME is constrained by limited resources. “We’re making it work with a small budget,” Mosley says. “Funding is always our barrier.”

FAME runs entirely on a mix of grants, school fees, and individual donors, with much of the work powered by volunteers. Financial support is crucial for the organization to expand its programming.

Josh Flores, FAME design and marketing manager, says the impact is visible in students almost immediately.

“It introduces kids to the idea that their artwork can be seen by the general public,” Flores says. “When they see thousands of people looking at it, they get more confident in themselves.” 

Flores has focused on visibility as one way to help grow the reach of FAME. “Before, we didn’t really have social media,” he says. “Now, we’re trying to get more eyes on what we’re doing.”

That visibility is ultimately meant to support long-term talent retention in Fort Wayne’s arts community. 

Each year, the festival is built around a global cultural theme. Teachers receive materials, students work across music and visual art, and artists with cultural expertise help guide the learning. It all concludes with a public festival downtown where students display the art and perform the music they made.

The organization hires working artists for classroom and festival programming, creating a relationship between professional musicians and students just beginning to learn.

When those students and families come downtown for the festival, the impact extends beyond education. “People come in for events [like the festival], and they’re not just spending money on the performance,” Mosley says. “They’re going to restaurants, staying in hotels. It helps the whole community grow.”

It’s not the most visible part of the music economy, but it’s a piece that builds a strong foundation. “We want to make sure that creativity is something kids see as possible,” Mosley says. 

For FAME, that possibility starts in the classroom.

The post FAME: Foundation for Art and Music in Education appeared first on Indiana Music Alliance.

Words by Avery Martin; Photos provided by Take Care Records

Opened in August 2025, Take Care Records has quietly built a reputation among Indianapolis vinyl collectors for its carefully-curated selection, fair prices, and unpretentious, welcoming atmosphere. I sat down with owner and sole employee J. Rogers to talk about the philosophy behind the shop, the magic of physical media, and the moments that make running a record store worth it.

Avery Martin: How would you describe your shop’s philosophy when it comes to curating music?

Jon Rogers: My main goals are to have a wide variety of records and low prices on the records as much as possible. Some for collectors, some really popular stuff, some stuff that I am into myself. 

AM: What do you think sets your store apart in Indy’s vinyl landscape?

JR: The size and scope of it. It’s a pretty small shop. It’s always curated towards quality, such as trying to have only records that are in good condition, and things that I think people are really looking for. I don’t have the goal of trying to compete with larger stores that have everything.

AM: What’s a moment with a customer that’s stuck with you?

JR: I had a Phish box set of 12 LPs that a collector had sold to the shop. It was from a show that was in 1997. A guy came in for the first time and saw it. Apparently, he was at that show and had always wanted to own that LP but had never seen it in person. When you know it’s special for the customer, it’s very memorable. 

AM: Since you opened in 2025, how have you seen your customer base evolve?

JR: When I started out, the store was mostly known through word of mouth, just telling people about it and trying to get the word out to friends that they could sell their records here. We started with a lot of hardcore record collectors, and then as the store grew and the word got out, more people came in looking for classic and popular titles. I’ve tried to stock a lot of newer records since we opened. 

AM: What do you think keeps people coming back to physical media, when streaming services exist?

JR: There’s something very special about the tangible quality of holding something in your hand. Having it in your possession and knowing you can rely on it, that’s really fun. I collect a lot of movies and books at home and have for twenty-plus years. I don’t want to be staring at a screen or having to interact with the internet to experience the art I love all the time. 

AM: What band best captures the spirit of your store? 

JR: It would probably be the band Yo La Tengo. They’re one of my favorite bands, and they do a cover of the song “Take Care” that was originally written by Big Star, which is another band that I love. 

The post Jon Rogers at Take Care Records appeared first on Indiana Music Alliance.

Words by Avery Martin; Photos by Lydia Norton

For a single opening with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, nearly 90 tuba players came through Fort Wayne. Flying in from across the country, checking into hotels, and moving through rounds of auditions that most audiences never see.

“In a typical job, it’s highly unlikely that you’d have 90 applicants coming into a city, visiting, staying overnight, eating dinner, and auditioning for a role,” says Brittany Hall, President and CEO of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic.

This isn’t just hiring. It’s a steady flow of highly trained talent moving through Fort Wayne. That level of interest is part of how the Philharmonic functions. Candidates move through interviews and auditions, sometimes returning multiple times and spending days in the city as part of the selection process.

“This year, we are starting a music director search for our next conductor, who will hopefully join us in 2028,” Hall says. “We had over 200 applications from all around the world for this highly sought-after position.”

The Philharmonic focuses on turning that interest into local residency by employing musicians who build their lives and careers within the region.

“I employ full-time musicians here in the city. They live, work, and play exactly where we are helping to serve the community,” says Hall. 

The orchestra doesn’t wait for audiences to come to them, either. They move throughout the city to break down barriers, placing music in the spots where the community actually spends its time.

“We have a 30-week season, which puts the musicians on the main stage about 22 to 25 times a year. Other than the main stage performances, they are out with small ensembles every single day, whether it’s at a school or a library,” Hall says. 

Beyond these performances, the Philharmonic acts as a stabilizer for the local creative scene, collaborating regularly with groups like the Fort Wayne Ballet, Fort Wayne Dance Collective, and local theater artists.

“I’m a big believer that all ships rise together,” Hall says. “The more that we can do to collaborate, the stronger all the arts organizations will be.”

That collaborative spirit is getting a permanent home on April 24, when the organization unveils its new headquarters in the historic former Fort Wayne Women’s Club and Chamber of Commerce building. The move into a downtown facility marks a new chapter of growth for the Philharmonic. While the building serves as a central hub, the orchestra remains committed to traveling around the region.

“It’s really part of our mission to make sure that we’re serving all of Northeast Indiana,” Hall says. “We like to move into venues that are the right size and fit for the programming we do, bringing the orchestra closer to all of our community members.”

By prioritizing these connections, the Philharmonic ensures that world-class talent doesn’t just pass through Indiana. Between the initial influx of global applicants and the musicians now living in the local neighborhoods and participating in the community every day, Fort Wayne is building a place where musicians can actually stay.

The post The Fort Wayne Philharmonic appeared first on Indiana Music Alliance.

Words by Avery Martin

Record Store Day returns on April 18, a moment to recognize the role of independent record stores in our communities. Shops nationwide will mark the occasion with exclusive vinyl releases, limited-edition merchandise, and various in-store events.

For those looking to participate locally, Indiana is home to a wide range of independent retailers hosting their own celebrations. To help you navigate the day, we have compiled the essential details on where to go and how to support your local shops across the state.

Here are just a few participating stores around the state: 

Indianapolis

• Indy CD & Vinyl
• LUNA music 
• Irvington Vinyl & Books 
• Karma Records East 
• Karma Records West 
• Square Cat Vinyl 
• The Exchange

Fort Wayne 

• Welcome Back Records 
• Wooden Nickel Music 

West Lafayette/Lafayette

• Black Wax Records 
• JL Records 
• Von’s Records 

Bloomington 

• Landlocked Music
• Rewind Records

Muncie 

• Locked Groove Records

Terra Haute

• Siples Records

Mishawaka

• Michiana Used Music and Media
• Orbit Music

While these are just a few of the official participants, plenty of other independent record stores in Indiana deserve a visit on April 18. Whether they carry the exclusive releases or not, the day is really about supporting the independent businesses that help sustain our local music scene and prove that physical media continues to stand the test of time. No matter where you choose to browse, show up, support your local store, and keep the records spinning. 

The post Your Guide to Record Store Day 2026 appeared first on Indiana Music Alliance.