All together now
Marin Alsop conceived of and presented some unusual concerts this week, featuring nearly 600 amateur musicians playing alongside the professionals in the Baltimore Symphony in a program called "Rusty Musicians with the BSO". The requirements? Simply to be over the age of 25, play an orchestral instrument and be able to read music.
In terms of community-building, I don't think it gets much better than this. I keep harping on the fact that people crave experiences in which they feel involved in the process, and this kind of thing is a fantastic example of how orchestras can be inclusive of their audiences (current and potential). The logistics of this particular program sound daunting - 600 amateur musicians signed up - but instead of a single mammoth concert, the amateurs were broken up in groups over several days. It's some good outside-the-box thinking.
Although a Washington Post article claims that only the Pittsburgh Symphony has tried anything similar, many smaller orchestras (mostly regionals) have experimented with these types of concerts (for instance, one of my ex-orchestras, the Richmond Symphony, has been doing one for several years). It's always fascinating for me to see how the higher-profile orchestras often pick up on projects that smaller orchestras produce, and also how mainstream media rarely give credit to those smaller organizations. The regional and small per-service groups that make up the backbone of the network of American orchestras most often work in relative anonymity, but they are where much of the creative thinking in our field comes from.
What I particularly love about the whole amateurs-playing-with-pros idea is that it touches on the fact that most people who play an instrument in their youth don't then go on to become professional musicians. But that's not to say they ever lose the enjoyment of playing an instrument; in fact, I would venture to say that it's probably more "fun" for amateurs to play, at whatever level, because their livelihood and sense of self aren't bound up in it.
In a not-so-distant past, people gathering for impromptu amateur chamber music parties was a regular occurrence; even in my childhood, I remember how much fun it was to gather around the piano to sing songs (admittedly, my family was a little...old-fashioned). But how wonderful to maintain a childhood hobby into adulthood, and then be able to share the stage with a top American orchestra! It's empirically and good thing...and it doesn't hurt an orchestra's PR either.
In terms of community-building, I don't think it gets much better than this. I keep harping on the fact that people crave experiences in which they feel involved in the process, and this kind of thing is a fantastic example of how orchestras can be inclusive of their audiences (current and potential). The logistics of this particular program sound daunting - 600 amateur musicians signed up - but instead of a single mammoth concert, the amateurs were broken up in groups over several days. It's some good outside-the-box thinking.
Although a Washington Post article claims that only the Pittsburgh Symphony has tried anything similar, many smaller orchestras (mostly regionals) have experimented with these types of concerts (for instance, one of my ex-orchestras, the Richmond Symphony, has been doing one for several years). It's always fascinating for me to see how the higher-profile orchestras often pick up on projects that smaller orchestras produce, and also how mainstream media rarely give credit to those smaller organizations. The regional and small per-service groups that make up the backbone of the network of American orchestras most often work in relative anonymity, but they are where much of the creative thinking in our field comes from.
What I particularly love about the whole amateurs-playing-with-pros idea is that it touches on the fact that most people who play an instrument in their youth don't then go on to become professional musicians. But that's not to say they ever lose the enjoyment of playing an instrument; in fact, I would venture to say that it's probably more "fun" for amateurs to play, at whatever level, because their livelihood and sense of self aren't bound up in it.
In a not-so-distant past, people gathering for impromptu amateur chamber music parties was a regular occurrence; even in my childhood, I remember how much fun it was to gather around the piano to sing songs (admittedly, my family was a little...old-fashioned). But how wonderful to maintain a childhood hobby into adulthood, and then be able to share the stage with a top American orchestra! It's empirically and good thing...and it doesn't hurt an orchestra's PR either.
Labels: all music is local, orchestras not named minnesota, state of the art, the business of music
posted by Sarah at
3:21 PM
2 Comments:
Great program idea..
Music is a wonderful lifelong hobby; both serious and fun. I sometimes think it must be a tough profession, but it IS a good hobby.
Bill in Dallas
This sounds like a good idea. But let's keep in mind that not all "amateur" musicians are created equal. Some are great players who studied at good schools but who chose to pursue other careers, who are perfectly capable of sitting in competently with even a top-flight professional group even if they can't win an audition. (I prefer to call them "non-professional" as opposed to "amateur.") Others are just plain mediocre. I do think it would be neat for professional orchestras to find ways to work with the former in some serious music-making capacity - just as they sometimes do with youth orchestras. Bring them in for a Mahler symphony or some such thing. Can't say I would be interested in hearing the former.
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