With thanks to Ron for reminding me to blog about the wonderful ESWAT team at the Edmonton Symphony.
Every year around this time our intrepid Principal Trombone, John McPherson, gathers a group of like-minded lunatics from the orchestra. Together they form ESWAT, which supposedly stands for Edmonton Symphony Wandering Away Team. John is an excellent arranger and he puts together medleys of Christmas-related music for the ESWAT group. Being the open-eared person that he is he has been known to incorporate tunes from our Masters Series concerts as well as pop culture into these medleys. Then they wander around Edmonton, set up shop somewhere, and play away.
This being Edmonton all their “concerts” are indoors, usually somewhere in the skywalk system. It’s wonderful to hear about the effect that these little promenades have on people. On more than one occasion I have had patrons of the ESO mention how much they enjoyed stumbling on an ESWAT performance, and how it really made their day. This is a really wonderful way for members of the orchestra to connect with citizens who might not ever see them do their thing. It’s also wonderful press for the orchestra.
This is the type of “thinking outside the box” which could be really effective for classical musicians. The good folks at the Richmond Symphony have come up with something that should make all our hearts feel large. They put out a cattle call to any and all musicians, professional or amateur, to come play with the orchestra. All you had to do was pay $5 and show up with your instrument. This is a wonderful story and I think every orchestra should do this. Charles Ives would be really pleased.
OK, folks – time to dream up community outreach ideas….. Your turn!!!
I was wondering how practical it would be to have orchestras work a little like Google. Or at least, to give musicians the option to work for the orchestra most of the time (as they already do), but also be paid for a project of their own choosing that can help increase the orchestra’s standing in its community.
I understand that the orchestral contract in St. Louis has a per-service addition for “outside” CE/Outreach projects, but I wonder what the consequences of this would be at other orchestras. Would it change the culture of an orchestra to reward initiative? Some of these projects would probably spin off, or expand the orchestra, in unexpected ways…
Reuben
Not to take you away from Bill here, but if you look at my Challenge=Opportunity Part 4 Turning Green into Gold (you will find it on the right if you click articles under audience connection), it is what we are doing in Springfield with the Musicians Intiative Fund, which is their fund to do community outreach, and they decide how to spend it!
Ron