Video Games Live with the RPO

members of Concentus who volunteered their voices
for the VGL concert

I’ve always dreamt of performing a choral soundtrack piece (preferably Koyaanisqatsi or La Double Vie de Véronique), but I guess Video Games Live is as close as I’ll ever come. There’s something about incidental soundtrack music that can be rich and compelling, with its tendency to use the chorus as an instrument – an extension of the orchestra. In the case of the VGL music, complexity was not a factor, although the lyrics were tricky – some seemed to be Slavic and others perhaps made-up, and by the end of the performance, I know most of the chorus had made up their own words to fit the fast-paced music! But it was rollicking. When Concentus’ conductor, Gwen, asked if I wanted to participate in what would be a motley crew of chorus members, I didn’t hesitate, even though it meant learning the music on my own (to mp3s sent by the concert coordinator) and an all-afternoon rehearsal immediately prior to the concert.

the orchestra watches as an audience member plays
Guitar Hero to mostly recorded music

This was the first time I’d been on stage with the RPO (singing the Holst didn’t count, since we were offstage behind a wall), and it was an amazing perspective on the musicians, conductor, and audience, whose energy we could see and feel. It was exhilarating to feel a part of the RPO, even though we were situated behind them and we feared our sound might not carry. The conductor and many of the musicians had earpieces that clicked the tempo for them, so they would stay together with the video projection (and the backtrack – there was obviously some electronic music that was being played simultaneously, perhaps even supplementing the chorus…).

There wasn’t a lot of finesse to this type of music – it was more theatrical (the music was really in support of the video) than interpretive – and it showed in the more casual approach of the conductor. At our choral rehearsal, we skimmed through the pieces, and received only minimal guidance from Maestro Fratianni about dynamics and entrances and cutoffs. The orchestra rehearsal was similarly lacking in subtlety – it really was all about the tempo – and the earpieces almost made the conductor redundant.

the audience are invited to shine their
cellphone flashlights

The event itself resembled a rock concert more than a traditional RPO performance. The audience was overwhelmingly young (people who were familiar with games like Tron, World of Warcraft, Tetris, and Skyrim), the songs were short, and there was a great deal of audience participation. This was probably the first exposure to the RPO for many, and it will be a challenge for the organization to find ways to continue to engage them in live orchestral concerts. At dinner between rehearsal and the performance with other Concentus participants, as well as principal clarinetist Kenny Grant (husband of one of the singers), we chatted about the need for more John Williams-type concerts, which stealthily expose a new generation to classical music.

conductor, creator/guitarist, and soloist
take bows as the orchestra departs

The final song was performed just by the show’s creator/guitarist (who had quite an ego…) and the soloist, as an audience sing-along. Many of the younger men in the chorus didn’t even need to twist around to see the words displayed on the giant screen behind them to add their voices. It made me think that there had been a lost collaborative opportunity for the RPO with a local college or high school choir. Not only would such a group have had more volume, they might also have been familiar with the genre, if not the specific music. And they could have brought additional audience to the hall in the form of family and friends. Their loss was my gain!

Ticket Forgiveness (not the traffic kind!)

Last Fall, a friend and subscriber of the NYC Ballet purchased extra tickets for us and two other friends, for a date in the Spring when I’d be in the city. But in her haste to get to her seat for that night’s performance, she didn’t bother to look inside the envelope. Apparently, there was mayhem at the box office that evening, and the agent misheard the request, and gave her tickets for February, instead of May. When she finally looked at the tickets in March, she was dismayed, and we both contacted the box office (they were no help, because they didn’t work for the ballet company) and then NYC Ballet’s customer service. They initially refused to exchange the tickets for the correct evening, even though we both explained the circumstances, and that it was unlikely that four of us all forgot to attend the performance. I even contacted the development office, promising to make a contribution if they rectified the situation (and checking online, there were still plenty of seats available for the performance we intended!). Radio silence, until a few days before the date, when the organization grudgingly reseated us for the correct date. What a struggle, and not the best way to build customer loyalty…

I’ve recently learned that two performing arts groups in Rochester have generous “ticket forgiveness” policies. Geva’s “Missed Performance Insurance” allows 6-Show Season Ticket Holders to see a show they’ve accidentally missed, as long as there is availability (you need to get there no more than two hours prior to curtain). Similarly, the RPO has something called “Subscriber Standby,” which allows subscribers to exchange unused tickets for a future performance in the same season, again, subject to availability. So one more reason to be a subscriber!

Obviously, both Geva and the RPO would rather you notify them in advance so they can re-sell your unused ticket, in addition to exchanging your ticket for a future performance. And if too many people abuse these forgiveness policies, the organizations might have to get less forgiving. Now, if you realize your error after the run of the show at Geva, or after the final RPO performance in May (it happens – my parents once showed up at the Kennedy Center for a concert only to find an empty parking lot and hall – they didn’t realize the tickets were for the prior year…), you’re out of luck. But as long as you catch your mistake in time, neither Geva nor the RPO will be as rude to you as the NYC Ballet was to me!

“Good People” – Great Show!

Charlie and I both thoroughly enjoyed Geva’s Good People, directed by Mark Cuddy, on its opening night two weeks ago – it’s funny, it’s thought-provoking, and it deals with issues that we here in Rochester can definitely relate to, even though it’s set in South Boston. And speaking of setting, the rotating triangular sets were fantastic and seamless (I’d seen this concept once before, in the first Broadway production of Chess, and it was a miracle no one was hurt, they were so erratic).

All of the actors are wonderful, and it was impossible to tell whose accent was real (Mark informed us at a pre-show talk that one of the actors actually hails from Boston) and whose were not, and Charlie and I each guessed a different person. I saw the show again on my regular subscription night, this time with my sister-in-law Kathryn, and my friend Jan. I was worried I might not enjoy it as much, knowing some of the jokes and all of the dramatic twists, but I think I actually liked it more, since I had had time to think about the issues in between. The characters of Good People remind us that, just as in Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken,” you can never know what might have happened if you’d chosen a different path. And they remind us that our memory is more elastic than photographic – we mold it to fit the story we want to make of the memory. That “truth” is not something absolute, and that one person’s “luck,” when viewed from a different perspective, is actually guided by unacknowledged, but very real actions on the part of other people.

Jan emailed me the next morning, saying, “I keep thinking about the play we saw last night, which is most often my measure of whether I really liked something or not – if I leave and never think about it again it probably was good, but not good enough to think about again. So I must have really loved the play.”

Good People is yet another memorable Geva co-production that will move elsewhere when it ends its run here on November 16. So unless you are planning to visit Indianapolis in January, see it here, soon. 

“Girls Only” – Downstairs Cabaret Theatre

our group's table in the cabaret theatre

If you’re looking for an evening of pure fun on a girls’ night out, this is it. This combination of skits, improvisation, song, and dance is hysterical from beginning to end. Even before the beginning, as the actresses lounge on stage in their underwear, welcoming audience members with a wave as if we were already best friends, coming for a sleepover. My friend Mary Ann even went to talk to them before the theatre went dark! You’ve got to give actress and co-writer Linda Klein credit for guts and self-confidence, since she’s more like an older Lena Dunham than an older Keira Knightley… Amie MacKenzie, who plays the part written by and originally for Barbara Gehring, reminded me of a cross between Tina Fey and Mary Steenburgen.

Both women were thoroughly entertaining and quick on their feet, and even the one man in the audience enjoyed the show (although I’m not sure he got some of the jokes, and some of them had to make him downright uncomfortable!). And I suspect that all of the women in the audience could relate to most of the show, from the dramatic pre-teen diary entries, some of which no longer made sense to their adult selves, to a post-menopausal sketch on recycling ideas for sanitary products.

girls' night out, posing with Linda Klein and
Amy MacKenzie (front middle & right) after the show

The promotional material for “Girls Only – The Secret Comedy of Women” says it best:

“Born out of the earnest and sweetly ridiculous writings the two authors discovered in their girlhood diaries, the GIRLS ONLY mix of sketch comedy, improvisation, audience participation, and hilarious songs and videos will remind you that underneath, women all have very funny and charming feminine similarities. Bring your mothers, daughters, sisters and girlfriends; we promise you’ll leave laughing, ready to dig out YOUR diary!”

The show made me thankful that decades ago, I did a last reading through my teen diaries (seriously, who was that depressing girl?!) and carefully shredded them, so no one else would stumble on them. But the show also made me want to go again, if I can find the time to fit it in. The show runs until November 16 at the Downstairs Cabaret Theatre at Winton Place.

http://downstairscabaret.org/GIRLS%20ONLY%20Website.html

Planned Parenthood Luncheon

It was overwhelming to see so many people (mostly women, but there were a few men) turn out for the annual Planned Parenthood lunch at the Convention Center – there were at least 45 tables of about 10. My sister-in-law Kathryn and I arrived just in time to be seated, because of the time we wasted trying to park in the adjacent garage, so we didn’t have time to catch up with many friends, although I did manage to spot her cousin at a nearby table and introduce them to each other (they hadn’t seen each other in decades!).

Karen Nelson, CEO of Planned Parenthood of Central and Western New York, welcomed the audience, gave apologies for Mayor Lovely Warren, who had another event that was more important to her, and introduced Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, who received a standing ovation. I wondered whether County Executive Maggie Brooks had been invited…

The highlight of the afternoon was the keynote speaker – Sarah Weddington. I will admit I’d never heard of her. Roe v. Wade was decided when I was still a pre-teen. Thanks to her, two of my high school friends were able to have safe and legal abortions. Sadly, the Supreme Court decision did not put the issue to rest, and I must have written my Senator in my 20s, because I still have his reply (see below), complete with misspelled last name.

Ms. Weddington was a fantastic speaker, and I suspect we could have listened to her for hours and not been bored. It is amazing to think that she was only 26 years old when she went before the Supreme Court. She appalled us with stories of states that as recently as 50 years ago criminalized birth control, let alone abortion. And she rued that she never would have thought that abortion would still be an issue almost 40 years later, and admitted she is “worried about whether we’re on the edge of losing.” Her state, Texas, like many other southern “red” states, is trying to make abortion unavailable. She implored us to keep New York a haven for women in states that curtail women’s rights. The timing of the luncheon couldn’t have been better, as we approach mid-term elections next week. Obviously, there are many issues to consider in choosing a political candidate (or in many cases, casting a ‘yes’ vote for one candidate merely as a way of saying ‘no’ to the other). But this is one issue I hope is a non-issue in our state, now and forever.

Infinity boxes by Matt Elson at the Memorial Art Gallery

First, let me say that there is no way to communicate how cool this exhibit is in words – you really have to see it in person – but I will try.

Linda & Sue in one of the boxes

In August, the Memorial Art Gallery ran an on-line fundraiser to bring the Infinity Boxes to Rochester, and one of the levels gave the supporters (and their friends) a private one-hour tour with the artist himself. It’s a rare privilege to actually meet a creator, so I didn’t hesitate. Although the boxes have been on a road trip cross-country (Matt lives in LA), the MAG is the first museum to host the exhibit. Marie Via, Director of Exhibitions, coordinated and accompanied us on our visit, and explained that while the bulk of the boxes are together in one room, others are strategically located throughout the galleries to encourage visitors to explore the entire museum (Matt remarked that this was an extraordinary experience for him as an artist). And since it’s such a compact museum, that isn’t such a hardship!

Many Gwens

Matt couldn’t have been more delightful as he introduced himself (his background is in computer graphics, and he spent time at both Dreamworks and Disney) and the Infinity Box concept: “artworks that play with and explore human perception and social connection.” Each box is different, each window provides a unique experience, and the boxes are “only active when they’re shared, because art happens in community.” 

Many Lindas

With one exception, each box requires at least two people to experience fully (“It takes two. I thought one was enough, It’s not true: It takes two of us”*). And since the perspective from each opening of each box differs, you need to take your time exploring. Matt urged us not to be timid, but to get our heads totally inside the boxes, to “immerse (ourselves) in the particular experience,” and to touch his artwork and exquisite frames on the outside. How often do you get that up close and personal with museum art? He also wants people to take pictures and share them, to encourage social interaction. Matt graciously offered to send me a copy of the audio he was recording of our tour, which allowed me to put down my notepad and really be present in the “here and now” of the experience.

Many mes

Although there are some warnings about possible vertigo or nausea, my group’s reaction was overwhelmingly:  “Wow!” No dizziness, just some occasional “magic eye” moments, and amazement at the miracle of mirrors, and the ways they can trick your eyes and brain. There was one box in particular that lent itself to panoramic photography. When I requested that he photograph me while I changed my expression, he remarked that I was “one of the very few people that intuitively gets that” (maybe you just have to be a bit of a geek...). Unfortunately, even though he called out “change” to warn me of the stitching, we weren’t quite in synch, so sometimes my face looks a bit wacky.

Sue, me, Matt, Linda, and Gwen

The exhibit runs through January 4, 2015, and would be great for taking visiting relatives to over the holidays. Apparently, all the security guards have been trained to assist museum-goers in experiencing the art, since they won’t have the benefit of personal instruction by the artist. I have a feeling I’ll be back a couple of times with different sets of friends, and I’ll keep trying for the perfect panorama.

For more information, visit the museum’s website: http://mag.rochester.edu/exhibitions/infinity-boxes/

Or Matt Elson’s website: www.mattelson.com

* It’s always Sondheim.

DANCE/Hartwell

"At the Jubilee" (photo courtesy of the College at Brockport)

Our friend Colleen, who is getting her MFA in Dance at Suny Brockport, presented her masters thesis dance at the past weekend’s performances in the DANCE/Hartwell program. She had invited me to some of the rehearsals, but I hadn’t had time, so the piece was a complete (and exciting!) surprise. Charlie and I were accompanied by her uncle Tom and his partner Glen, and as I entered Hartwell Hall, two girls with bouquets of flowers reminded me we hadn’t bought Colleen any. Luckily some students were selling single roses, for $3.50, and I bought four, one for each of us to give her (I was such an old lady to the girl taking my $20, who immediately went to her phone to calculate my total – I admonished her to do the math in her head, and she just stared at me blankly, until one of her friends loudly whispered the answer).

Although there were eight pieces on the program, it ran just under an hour. The first piece, “111, Go!” completely captivated me. Allison Bohman’s choreography (“in collaboration with the dancers”) was a perfect counterpoint to her music choice of two movements from Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3. The creative, and complementary, costumes, designed by Emma Scholl, were all made from the same fabrics, but none was alike. I also liked the use of light and shadow, and the fact that the lone male dancer wasn’t marginalized, but had a role equal to that of the women.

I had seen “Glassy Ladies” (choreographed by Rachel Keane, Maya Gonzales, and Christina Gorman) before, in a smaller space, and either because it was not new to me, or because it was no longer an intimate performance, it didn’t seem to have the same impact on this stage. And as amusing as the addition of video was to the piece, it seemed to distract, rather than fill the larger space. Some of the works were set to music with lyrics that I felt also distracted from the movement, especially when they required effort to listen to, or were more clever than the choreography. But all of the dancers performed beautifully.

"At the Jubilee" (photo courtesy of the College at Brockport)

Colleen’s piece, “At the Jubilee,” was last but not least (I was reminded of my youth piano recitals, where the best students performed first and last, and the rest of us were sandwiched forgettably in between). This was the first time I had seen her work choreographed for dancers other than herself, and I was impressed by her ability to translate her vocabulary of movements to her troupe. She also incorporated some lighter moments into the work, and gave the audience a chance to laugh, which we did. It was a great ensemble piece, and although Colleen also participated, she did not solo, or even put herself in front. We only got to spend a few minutes afterward with her, because we kept getting interrupted by other people who wanted to congratulate her on a job so well done! I really hope Colleen finds a niche in Rochester post-graduation, so our community can continue to benefit from her talent and enthusiasm. I remarked to Charlie on our drive home that this was probably our last visit to Hartwell Hall, but as he replied, “you never know...”