Saturday we survived the sixth annual Schubertiade. Around 500 people crammed the 8th floor of the Fine Arts Building this year--we keep breaking our record. Here are the numbers:500 people (approxiate, since it's free it is impossible to be exact)
60+ performers (thank you, thank you)
15+ volunteers (thank you, thank you)
3 "stages"
7 hours (x3= 21 actual hours of music)
The atmosphere was charged. There were lots of young folk and children in attendance and also many regulars who have been to every Schubertiade since we began. That includes the year we did it on Superbowl Sunday when Bears were playing and it was -10 degrees outside (we still filled the room)!
Why do we do it? The easy answer is that it is a celebration of Schubert's birthday with his music--an idea started in Europe and practiced in many cities. However, if that were the only reason, I seriously wouldn't care if we never had another Schubertiade. The stress on our family, the wear and tear on our children, my legs, Thomas' high blood pressure, and our dog--yes, even our dog--make it a day I dread as much as look forward to. And that is despite our wonderful hardworking volunteers who have taken over so much of the work (again, thank you, thank you).
However, I truly think that if classical music is to survive it is through personal experiences like the Schubertiade that it will gain a foothold. Here is an event that is free to the public, where there is no pressure to sit through two hours of music (you can come and go as you please), where children are welcome (with adults, mind), where there is a party atmosphere yet people are (for the most part) well behaved and you experience the music close up (in intimate rooms) and can meet the artists afterward (even sit next to them in other concerts). I believe it is through these experiences that people, who might not otherwise, build positive and more open attitudes to classical music.
Granted, our reach is not large. The superstars such as Lang Lang do their part to raise consciousness through their sell out concerts and media blitzing. But how many people can afford a concert by LL and of those, how many can afford (or will risk) to take a child with them?
We are not the only ones, of course. There are so many wonderful ideas taking form in Chicago (Fifth House Ensemble's Black Violet is one, just off the top of my head). By the way, if you go to Black Violet, look for a puritan dog in the crowd with different colored eyes, that is our long suffering Heidi (mentioned above).
Thanks for reading.
