San Juan Symphony Offers Virtual Season

THE SAN JUAN SYMPHONY TAKES ANADVENTURE IN THE VIRTUAL WORLD TO NAVIGATE PERFORMING CLASSICAL MUSICWITH ORCHESTRA MEMBERS AND ITS AUDIENCE. YOU’RE WATCHING THE LOCALNEWS NETWORK BROUGHT TO YOU BY GOAL ACADEMY AND CHOICE BUILDINGSUPPLY. I’M WENDY GRAHAM SETTLE. IT’S BEEN A CHALLENGING TIME FORCLASSICAL MUSIC ORGANIZATIONS SINCE LIVE CONCERTS AREN’T POSSIBLE FORMASS ORCHESTRAS AND AUDIENCES TO BE TOGETHER IN PERSON WITH THECONCERT HALL AT FORT LEWIS COLLEGE IN DURANGO AND THE PERFORMING ARTSCENTER AT SAN JUAN COLLEGE IN FARMINGTON, NEW MEXICO, BOTH SHUT DOWNDURING THE PANDEMIC. THE SAN JUAN SYMPHONY BEGAN EXPLORING NEWTECHNOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF PERFORMANCE AND DECIDED TO MAKE ITS 35THSEASON A DIGITAL ONE. MUSIC DIRECTOR THOMAS HEUSER ALSO WANTED TOPRESENT A MUSICAL PROGRAM REFLECTING THE IMPORTANCE OF WORLD ISSUESOF TODAY.

COMING UP ON OCTOBER 3RD IS OUR FIRSTPROGRAM RELEASE. IT’S CALLED BLACK VOICES AND A BALLET FOR MARTHA.WE’RE PLAYING A COPELAND’S APPALACHIAN SPRING, WHICH WAS ORIGINALLYCALLED A BALLET FOR MARTHA ,MARTHA GRAHAM, THE GREAT CHOREOGRAPHER INNEW YORK AND THE 1944; IT WAS WHEN THAT MUSIC WAS WRITTEN, SO, DURINGTHE SECOND WORLD WAR, AND IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE HAVE WORKS BY JESSEMONTGOMERY AND BRUCE RUSSELL. THESE ARE LIVING BLACK AMERICANCOMPOSERS, AND WE’RE KICKING OFF A SEASONLONG, A DISCUSSION ABOUTDIVERSITY AND INCLUSIVITY IN THE CLASSICAL ARTS AND TRYING TO MAKETHE CURRENT CONVERSATION RELEVANT TO OUR SYMPHONY OFFERINGS FOR THEYEAR.

HEUSER EXPLAINED THAT THIS IS A VERY UNIQUE MODEL ANDNOT MANY ORCHESTRAS ATTEMPT TO PRESENT A DIGITAL SEASON, AS MUSIC OFTHE CLASSICAL ARTS IS BASED ON THE PHYSICAL AND LIVE EXPERIENCE. HEEXPECTS TO LEARN A LOT WITH THIS TYPE OF PERFORMANCE. THEIR OPENINGPERFORMANCE ON OCTOBER 3RD WAS RECORDED AT THE BEAUTIFUL BLUE LAKERANCH IN HESPERUS, COLORADO, UNDER AN OPEN-AIR TENT WITH BIRDS, WIND,AND A HIGHWAY TO CONTEND WITH. THE SYMPHONY HIRED LOCAL VIDEOPRODUCTION AND SOUND EXPERTS TO ENSURE THEY MAINTAINED THE SAMEARTISTIC STANDARDS AS A LIVE PERFORMANCE, AS WELL AS SAFETY FOR ALLINVOLVED. HEUSER IS EXCITED ABOUT THE THREE REMAINING PERFORMANCESSCHEDULED AT VARIOUS LOCATIONS.

I’M REALLY EXCITED ABOUTHAVING THE SYMPHONY PERFORMING IN ALL THESE DIFFERENT PLACES. WE HAVETHE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BRING THE SYMPHONY INTOTHESE NEW LOCATIONS AROUND THE FOUR CORNERS. AND IT’S JUST ANEXCITING OPPORTUNITY TO SEE WHAT’S POSSIBLE IN DIFFERENT VENUES.

INADDITION TO THE SCHEDULED PERFORMANCES, THE SAN JUAN SYMPHONY’SOUTREACH PROGRAM CONTINUES WITH THE YOUTH SYMPHONY, TARGETINGMIDDLE-SCHOOL, HIGH-SCHOOL AND COLLEGE-LEVEL STUDENTS, AND AREA MUSICTEACHERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO CONNECT WITH THE SYMPHONY WITH NEW IDEASON HOW THE SAN JUAN SYMPHONY COULD HELP TEACHERS MAINTAIN MUSICEDUCATION. DURING THIS TIME, HEUSER SAID THE RESPONSE FROM THECOMMUNITY HAS BEEN EXTREMELY SUPPORTIVE, AND WE CAN EXPECT THEDIGITAL AGE OF MUSIC PERFORMANCE IN EDUCATION FROM THE SAN JUANSYMPHONY TO BE A NEW NORMAL.

AND I THINK IT’S GONNA ACTUALLY TEACHUS A LOT ABOUT WHAT WE CAN BE DOING IN THE FUTURE TO REACH MOREAUDIENCES. THE TECHNOLOGY THAT WE’RE LEARNING ABOUT NOW IS GOING TOCARRY FORWARD INTO THE FUTURE. I THINK THAT THERE WILL BE A WAY FORUS TO ALWAYS OFFER VIDEO RECORDINGS OF OUR CONCERTS MOVING FORWARD.AND, SO, WE’RE USING THIS OPPORTUNITY TO MASTER THIS TECHNOLOGY, GETUSED TO THE EXPERIENCE OF HAVING THE MICROPHONES ALL AROUND US IN THEORCHESTRA SETTING, AND EMBRACING THAT, THIS COULD BE THE NEW NORMALFOR THE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA MOVING FORWARD.

THE DIGITAL SEASONTICKET AND ALL UPCOMING PROGRAM INFORMATION MAY BE FOUND ONLINE ATSANJUANSYMPHONY.ORG. THANKS FOR WATCHING THE LOCAL NEWS NETWORK. NOWYOU CAN LISTEN TO OUR NEWS ON YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST APP, ANYTIME,ANYWHERE. I’M WENDY GRAHAM SETTLE.

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