After Hours: Thursday Edition
Okay, Thursday audience, your turn. You packed the place, and your energy was palpable all night from the stage! Sarah and I had a great time, and we're already chomping at the bit to get started on January's concert. So if you were with us Thursday night, chime in below in the comments: what did you like about the show, what would you like to see more of, and what could we be doing better?
Labels: after hours, audience feedback
posted by Sam at
9:26 PM
9 Comments:
In contrast to Anonymous' comments on your Wednesday night show, I thought the balance of humor, inside information and performance was spot on. I've been to hundreds of performances where both the audience just sat there looking constipated until it was time to clap, and this was a delightful change.
Do I wish all concerts were like this? Of course not, but it makes a delightful change of pace. It also is a great vehicle for introducing newcomers, especially youngsters, of whom there were many in attendance, to classical music.
Keep the format just as it is, and keep up the good work. Well done!
I'm a student at the College of St. Catherine who took advantage of the ten dollar student rate to help fulfill a required concert attendance for my music major, and I have to admit that I had no idea what I was in for tonight. I chose to come and listen to Stravinsky because I know his music and recognized the name, rather than for the format...and I'm very glad that this was the performance I chose to spend my money on.
I spent the first half of the program nearly in tears--I thought it was funny as well as informative, and the combination of talking and musical excerpts worked wonderfully. In fact, it's exactly the sort of combination I'd love to see used for all forms of music (my own main interest is popular, rather than classical, and I think this could be an equally fun way for people to learn about the delta blues or the evolution of country music), because I think it's really engaging and enjoyable. The second half of the concert just blew me away; I found the music inspiring and the musicians' performances top-notch.
As I told my schoolmates on the way home (all of whom agreed that the experience was awesome and that Ms. Hicks is a fantabulous conductor), if I don't get a chance to see the other performances in this series, I may cry. I was blown away by my evening's outing and look forward to more such nights in the future.
Sam's patter has improved greatly since my last time at Orchestra Hall. Sam and Sarah worked very well together, their commentary sounding spontaneous and relaxed. Very professional.
I'm not a fan of ballet but neither have I ever been to one. I enjoyed the exposure.
I enjoyed the goofy dramatizations. Aside from being fun, the commentary and musical highlights are far more likely to remain with me than would bare explanations.
The explanation of the firebird and other stories as being "stupid" grated. The harsh, judgmental tone of such a term is out of place and misleading. Small point.
Even though I've listened to classical most of my life, my understanding is weak. The leading commentary and following uninterrupted presentation is effective and satisfying for me.
Wonderful job by Sarah, Sam, the Orchestra and dancers.
I had the amazing opportunity of taking 45 high school students, from a 1st ring suburb, to last night's concert, 39 whom had never been inside of Orchestra Hall.
Every single one of my students sat rapt for the entire performance. The comments on the bus home were "I have to take my parents to this", "Do you think i could get my family MN Orchestra tickets for Christmas", "Do you think I could ever play my French Horn that way" and the list goes on.
If the point was to educate the audience in a different way, you did it. If it was to open the doors to new audience members attending the MN Orchestra, you did it. If the point was to inspire and engage, you did it.
Thanks! I was proud to be a music educator in the Twin Cities last night.
Great performance! I thoroughly enjoyed the concert. The balance of information and humor worked for me. However, I too was displeased by the use of the words “dumb” and “stupid” in the commentary. I think more innocuous words such as “dim”, “weak”, “ludicrous”, or “absurd “ could/should have been used. My sister, an educator, encourages her students to not use adjectives “stupid” and “dumb” and reprimands her younger sister (me) if used. But enough of that…
I arrived early and took advantage of the “Music up Close” and learned much about the (no longer French) horn from Michael Gast. His discussion sent me immediately out to purchase a ticket for Schumann’s Concertstück. I can hardly wait.
Sam and Sarah’s casual way of explaining and teaching was extremely enjoyable and pain free. Their passion and knowledge is contagious. Sarah Hatsuko Hicks is the ideal conductor for this series. Penelope & Justin’s dancing was a bonus (mesmerizing.)
You asked ‘what did you like about the show, what would you like to see more of, and what could we be doing better?’ I liked the format. I want to learn and see more of everything. I’d suggest that you encourage those not used to the first half’s style to absolutely come back for the second half (say that you will be taking roll call or something). The couple seated in front of me left at intermission, and missed the best part; the full rich experience of the orchestra and music in its entirety.
See you at “Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto” and “Copland's Appalachian Spring”
Thanks, Sam and Sarah, for an entertaining evening. I'm not sure which image is funnier: the "Unabomber-esque" David Wright dressed up as a mythological demon, or Roger Frisch in a tiara. Please post pictures!
Sam and Sarah, great job, I really enjoyed it. The fun - yet serious - commentary before the intermission was well-prepared, well-executed, and totally engaging. The orchestra's performance of the 1919 orchestral piece after the intermission was spectacular! I've been coming to MN Orchestra concerts for years, and I am starting to see this group of muscians in a new light: not only are they terrifically talented musically, they are fun people! Bravo!
PS: Please post at least some of the pictures you took of the musicians - if they'll let you!
As a musician myself, I would have liked a bit more musicology and theory but I'm sure that is above what the average listener comes to hear. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the performance and I will be coming to the next two as well.
A Leonard Bernstein gambit but with humor and flair (yeah, I'm that old!) made for great fun and an outstanding listening experience. Young People's Concerts for adults is another way of putting it, to connect with another part of Sarah's life. Like another writer, I'm pretty familiar auditorially with classical music but the information is much appeciated, even if you do slip into "stupid" on occasion. Now, if you can develop, in a few years with tpt, something like Leonard Bernstein did years ago but with your sense of humor intact, tens of thousand could benefit from this fun. Thanks very much; we'll try hard to get to the others.
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