Making Music
13 musicians from the Bemidji Symphony Orchestra toured to the nine KRLS branch libraries with a short program of familiar (Appalachian Spring) and new (Quiet Landscape by Joseph Adams, a young Minnesota composer) music. Afternoon public workshops were held to explain the music and its origin. The purpose was to bring accessible classical music, performed by local musicians, to our small communities. The composer Joseph Adams attended 4 workshops and 4 performances.
2010 Event Dates and Locations:
Tuesday 3 August Bemidji
Thursday 5 August Blackduck
Friday 6 August Wadena
Saturday 7 August Brainerd
Monday 9 August Park Rapids
Thursday 12 August Walker
Friday 13 August Pine River
Saturday 14 August Longville
Tuesday 17 August Cass Lake
Todd Green: Man of 100 Instruments
Performance deposit of $4,500 for tour in 2011.
Partner Organization(s): 8 local churches provided venues for the performance; the Bemidji Symphony Orchestra (BSO).
BSO acted as fiscal agent for the honoraria to the musicians, obtained public performa rights
Program Outputs:
Attendance:
Bemidji 150
Blackduck 54
Cass Lake 55
Wadena 57
Brainerd 50
Park Rapids 247
Walker 100
Pine River 92
Longville 52
Total: 787
94% of respondents found the performances good or excellent. Attendance at the workshops was too small and evaluations were to sketchy to be valid. While most respondents enjoyed the familiar music more, over 50% appreciated the opportunity to hear a new piece of music composed by a Minnesotan. The most frequent comments were "I never thought that I'd hear the symphony in this town", "please do it again", and requests for a longer program with more shorter pieces of music. Very few people had met a living Minnesota composer, and 80% of respondents in the 4 communities that he visited found it valuable.