Hi, I'm Katie. If you're a loyal follower of our Road Show exploits, you may remember that I manage the program. That might make it seem unfair that I get to do this roadie blog, but I have a really good reason for doing so: I'm pretty sure I knew less than the average roadie going into our visit with the SC Philarmonic. And, I work for the South Carolina Arts Commission.
Hi, I'm a poser.
We talked about symphonic music a lot in elementary school, which was the last time I had a music class. I remember that the sections are winds, brass, strings, and percussion. I do sometimes go to the SC Philarmonic, and have gone to symphony concerts in other cities, but I struggle to stay focused and follow the music. I drift off, thinking about everything from the architecture of the hall to what groceries I need to pick up. I've felt, in my adult life (ouch), that I could be getting a lot more from these experiences - if only I were smarter, knew more about music, hadn't quit piano lessons, took my aderal before performances - you get the picture.
Given the above, I found myself nearly begging the players and staff at the SC Philarmonic to teach me to follow the music and stay focused at concerts. I think what I have now is a way to understand what the conductor is doing (the right hand keeps the beat, the left hand coaches expression from the instruments), tell the difference between different pieces in the program (an overture is one long piece, a concerto is written with a huge solo for one instrument with the orchestra playing backup, and a symphony has four movements - the first sets the themes, which will repeat in the other movements, the second is usually slower, more somber, the third is commonly known as "the dance," livelier, and the fourth brings it all back together and knocks it out of the house), and better prepare myself for each concert (get there by 6:20 for the pre-show discussion, or at least early enough to read the program notes.)
So, now you know a lot of what I know, but the SC Philarmonic folks made the learning much more interesting than reading the previous paragraph probably was. We started with our visit with Doug and Petrea, which Alan did a great job blogging about a few weeks ago. Our second visit was at the Koger Center, when we were literally front and center at dress rehearsal with the players and Sarah Hatsuko Hicks, the week's new conductor search nominee.
Wicked cool. That's what it was. Sarah, dressed in curduroys, was coaching the players through the program for that evening. It was her first time conducting on the stage of the Koger, as the group rehearses in a different hall. There were final adjustments to be made - a little faster in the string sections on one piece, altering a piano to get a bell sound out of it for another. At one point our soloist for the evening's concerto came to the stage (in jeans), and everyone worked through the piece together. For a concerto, the conductor follows the soloist and the symphony follows the conductor. Our soloist, a student at Harvard, had her entire piece memorized, and it seemed at least 15 minutes long (which is plenty of time for me to make a mental grocery list, but I didn't. It was too interesting.) I had written to Sarah through myspace (who would have thought a conductor would have a myspace page?), and she knew we would be there and wanted to talk with the roadies. At the mid-rehearsal break, she came to the foot of the stage, sat down and asked us about the road show and took our questions. She was totally down to earth and made us feel completely comfortable. It was really great of her to take time for us, given her hectic schedule that day.
After a quick break we headed up to the first balcony for the rest of rehearsal, to hear the difference between the orchestra section (which is the fancy name for the floor of the Koger Center) and the balconies (most of the roadies preferred the acoustics in the balcony). We broke off for the afternoon, with plans to see each other at the concert that night.
We looked good Saturday night! I think everyone dressed up a little more for this concert than we have for our openings and performances at the Columbia Museum of Art, the Power Company, and the Nickelodeon. We ushered our guests to the first balcony, where a few rows had been set aside for us, and settled in for a concert that, for once, I knew a little something about. From the stage, Sarah shared the story of the "Blue Cathedral Overture," a piece written by her friend after the loss of her brother. Knowing the story helped us all hear the initial sounds of grief and longing, followed by hope, redemption, and, finally, peace. After the applause (and we all knew when to applaud, because we knew an overture had only one movement), Sharon and I looked at each other and said, simply, "that was so good."
The rest of the performance followed in that manner. At the end of the performance, standing in the lobby of the Koger, I felt something really different than I usually do after a performance. I felt like I had been given a really amazing gift; that they had played that performance just so I would know about that music and those stories. I heard a lot of similar comments from the roadies. It required us to take some time and learn a little more, and it required that the conductor and players make some time to help, but I think it was totally worth it.
This week (February 4-9), the next conductor search nominee is in town. He'll rehearse all week with the players, meet folks around town, and get a feel for Columbia. I'll be back at dress rehearsal Saturday morning with a few roadies (and you know we'll be comparing him to our new pal, Sarah). If you'd like to join us, send me an email at kfox@arts.sc.gov, and we might squeeze you in. You can also find more information about the conductor search by visiting scphilharmonic.com.
It's also about time to start the search for next year's roadies. Keep an eye on our myspace page (myspace.com/newaudienceroadshow) and the SC Arts Commission website, southcarolinaarts.com.
Thanks for everyone at the SC Philharmonic - we had a great time! Katie
