FRIDAY, MARCH 1, 2024 - MUSIC AND CONCERTS

 FRIDAY, MARCH 1, 2024 - CONCERTS

I’ll write a “Welcome to March” blog for Sunday. 

This weekend, the community orchestra I play in is having its March concert. We play in one location on Saturday night and another on Sunday afternoon. 

I like playing the tuba and that people enjoy our music.  

For a group of community players, we don’t get paid - in fact, we do have to pay dues to be members of this group. We perform for free but have a bucket for concertgoers to contribute. It costs to get our music. We do pay for our music. I know of music groups (maybe even church choirs) that want to save on expenses and, thus, buy one copy of music, stand at the copy machine, and make copies. We give our director a stipend (not hardly enough).

There are great orchestras - that produce records (or, these days, electronic music). Years ago, there was a way to get current music for free. That product was Napster, and a person could download Napster and listen to most music for free. If caught, the person could say, “I was thinking I would buy this album and record, and I was listening to see if I like the music.”  

Performers who make a living from their music wouldn’t get any revenue from the music that Napster provided.  

Times have changed. I can hear most music on YouTube for “free” - with ads that pop up. I can pay to have a YouTube subscription. For me, I pay for a subscription to Pandora. I’m not sure how the money gets back to the performers, but I sense I am being a legitimate listener. (There is also a free version of Pandora that has ads).  

Much of my music preferences are from composers who are long gone. On our program this week, we are playing pieces by Stravinski (died in 1971), Shostakovich (died in 1975), and Ravel (died in 1937). We are also playing pieces by two living composers (but both aged). If music authorities questioned us, all our music was purchased (or rented).  

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I hope there are large crowds at our concerts. Our community orchestra is a newer group - having split off from the long-established community orchestra. (There are enough musicians in the Austin / Central Texas area for two community orchestras).  

I hope to have friends attend our concert. I have let my Granny Basketball and bridge-playing friends know I will be playing. The reality is that my friends and acquaintances rarely attend these concerts. We have practiced long and hard on our music, but if people want to hear Stravinski’s Firebird Suite, they can do that for free on their phones or computers.  

People will flock to a Taylor Swift concert and pay for good seats because the concert atmosphere is dynamic and entertaining. I can hear the Chicago Symphony (or any of the other great orchestras from around the world) play the same music - and not have to leave my apartment - or I can attend a free concert and (maybe) put a few dollars into the bucket.  

If you are near colleges, communities, or other “free” orchestras (bands, performing groups), please attend their concerts; please support local musicians who practice weekly and love to play in public.

LOVE WINS

LOVE TRANSFORMS

Karen Anne White, ©, March 1, 2024