May 2010:
No Snobs Allowed
As I sit in the café that I least often frequent in Vancouver, I am reminded why I don’t usually choose to do my daily writing here. I hate snobs! I mean, if I prefer weak, coffee-flavored milk for my daily fix, why can’t I just order a large, decaf, single-shot latte without getting a sermon about the purity of some roaster’s beans and the fact they will dilute their precious brand if they serve a latte to me “my way”? I think consumers should have the freedom to experience any product of their desire on their own terms. This is why I am so committed to finding alternative ways to present classical music to people who feel that the prevailing concert hall format has too many barriers to entry. Firstly, most people can’t pay upwards of $40 for their evening entertainment. They either don’t have the wardrobe, or don’t feel comfortable in formal attire when they spend a night out. For that matter, they find the performer’s funereal concert black morose. Many people feel also alienated listening to the music of dead white males who’s sensibilities seem to have nothing to do with their current existence. And they are intimidated about audience etiquette, afraid that they might clap or, god forbid, cough in the wrong places. So, throughout my career, and especially with Forbidden Flutes, in an effort to shatter these barriers, I have done everything from serving drinks, cabaret-style at classical events; wearing vibrant colors or jeans on stage; offering door prizes and other fun incentives at concerts; taking promo photos in my bathtub (fully-clothed); playing in jazz clubs, subway stations, wineries, schools, hospices, homeless shelters, yoga studios and public parks; performing classical arrangements of everything from Cole Porter to Radiohead; and most importantly talking to the audience about the relevance of classical music to their 21st century realities, The culmination of all of these activities has come together in our new concept for a television show, The Flute Doctors (visit the link on this site), which aims to get new listeners jazzed about classical music. And, as recent prize winners in a film industry pitch competition, we are excited to have several producers interested in partnering with us to make this show a reality.
But such efforts have not always been applauded by some of our the stayed classical music appreciators. After a performance at the University of Oregon, where I used to be a faculty member, Liesa and I once received a TYPED letter from what we could only surmise was a 90+-year-old member of our audience. He criticized everything from our contemporary dressing style to our casual banter with the audience. Clearly, he wholeheartedly missed the point that is was our intention to be more inclusive and informal with our audience. So, dismissing this as another typical misunderstanding, I shred the letter to bits. But Liesa convinced me that it would be “one for the archives” so here is a reconstruction of his diatribe which she insisted I tape back together. Maybe it will make a great cover for our next CD:
Producing our most recent CD, Take the L Train, and designing our Forbidden Flutes’ site, we were aware that as two women who enjoy a more alternative, hip, even sensual look to our promotional materials. we would risk being accused of “using sex to sell”. And recording mostly classically-inspired, composed rather than improvised jazz works on this CD, we figured that some would consider us neither legitimately classical not jazz artists. But those are risks that we’ve been willing to take because we know that our repertoire, fashion, and design choices are purely artistically inspired, and not at all market-driven. We just happen to love the music, the image, and the graphics that we have selected to represent us, and we trust that this true expression of ourselves will attract the right audience to our work.
So, for those of you who don’t think “crossover” is a dirty word, and for others who are open to thoughtful solutions that will bring classical music into the fold of popular culture, I want to give a nod to some other artists who have been very successful in doing so. Check out any recording by the Kronos Quartet(especially their Sigur Ros album) who have been stretching the boundaries of contemporary music for their entire 32-year-long, international career. The piano duo, Anderson & Roe, are also bringing a wonderfully fresh approach to classical music with their many clever videos, and animated performances. Time for Three is a young string trio who improvises, arranges and performs everything from Imogen Heap and Leonard Cohen to bluegrass, in the world’s greatest venues such as Boston’s Symphony Hall. And finally, there is New York’sFireworks Ensemble, who I have had the pleasure to play with, a few years back, in their acclaimed rock ‘n roll version of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring with flute, bass clarinet, saxophone, drums, electric guitar, bass, and piano. In my opinion, these risk-takers are the future of classical music, and their success can be measured by the great variety of hair color in their audience.
