Overstuffed Schedules
You know how you occasionally have one or two of those days when, even though you're at work, it seems like there's not enough to do? And then, just when you're starting to get used to that, a year's worth of projects seem to come due all at the same time?
Well, that happens to musicians, too, and it doesn't always come from overscheduling ourselves (though that does happen.) I bring it up because I think it's safe to say that Sarah and I are both finding ourselves gasping for air this month, trying desperately to get our first Inside the Classics concerts of the season ready for prime time, while simultaneously planning the 2010-11 season, moving halfway across the country (her), orchestrating a pretty large fundraising party for a music-related non-profit group (me), dealing with a busted furnace in a newly purchased home (her), fighting off the piggy flu (me), being named principal pops conductor of a major orchestra (duh), and trying to squeeze in enough practice time to still be able to claim that one plays the viola for a living (me).
Our October ItC show is a bit trickier than usual, too, because the Friday concert will be carried live across the region on Minnesota Public Radio, who were kind enough to agree to this without technically having ever seen one of our concerts before. They're very trusting people, those MPR folk, and we're hoping they won't need to regret that fact, so we're taking the unusual step of sharing our work with them as we go. The radio thing, of course, also means that we can't do any purely visual gags on this program, which is a bit limiting, but also makes it easier to focus in on the sound world we want to create on the first half.
At the same time, as I said, we're starting to work on next season, which means a lot more that just picking repertoire. Thanks to the grant we received last year from the Wallace Foundation, we've been able to gather a rather stunning amount of information from people who've attended our concerts, and the fruits of that labor contribute to a very wide-ranging discussion about the continuing evolution of the series. I make a point of saying at each concert that we really do listen to all the feedback we get from our audiences, and this is the time of year that that pile of info comes most into play. Everything, from what time the concerts should start to what days of the week they should be held to how many sets of concerts we ought to be doing, gets batted around at this time every year, and this year, with a 95% subscriber renewal rate and a hefty increase in overall ticket sales from this time last season, we've got a lot to talk about.
Still, tired as I might be tonight, these are nice problems to have. The Beethoven show is really starting to come into focus (though, as usual, it's gonna need about 10-15 minutes chopped between now and October 29,) and I'm starting my now-traditional transition from fearful/stressed to excited/stressed. And on the planning side, I'm still somewhat incredulous at the audience support this series has garnered in two short years, which makes the job of figuring out where we go next enticing rather than intimidating. And that fundraising party I'm planning - I'm sure that'll mostly just take care of itse...
....
...oh, lord. the invitations.
gotta go.
-------------------------------------
CONTEST DEADLINE: You guys have been unbelievably creative in your submissions for the contest we launched on Monday, and we've got nearly 20 entries as of this writing. So here's official notification that we'll close the contest Friday night, accepting any entry submitted before midnight. Sarah and I will take the weekend to reach a consensus on a winner, and with any luck, we'll have the big reveal early next week. (Those of you who entered anonymously will, of course, need to contact us to claim your prize...)
Well, that happens to musicians, too, and it doesn't always come from overscheduling ourselves (though that does happen.) I bring it up because I think it's safe to say that Sarah and I are both finding ourselves gasping for air this month, trying desperately to get our first Inside the Classics concerts of the season ready for prime time, while simultaneously planning the 2010-11 season, moving halfway across the country (her), orchestrating a pretty large fundraising party for a music-related non-profit group (me), dealing with a busted furnace in a newly purchased home (her), fighting off the piggy flu (me), being named principal pops conductor of a major orchestra (duh), and trying to squeeze in enough practice time to still be able to claim that one plays the viola for a living (me).
Our October ItC show is a bit trickier than usual, too, because the Friday concert will be carried live across the region on Minnesota Public Radio, who were kind enough to agree to this without technically having ever seen one of our concerts before. They're very trusting people, those MPR folk, and we're hoping they won't need to regret that fact, so we're taking the unusual step of sharing our work with them as we go. The radio thing, of course, also means that we can't do any purely visual gags on this program, which is a bit limiting, but also makes it easier to focus in on the sound world we want to create on the first half.
At the same time, as I said, we're starting to work on next season, which means a lot more that just picking repertoire. Thanks to the grant we received last year from the Wallace Foundation, we've been able to gather a rather stunning amount of information from people who've attended our concerts, and the fruits of that labor contribute to a very wide-ranging discussion about the continuing evolution of the series. I make a point of saying at each concert that we really do listen to all the feedback we get from our audiences, and this is the time of year that that pile of info comes most into play. Everything, from what time the concerts should start to what days of the week they should be held to how many sets of concerts we ought to be doing, gets batted around at this time every year, and this year, with a 95% subscriber renewal rate and a hefty increase in overall ticket sales from this time last season, we've got a lot to talk about.
Still, tired as I might be tonight, these are nice problems to have. The Beethoven show is really starting to come into focus (though, as usual, it's gonna need about 10-15 minutes chopped between now and October 29,) and I'm starting my now-traditional transition from fearful/stressed to excited/stressed. And on the planning side, I'm still somewhat incredulous at the audience support this series has garnered in two short years, which makes the job of figuring out where we go next enticing rather than intimidating. And that fundraising party I'm planning - I'm sure that'll mostly just take care of itse...
....
...oh, lord. the invitations.
gotta go.
-------------------------------------
CONTEST DEADLINE: You guys have been unbelievably creative in your submissions for the contest we launched on Monday, and we've got nearly 20 entries as of this writing. So here's official notification that we'll close the contest Friday night, accepting any entry submitted before midnight. Sarah and I will take the weekend to reach a consensus on a winner, and with any luck, we'll have the big reveal early next week. (Those of you who entered anonymously will, of course, need to contact us to claim your prize...)
posted by Sam at
9:04 PM
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