We've looked at [le] poisson rouge, a mixed-genre venue, which does such interesting things in blending the social and performance space, while using lighting to distinguish between listening and socializing time.
Monday we'll discuss the idea of mixed-genre programming. My favorite experience with this as an audience member has been with the very versatile cellist Mike Block's spring series in Brooklyn, GALA Brooklyn. (In 2011, when I attended, it was called GALA NY. And I believe its motto in 2011 was "global art, local audiences; it's now "global art, local art."). (Be sure to follow those links! And Mike's FB page, too, if you want.)
Please read my description of the first performance I attended here.
Here's Yo-Yo Ma talking about why his Silk Road project (for which Mike is the music director) gave a start-up grant to Mike:
As I've mentioned, Mike calls these performances variety shows, and he engages the audience in part by finishing the shows (at least the ones I attended) with singalongs, which may be the only time in the performance that all the performers make music at the same time. Here's Rebecca Black's "Friday" from that first show I went to:
As you'll read in my post, there is food and drink (including alcohol) available, and many in the audience are eating/imbibing during the show. It worked fine, and being in a big room (about the size of the UB Ballroom, now that I think of it, although a very different look), the social space and performance space is one and the same.
And here is something completely different: projected calligraphy done in real time to music.
So take a look at all that, and perhaps check out another GALA video or two!
These "hangouts" are quickly being added to my list of places to visit someday when I'm famous in New York...or struggling to make ends meet in New York. Or neither. Anyways, the idea of morphing the world of classical music into a social experience seems to me one of the better solutions to the decline of classical music. I really enjoyed watching the calligraphy video - the blending of visual and musical arts are a great way to branch out to new audiences. Great videos!
ReplyDeleteGALA Brooklyn sounds like a cool place! I personally am one of those people that would like to go the stuffy formal classical music concerts but this sounds awesome! I would definitely take my friends there for a cool place to hang out. I always think that when you have when you have great people, food, and music, you can never go wrong. Putting this cool spin on classical music is a great idea. Most people don't want to go to classical music concerts because they find it boring. When you have a good host and other things to go along with the music, I don't think that people will find it boring anymore. Most people like to have some sort of interaction with what is going on. Places like these gives them that.
ReplyDeleteIt took a bit of self-coaxing to watch "Friday," and only after a full investigation of whether Rebecca Black would be singing in the video. *facepalm Yo-Yo Ma's ideas about global art interaction especially appealed to me--and maybe we should make the event about varying geographical locations to give it a diverse and expansive feel. Perhaps one way we could do this is, since it's around the holidays, incorporate Hanukkah and Kwanzaa into the repertoire mix along with Christmas. (I don't celebrate any of the three myself, but behold my unlikely power of COMPROMISE!!!!!) Maybe even get kinky and celebrate the Winter Solstice? (I know the Zoroastrians do it.)
ReplyDeleteThe calligraphy thing is really interesting! I've been into calligraphy for years now--even bought a book for left-handed calligraphy, which is an oxymoron, because as a lefty, my handwriting sucks! (Sorry--I digress--and ironically, the only relevant information in this paragraph is held prisoner in parentheses. I apologize again!) The music was relaxing, and the picture the person drew reminded me of fantasy novels I used to read as a little kid--specifically, Voyage of the Dawn Treader from the Narnia series because to me, it looked like waves and a ship.
I apologize for the general loopiness of this post as well as the grammatical errors it surely entails. This is what happens when I write nonstop and drink tea and recover from general illness over the weekend.
While I only got to see the first two they were pretty neat. I like the "Friday" cover because it was humorous. It has that relaxed feel to it. It is the show you would casually go with a few friends and take a night off from stress. I wish the last one would have played.
ReplyDeleteI loved what Yo-Yo Ma said about people around the world interacting through the arts- that it's growing and needs to be brought to wider audiences. And GALA Brooklyn seems like an extremely unique, entertaining, and effective way to do this.
ReplyDeleteI honestly really enjoyed the "Friday" video because I am a sucker for awful pop music. Especially awful pop music that has been turned into something actually quite good. I love hearing classical covers of pop/rock/bluegrass etc. music, because it's a fusion between the genres that I enjoy. I definitely think that incorporating something like that into our event would be beneficial, because it would give our audience something that they already know and can relate to/sing along to.
These are are all very cool and progressive ideas. The way the concerts are set up it is almost as if the audience members are gaining a soundtrack to their lives. And with the fast pace media and technology of today that might be the most connected the audience members will be to the music.
ReplyDeleteAlso, can we take a field trip?