Making a Joyful Noyse

The logo for the Bloomington Early Music Festival at Indiana University features J.S. Bach in a plaid shirt standing in a cornfield next to a signpost listing the distances to Tucson, Ariz.; Leipzig, Germany; and Bloomington. The 14 concerts of medieval, Renaissance, baroque and classical music include works performed by adults on period instruments as well as a recital by elementary school students making a "joyful noyse" on recorders. Such whimsy has made a convert of Mia Dalglish, 16, a student at Bloomington High School South. "Early music can be stiff and boring--or the most beautiful music in the world," she says. The festival keeps prices down so that folks can enjoy baroque without going broke. An all-inclusive ticket to the festival, which runs May 19 to 28, costs $55 to $60, and tickets to individual events cost just $6 to $12.

Other colleges in the area include the University of Indianapolis and Butler University in Indianapolis and Purdue in West Lafayette.