PRINTCoMo gives a fresh spin on classical music
The Odyssey Chamber Music Series brings in big crowds
File Photo
Director Alex Innecco says planning concerts is a game to win audience attention.
March 31, 2011 | 12:00 a.m. CST
*Correction: The name of the Arnold Schoenberg piece was misspelled in an earlier version of the story.
Classical music might be centuries old, but it’s still kicking in Columbia. This year alone, energetic volunteers and community support made approximately 30 classical performances possible. Columbia’s classical scene must compete for attention by changing things up.
WHERE:
Missouri TheatreWHEN:
Sunday, 2 p.m.COST:
$20, $10 with student IDCALL:
875-0600The Odyssey Chamber Music Series provides seven to eight classical concerts from a smaller ensemble every year, and the group is playing to a large audience. In a recent concert, Genuinely Baroque, the ensemble brought in more than 250 people. The last time Arnold Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire composition was featured, the house was packed. This is because Artistic Director Ayako Tsuruta tries to keep things interesting.
“There is so much music out there I would love to keep sharing with our audience,” Tsuruta wrote in an email. “I try to keep myself open to any suggestions. I also try to introduce the unexpected to the audience by mixing up the standard, familiar works with something completely different at times.”
The Missouri United Methodist Church Concert Series includes 12 classical concerts, and like Tsuruta, Missouri United Methodist Director of Music Ministries Alex Innecco also tries new approaches. Innecco sees the planning of these concerts as a game; he wins if he gets the audience’s attention.
He keeps crowds engaged by combining recognizable songs with music they wouldn’t know, such as a song from a commercial followed by a more traditional piece. Innecco says this method is similar to writing scores for movies, such as Black Swan and The King’s Speech. The music is classical, but much of the audience doesn’t notice.
Innecco isn’t playing to only older contestants. “I see the audience getting younger and younger,” he says. “Part of that is choosing younger performers. I can’t expect having 60-year-old performers bring 14-year-olds to watch them unless it’s their grandkids.” For example, pre-collegiate musicians and experienced performers play together in two groups associated with the series: the Columbia Chorale and The Ninth Street Philharmonic Orchestra.
The Missouri United Methodist Concert Series is not the only series to see an increase in Generation X and Y attendance. The Columbia Civic Orchestra, an organization of professional musicians and hobbyists passionate about playing music, also see younger musicians.
Scherrie Goettsch, board member of the Columbia Civic Orchestra, says the younger attendees are usually studying music in school. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to see more seasoned performers,” she says.
And it’s not just experienced musicians keeping the genre afloat. Next fall, the MU Unions Arts Council looks to initiate Tunes at Noon, a program that would provide classical performances in the MU Student Center, courtesy of the School of Music. The council dedicates its time to supporting artistic growth at the Student Center and Memorial Union. It noticed music was one area of the arts that needed emphasis.
As much as all of these groups suggest classical music is classi-cool, The University Concert Series is struggling to sell enough tickets to classical shows.
Nine classical concerts for The Series were performed in 2010, and nine are planned for the rest of this year. The series is considering only five for the 2012 season. “We’ve seen the trend of classical music decline for probably the last four or five years,” says Mike Dunn, University Concert Series director.
Dunn blames the decline on a drop in ticket sales across the nation. The Series was left with a deficit of $78,128.88 from 2009-2010 performances. In 2010, only the St. Louis Symphony performance sold enough tickets to cover costs.
Innecco explains why he thinks his series is thriving, despite woes in the classical music world.
“It’s all about understanding the nature of the beast,” he says. “I chose to live in Columbia because I see it as great ground for growth. We’ve developed an audience here. They learned. They come. They’re excited.”
