Most of my professional musician peers have bucket lists of
musical experiences. The experiences include learning (and performing, usually)
the most well-known concerti (or arias) for one’s instrument (or voice) and
meeting (and having a lesson with) the most well-known performers on one’s
instrument, as well as such exotic side shows as visiting the home of J.S.
Bach, going to a Proms concert, and so forth.
Music aficionados (which may of course overlap with the
above demographic) often have bucket lists of musical experiences as well. The
top of these lists is generally occupied by the desire to see one’s favorite
artist live in concert.
As I was reflecting this summer on my life as a professional
musician, I realized that some of my most fulfilling musical experiences were
as a listener, rather than a performer. That is not to say that I think little
of performing experiences. I am, after all, a music educator, and I am paid, in
part, to prepare students for public performances. I also have many great
memories of performing myself, particularly from my time as an undergraduate at
Wheaton College, and I am grateful that performance was a core part of the Conservatory
curriculum. But there is great value in simply listening to music, especially
through attending live performances.
But where to begin? In some ZIP codes, there are probably
dozens of concerts occurring nightly. I want to recommend three live musical
experiences that I believe every person should add to his or her bucket list.
Feel free to add to this list in the comments section.
1. Training Orchestra Concert
Young people have a lot of energy. This will not surprise
anyone who has spent any time with children, but young adults too have a lot of
energy. This energy is often particularly evident when young people begin the
first exciting years of their careers. The excitement of finishing college,
getting a job, and doing what one loves combine into high levels of
productivity.
I have seen this phenomenon in training orchestras. These
young adult musicians bring a different kind of energy to the stage than their
elder colleagues. With their whole careers yet to unfold, these
twenty-something orchestral musicians fill the concert hall with an excitement
that is hard to describe – and the performances are simply suburb.
Training orchestras in the United States include the Civic
Orchestra of Chicago, the New World Symphony (Miami), and the Symphony in C
(Camden, New Jersey).
2. Outdoor Classical Concert
Outdoor classical music festivals are seriously one of the
best ways to spend a summer evening. When and where else can you hear major
choral, orchestral, and/or wind repertoire performed by professional musicians
and have a picnic at the same time?
For those of us who cannot afford to hire the Irish Tenors to sing at our
private backyard barbecues, summer outdoor concerts fill this void. You can
even take pictures and talk to people during
the performance (but please keep it to a minimum).
Outdoor classical concerts in the United States are almost
limitless during the summer months. Some examples: Grant Park Music Festival
(Chicago), Hollywood Bowl (Los Angeles), the Ravinia Festival (Highland Park,
Illinois, just north of Chicago), the Tanglewood Festival (Lenox, Massachusetts, outside Boston), and Wolf Trap
National Park for the Performing Arts (Vienna, Virginia, outside Washington).
3. Performance of a Sacred Masterwork
I was a little spoiled during my undergraduate years, and
even after with my continuing connections to Wheaton, because the Wheaton
Conservatory presents a lot of sacred masterworks. But Christian colleges are
not the only places to hear these pieces, though there is something extra
moving about watching these young Christian musicians present this music that
speaks explicitly of their faith. (Perhaps more on that subject later.)
Performances of sacred masterworks are even more limitless
than outdoor classical concerts, so I will instead suggest pieces rather than
ensembles or venues. Some suggestions: Bach’s Mass in B Minor, Handel’s Messiah,
and the Requiems of Brahms, Mozart, and Verdi. And those five are seriously
only a very small portion of the worthwhile repertoire.
Enjoy!
This is Rubio, over and out.
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