It's interesting to notice how choral concerts in our area tend to be compressed into two narrow time frames: (1) late April to early June and (2) late November to the weekend before Christmas. Also, concerts, if they aren't one-time events, are limited to a single weekend and perhaps the following weekend.
The Vocal Art Ensemble has just experimented with a variation to those patterns. They gave three outstanding concerts in Sacramento and Davis over the May 11-13 weekend. (Click here for a review.) Then they decided to experiment with an extra concert this past Saturday evening (June 9) in Woodland.
Director Tracia Barbieri was concerned about at least a couple of things. How would the singers react? Would they keep their performing edge? And would they be able to draw an adequate audience?
Tracia reported that the chorus members didn't seem to have forgotten the material they memorized. In fact, "a few pieces even matured and got to new levels after sitting on the shelf for a month." Add to that the fact that members said they really enjoyed doing another performance.
The audience was perhaps a bit more modest in size than she could have hoped, mostly people who were unable to attend the earlier performances. But then there's the fact that the concert was in Woodland and didn't benefit from the more extensive publicity of the first concert series. These factors could perhaps help explain the audience size. But Tracia wasn't disappointed in the audience -- by any means. They gave two standing ovations, and most lingered for a half-hour after the concert to express their appreciation.
It makes me wonder whether a follow-up to a solid concert -- perhaps advertised from the start -- might be a way of building audience and capitalizing on the buzz that follows a truly outstanding show.
I think some people may think that an upcoming concert is "like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get" (wisdom of Forrest Gump). If there's less risk, we may see more patronage: think of the long runs of theatrical productions which are reviewed at their opening -- or before.
I've heard a lot of choral concerts over the past year, and a lot of great ones. And one thing I'm sure of is that none of them got the public support that is possible because most of them were flying pretty much under the public's radar. And they were here and gone before word could get out about how special they really were.
Even taking account of divergence in people's musical taste, so many of these programs were wonderfully entertaining -- fully able to compete with other entertainment options. The challenge is to get better publicity for them and break through that ever-present barrier of ignorance and inertia. Let's get creative in tackling those challenges!
-Dick Frantzreb
