One of the big questions is: where to do it? Longy’s Pickman Hall, where we did it in 2004, is a beautiful recital hall that holds about 300 people. Last time, we filled it, and we didn’t have this blog as a way of advertising the event — it was all word of mouth and mailing lists that we created by hand. Maybe we could fill a larger hall (and raise more money) this time — like Jordan Hall, which seats 1,000?
These halls book far in advance, so if we’re going to try to do a concert in late summer or early fall, we need to get going now. And they’re not cheap to rent — Longy is several hundred dollars, and Jordan is much more. So I would love to know from you all: would you be interested in coming to this kind of event? Also, would you consider helping us rent the hall, in addition to making a campaign contribution as your admission? There’s a poll on the flip, and please drop additional ideas in the comments — it would help us out a lot to know what you think!
Catchy, I like that. That could be a national program that’s done in cities across the country.
… should she be the nominee…
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p>And it’d end when she sang?
and I’d bring my wife… and I’m pretty sure I don’t even like opera.
And you could EASILY fill the bigger hall in my opinion.
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p>Of course, getting those guys requires booking this far in advance as much as the hall does…
Wouldn’t that make it their event? I got the feeling the idea was to collect a pile of money in a BMG pot to raise the profile and stature of the site.
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p>But if not, then yeah, contact those folks. I think it would be easy to fill a hall with them.
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p>I wouldn’t go because I don’t like opera. And since the wife and I rarely get nights out alone, I’d rather go for a long, deliberate meal featuring a big fat heart clogging steak and several cocktails when I get the chance.
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p>No offense. I wish you luck if you do it.
What about holding an outdoor concert? With obvious backup indoors in case of rain?
really doesn’t work very well outdoors. It has to be amplified, which is never very satisfying. Big orchestras (e.g. Boston Pops) can get away with it, but we’re talking about much smaller-scale performances — one singer and one pianist, that kind of thing.
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p>Plus, the rain thing is a big problem.
“Opera” puts people off who would otherwise listen to classical music — even classical music with voices. Perhaps it’s less glamorous or prestigious to say one is a vocal recitalist. As a kid, I was listening to the Winterreise and the German Requiem and not to Tosca or Tristan. I didn’t think of the former as being sung by opera singers.
Unless you’re getting a local vocal superstar (say, Robert Honeysucker), an intimate little recital of Schubert lieder or whatever isn’t going to get a large-ish audience for a fundraiser.
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p>You want a turn-out — get a chorus, because they’ll tell THEIR friends. Besides, choral music is a BIG thing in these parts, and plenty of a capella pieces which can be sung if you can’t put together a volunteer orchestra.
I’m sure it is hard for a singer to project and hard to predict weather. I used to go to Golden Gate park to hear Renata Scotto and other opera/classical yrs ago.
My husband is a member of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus and two other choral organizations — I suspect that you’d have plenty of volunteers for a little “back-up” group once you have a date set if he posts a request for volunteers on the TFC listserv. (Just make sure to look at the BSO’s web site first to be sure that there’s no conflict.)
While I don’t know much about opera, I enjoy all kinds of music and I appreciate excellence in any art.
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p>Helping to raise money for an important cause and giving you guys some applause sounds like a winner to me.
I blush to admit that I have a nearly tin ear – but my husband is a singer and music lover, so he would love it and if there is a way to help, we would be glad to do it.
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p>Of course, our town has a small hall, the Regent Theater which has wonderful acoustics….but I know you are aiming for far more than the Regent’s 550 seats. I love the idea of planning, in advance, to fundraise for whomever the Dem candidate will be.
is a nice space — I’ve sung there in years past — but it doesn’t have a good piano. (At least, it didn’t back in the day.) We need a good quality concert grand for what we want to do, which pretty much limits us to halls at music schools.
Some performers have “brought their own” – it is a different piano now then it was [but I am not someone with a “good ear” but I am sure they would be glad to walk you through. My son [matter of disclosure] is a long time employee at the Regent so I could put you in touch with him if you contact me directly at AmberPaw@aol.com – also, smaller fundraisers using movies and the like work well there.
come to the concert. Getting there could be problematic, so like a caucus voter I have second choice which is that I would donate.
I might donate to be excused FROM attending. But I still think it’s a good idea – I’m sure there will be others who are opera fans and would attend.
Sure, I just love Democrats.
I’ll come as long as its a fundraiser to get Jim Traficant a retrial.
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Count me in to attend and help with the rent. I have never attended an Opera performance so it sounds like a great new experience. They only thing that scared me was was the length. 3 hours sounds like a long time especially for a the Opera newbies like me.
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for all the opera-newbies or downright opera-phobes out there to get on board if we just called it a singin’ concert? That’s all it is: Singing. Loud singing, for sure. But we’re not doing a full staging of Die Götterdämmerung, for cryin’ out loud.
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p>Just getting up there and belting it out — just like American Idol. Only louder.
Hell, I’d pay double for that!
the concert ended with the Star Spangled Banner – loud, heartfelt, enthusiastic singing by people who felt they were reclaiming their national anthem. An amazing, happy time
if Clinton wins she’ll only agree to sing Weill-Brecht pieces – she says it’s the only music that sets the proper context for all things Clinton.
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p>(She’s also a local classical/opera performer.)
While I was aware that you were an opera singer, I was unaware that Charley also sings.
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p>Since it sounds like you’ll both be performing in the fundraiser, the obvious question is: What will Bob do?
Tambourine? Triangle? Agitator?
that Bob will be performing a series of incomparable and inexpressibly beautiful interpretive dances alongside the musicians.
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p>Naked, of course. Clothing ruins the purity of the gesture.
Have you given any thought to putting Bob on a horse?