Tag: Kickstarter
'Danish National Chamber Orchestra Raises Money to Stay Open
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'Young Musicians Try to Revamp the Orchestra for Modern Times with Kickstarter Campaign
A group of young Boston musicians have formed a Kickstarter campaign to help revitalize orchestral music for a new, modern generation. Phoenix believes that modern audiences would be more interested in classical music if it was presented in a fresh atmosphere, so they opened a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for their launch event, Ignite. “Ignite will feature five, bite-sized sets of orchestral selections ranging from a Haydn symphony, written in 1775, to Osvaldo Golijov’s fiery 'Last Round,' written in 1996. Everything we play will be presented using lighting effects and choreography that’s reflective of the enthusiasm we have for this music,” says Phoenix. Phoenix only chooses musicians who have a high level of musicianship as well as a belief and passion for Phoenix’s mission. They then took a critical look at the modern concert experience and decided what they could change to make is more accessible for new listeners. Their website details some of these changes, which include getting rid of traditional concert hall uniforms, encouraging whistling, clapping and cheering and allowing refreshments at shows, along with many more. -
'Secret Play 'The Dreary Coast' by Jeff Stark Staged on the Gowanus Canal
Ever wonder what it is like to attend a secret play? "The Dreary Coast," an immersive theatrical work from Jeff Stark, will enlighten you right on the banks of the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn. This retelling of the Persephone myth lets 20 or so theatergoers experience the performance in shallow, flat-bottomed boats up and down the Gowanus. Several dozen spectators watch the play from the shore. The play is legendary in certain Brooklyn underground arts circle, and Stark, who has lived two blocks from the canal for the past 15 years, has been dreaming of staging a performance on its waters for nearly as long. For the past year, he has scouted the bridges and rock formations and vacant lots that dot its banks, surveying the most appealing, and legal, locations for scenes to unfold. The $40,000 budget for the play was mostly raised on Kickstarter, with dozens of collaborators, including the well-known local “experience architect” N.D. Austin. But this play begins differently than others. The evening begins in a neighborhood bar, where audience members are asked to sign an indemnity waiver. Priestesses clad in kimonos and eye makeup arrive, wafting incense and ringing bells, leading you to a disused space and where there is a silent ritual. Once the action shifts to the waterway, the Olympian pantheon takes over. Charon (E. James Ford) and ice queen Persephone (Ava Eisenson) plot an escape from the abyss.
