With symphony shows, Indigo Girls put a new spin on old favorites

The stage at an Indigo Girls show is usually pretty sparse.

Of course, there are founding members Emily Saliers and Amy Ray, and since 2012, the folk rock duo has toured with a backing bassist, drummer, violinist and keyboardist. But for the most part, Saliers and Ray command the stage.

For the past two years though, Saliers and Ray have played a handful of shows joined by full symphonies, taking their songs to new heights.

“It really puts the songs in a different realm,” Saliers said of the orchestration. “It’s cool that you can have a song that you identify as a certain genre, then you orchestrate it and it becomes something else.”

These performances began to take shape after Columbia Artists Management Inc. asked Saliers and Ray if they’d like to work with an orchestra.

Saliers said the two jumped at the opportunity, citing familiarity with artists like Nanci Griffith and the Blue Moon Orchestra, Lyle Lovett and His Large Band, Brandi Carlile, Natalie Merchant and Ben Folds, all of whom have worked with orchestras.

After Columbia Artists Management connected Saliers and Ray with composers Sean O’Loughlin and Stephen Barber, the pair tackled the task of going through their 30-year discography and choosing the songs O’Loughlin and Barber were to orchestrate.

A few songs, like hit single “Closer to Fine,” and “Virginia Woolf” and “Ghost,” both of which already feature symphonic accompaniment, were no-brainer selections.

The other selections were more of a mixed bag. Saliers said Ray chose rock songs that would be more unusual to orchestrate, and both Saliers and Ray chose songs from their latest album, “One Lost Day,” to make the performance more current.

Saliers said that, in the hands of a great arranger like O’Loughlin, who does a majority of the composing, every song they chose, from a punk rock song of Ray’s to a tender ballad of hers, worked with orchestration. And some worked surprisingly well, including rock tunes “Compromise” and “Go,” both from the album “Come On Now Social.”

Saliers and Ray don’t have much rehearsal with the orchestra before the performance.

“We only have one 2 1/2 hour rehearsal and then we play a show together,” Saliers said. “It’s challenging and exhilarating and really awesome to hear the music orchestrated and played like that because these are fantastic symphonies.”

After performing these songs for 30 years, rare symphony shows give Saliers and Ray, and diehard Indigo Girls fans, the chance to hear songs they love in a new light.

“I never get tired of them,” Saliers said of these shows. “I doubt I ever will.”