2012 WCMW: Recap II
I’m back with part II of our 2012 WCMW Recap! In case you missed it, our first two events of this season can be found in our 2012 WCMW: Recap I. Picking up right where we left off last week, here is a glimpse of our third and fourth events of the season. Enjoy! WEEK 3: Saxophone Quartet Directed by Lynn Klock Jeff Soffer, soprano saxophone Aaron Stewart, alto saxophone Anthony Cincotta, tenor saxophone Lynn Klock, baritone saxophone
WEEK 4: The Copernicus Duo Jamecyn Morey, violin David Bebe, cello
2012 WCMW: Recap I
Y’all, we have had SUCH a fun time planning and organizing the second season of the WCMW! With four diverse concerts (one every weekend in May), we had a whole month of exciting chamber music right here in Westminster. The great thing about chamber music is that it’s intimate. It breaks down some of the barriers between performer and audience that traditional venues (auditoriums, halls) often have in place. It allows for better communication. In fact, the Q&A conversations with the musicians each week were some of our favorite moments! Here’s a look at the 2012 WCMW:
WEEK 1: The Samirah Evans Jazz Trio Samirah Evans, vocals Miro Sprague, piano Wayne Roberts, bass
Watch a video clip here.
WEEK 2: Community Sing Led by Dr. Susan Conkling
Watch a video clip here.
Stay tuned for part II with recaps of weeks 3 and 4!
WCMW: Why We Do What We Do
Image Credit: Nicholas Garofalo
I feel so fortunate for the opportunity to create, build, and dream up new ideas and bring them to fruition. Steve and I truly love what we do and I’m so grateful for that. When it comes to the Westminster Chamber Music Workshop (we’re halfway through our second season now!), many have asked how we got started and why all of our events are free to the public. Together, Steve and I wrote a response on the WCMW blog last week and I thought I’d share some of our thoughts here, as well. Since this is a joint post, Steve’s comments will be in blue. Here we go!
We started the WCMW in 2011 (really, the fall of 2010) as a way to bring excellent musical experiences to Westminster and the surrounding communities. Soon after relocating to Westminster, we realized there was a need for concerts right here for anyone and everyone that wanted to experience them.
Our original plan for the WCMW included a parallel track for singers and instrumentalists in the area who wanted to experience chamber music first-hand. As such, our first season (June 20-25, 2011) featured a 16-person chamber choir, which rehearsed all week and performed our final concert. We also organized six special events for the community, ranging from a voice and piano recital to a trombone duo to an interactive game of musical memory.
We knew from the beginning that we wanted all of our events to be free and open to the public – not because we think music should be free and not because the people we had coming in were willing to perform or teach for free. Rather, because we wanted these musical experiences to be ACCESSIBLE to everyone, regardless of age, status, or ability to pay. Through the generous support of cultural council grants, local businesses, individuals, and a special grant through Fitchburg State University, we raised enough money to cover our administrative costs (printing, marketing, website, music, etc.) and pay our faculty and guest artists (six total).
People ask us all the time why we don’t charge “a little something” or put out a donation plate. Without expounding on this issue of whether free products/services devalue them (which is widely debated), let me say this – if one person attends an event of ours who wouldn’t have been able to pay admission, and what we do sparks an interest in them, moves them, makes an impact on them, then we have done our job. That person will go out and explore music, share it with others, spend money in the musical economy, and more.
This year, we adjusted the model to include four larger-scale concerts featuring ten excellent musicians. Our second season includes a different concert every weekend in May: a fiery jazz trio, our first-ever community sing, a dynamic saxophone quartet, and a classical string duo. Once again, each and every event is completely FREE to those who want to come. Yes, we’ve gotten some quizzical looks but we stand behind these words:
The mission of the WCMW is to provide opportunities for community members of all ages to come together and experience great music.
Once more, through the generosity and support of many friends, local businesses, and cultural councils, we are able to cover our costs and pay the musicians who are traveling in to present these concerts. Those who attend will get to experience this great music, free of charge, with the hope that they’ll go out and support music somewhere else in the greater community. It’s a gift that keeps on giving! As they say, pay it forward!
In conclusion, get out there! Perform more, attend concerts, be a good listener, support the arts, try new things, build relationships, create opportunities, and make music happen!
Ashley & Steve
See more: WCMW: Behind the Scenes Webinar: Making Concerts Happen Anywhere 2012 WCMW Schedule of Events
Planning a Concert Reception
What a busy weekend we had!
Saturday marked our first WCMW concert of the season and we had a great time with the Samirah Evans Jazz Trio! Steve and I decided to put together a brief reception after each concert this year so I've been collecting inspiration for a few weeks now. We knew we needed food that was crowd-friendly, easy to prepare and serve, and kept the flow of traffic moving. Mini food seemed like the perfect option and the presentation is just too cute!
Being that Saturday was Cinco de Mayo, we fixed individual portions of Mexican layer dip topped with tortilla chips and served cups of chilled limeade. Delicious and it was quite the hit!
Sneak peek! We'll be making these Caprese Salad bites in a few weeks - mozzarella cheese, cherry/grape tomatoes, and basil leaves. I love them!
WCMW: Behind the Scenes
Goodness! There’s just one more day until our first WCMW concert of the season and we are beside ourselves with excitement! I thought it might be fun to give you a little behind-the-scenes glimpse of our preparations for tomorrow’s event and our 2012 season. Hope you enjoy!
Wednesday night: Steve and I did our final round of edits on the program book and did a once-over proofing to make sure everything was set to go for our first round of printing Thursday morning. After several hours of tweaking, converting, saving, and sharing between computers (madness, at times), we finally ended up with a final copy of the file… at 12:45 a.m. Phew!
First thing Thursday morning, Steve was at Staple’s to pick up some extra paper and I was on my way out the door to get started on the copying. This year’s program book is a grand 36 pages (9 sheets, front and back)!
Things never go exactly as planned, of course. After many frustrating encounters with a botched file (and a trip home to fix it), paper jams, chewed up glossy (expensive!) paper, and roller marks, we finally got everything sorted out. We spent a total of 3.5 hours sending one page at a time to the copier (Steve’s job) and feeding a few pages at a time (one side at a time) into the copier (my job) but we have 100 beautiful program books to show for it! I count that as a success!
Today's job is collating and stapling. So looking forward to handing these out on Saturday night at our jazz event!
About the WCMW: Based in the beautiful north-central region of Massachusetts, this summer chamber music series offers an assortment of dynamic concerts and special events presented by renowned guest artists from the regional area. Founded in 2011, the Westminster Chamber Music Workshop exists to provide opportunities for community members of all ages to come together and experience great music. With the support of generous grants, sponsors, and donors, all of our events are free and open to the public.
Making Concerts Happen
We had a great experience with our webinar, “Presenting Concerts in Your Local Community: Creative Ideas for Making Concerts Happen Anywhere” on Monday night! Hosted by Polyphonic On-Campus, Steve and I used the WCMW as a case study to explore strategies and ideas for creating community-centered events. We shared our personal insight in getting to know your community, evaluating your assets, getting funded, and creating opportunities. Ready to make concerts happen in your local community? Get started by watching our webinar presentation!
2012 WCMW Schedule of Events
Steve and I are so proud of and excited about this year’s Westminster Chamber Music Workshop (WCMW)! We have four great events planned for May 2012. Each event is designed to be educational, entertaining, and fun, combining the performance of music with insight from our esteemed guest artists (see more here). Our mission is to provide excellent musical opportunities to people of all ages and as a result, all events are FREE of charge and open to all! If you’re in the area, we hope you’ll join us!
THE SAMIRAH EVANS JAZZ TRIO
Saturday, May 5, 2012, 7:00 p.m.
First Congregational Church of Westminster
Free Admission
Co-presented by CenterStage at FSU.
Originally from the Great South (New Orleans, to be exact) and currently from Brattleboro, Vermont, Samirah Evans is a dynamic performer with a voice described as “smoky-sweet” by the Times-Picayune. Joined by two members of her “Handsome Devils” band, you’ll enjoy an evening of sultry, fiery, and foot-tappin’ tunes that will have you dancing out the door! Click here to read more about Samirah.
COMMUNITY SING with DR. SUSAN CONKLING
Saturday, May 12, 2012, 7:00 p.m. First Congregational Church of Westminster Free Admission
Rich with tradition dating back to the early 20th century, the Community Sing is an informal musical event designed for all ages – no experience and no preparation necessary! We hope you’ll join us for an evening of good, old-fashioned singing. Come be a part of the fun! Click here to read more about Susan Conkling.
THE SAXOPHONE QUARTET directed by LYNN KLOCK
Saturday, May 19, 2012, 7:00 p.m.
First Congregational Church of Westminster
Free Admission
We are so pleased to welcome not one, not two, not three, but four saxophonists for a concert of quartet music! For those of you who have never heard a saxophone quartet play live, you’re in for a real treat! The concert program will include a wide variety of music written for soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophone. The quartet is coached and directed by master teacher and performer Lynn Klock. Click here to read more.
THE COPERNICUS DUO
Saturday, May 26, 2012, 7:00 p.m.
First Congregational Church of Westminster
Free Admission
We are thrilled to introduce the members of the Copernicus Duo to you – meet David Bebe and Jamecyn Morey, a husband and wife duo active in the realms of musical performance and music education. The Copernicus Duo, featuring David on the cello and Jamecyn on the violin will present our final concert of the 2012 season. Join us for what promises to be a wonderful evening of music! Click here to read more about David and Jamecyn.
Image Credit: personal, Andrew Kielbowicz, David Pope, personal
Presenting Concerts in Your Local Community
Ever wondered how musicians can afford to give concerts for free? Interested in learning more about how Steve and I built the Westminster Chamber Music Workshop (WCMW)? Want an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the chamber music series?
Join us for an exciting presentation and live Q&A on Monday, March 19 from 8:00-9:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time presented by the popular young musician initiative, Polyphonic On-Campus. It's free!
Presenting Concerts in Your Local Community: Creative Ideas for Making Concerts Happen Anywhere
Presented by WCMW Artistic Directors, Ashley and Steve Danyew
As musicians, we love to put on concerts, perform for others, showcase our friends, and share our passion for music with all kinds of audiences. Organizing a concert or a series of events can seem daunting, and we often make excuses why it's not possible or won't be successful. In this webinar, we will discuss how we made music happen in our community – from finding sources of funding, to finding performers and venues, to building a local audience base, and more!
We will use the Westminster Chamber Music Workshop (WCMW), a chamber music series based in a small New England town as a case study for thinking about creative ways to make music happen in any community – large or small. This webinar will give you the tools to create your own opportunities for music-making and presenting. There is always a way to make it happen - we just need to be creative!
Location: Your computer. With the power of the wonderful world-wide web, you can join us from the comforts of your living room, fuzzy slippers and all! Platform details to follow once you are registered. Click here to sign up for the free webinar.
WCMW: First Look!
As some of you might recall, Steve and I co-founded and co-directed the first Westminster Chamber Music Workshop last summer (recaps here and here). A week-long series of music events for the community alongside a chamber choir workshop for adult amateurs, we wrote a few grants, built a website, contacted the press, brought in guest artists from the regional area, advertised, and organized the details. What a wonderful privilege to be able to create new opportunities for music! These sorts of creative projects are some of my favorites as they combine my interests in leadership, community music, and teaching.
Last week, we announced the dates for the 2012 WCMW (read the full post here). If you’re in the area, be sure to mark your calendars!
We’ll be announcing our 2012 Guest Artists in the weeks to come but for now, here’s an idea of what’s in store:
- a dynamic, classical string duo (cello and violin)
- a soulful jazz trio featuring a vocalist from New Orleans
- a community sing led by a passionate choral director and music educator
- a cutting-edge saxophone quartet
I hope you’ll plan to join us for these four very exciting events if you’re nearby! Want to be in the know? Subscribe to our blog (see sidebar) and sign up for WCMW email updates!
