After a year of seeing concert hall lights go out and stages moving into the virtual world, an empty showcase in New York offers a ray of hope for artists and audiences eager to hear live music.
Musicians of all genres are performing impromptu concerts for lucky passersby on Manhattan’s Upper West Side: on a recent morning Beethoven and Debussy’s notes harmonized with the soundtrack of a city usually dominated by horns, street work and the cooing of the pigeons.
It was the first time in a year that cellist Michael Katz was able to play with a piano accompaniment; Spencer Myer played a white Steinway piano, an experience, he said, that musicians around the world “craved.”
Perhaps more importantly, the “Musical Storefronts” or “Musical Showcases” are an opportunity to interact with an audience, even if they are a handful and they see them through the glass from the sidewalk and not sitting in large numbers in one of the famous concert halls in the city.
“We really need a reciprocal relationship,” says Katz. “Being able to bring music to people like we did today is something really unique and special.”
The location of the shows is not publicized – the organizers want to avoid large crowds for reasons of social distancing – but the concert series, which began in the winter, will continue until spring, so one can be surprised by the spectacle by walking down the street.
Joggers with dogs, parents pushing strollers, and older New Yorkers on an afternoon walk – all stopped on the sidewalk to listen to the show, which also featured some Mendelssohn and Boulanger.
“We try to have a little bit of everything … from classical musicians to Broadway artists, jazz, we’ve had experimental improvisers,” says Kate Sheeran, who runs the Kaufman Music Center, the architect of the initiative.
In addition to entertaining, the project aims to “really showcase New York’s artistic engine and make visible the fact that artists need jobs and this issue requires attention.”
– Water, food and music –
The main city in the United States fell prey to the rapid spread of Covid-19 more than a year ago, with more than 30,000 residents deceased and many more having their lives turned upside down.
Among the hardest hit are musicians, who had to limit themselves to virtual concerts and online classes, while the pandemic forced to cancel tours and close auditoriums, some for good.
“Our industry has been really devastated, especially stage artists, their lives have been severely impacted,” Sheeran told AFP.
The concerts from the showcases, he says, can “put the spotlight on that, in addition to giving joy to both the artists and the public.”
The vaccination campaign in New York started a few months ago, and already more than two-thirds of adults have received at least one dose. Among the musicians eager to return to the stage soon, there is optimism.
“One of the lessons of the pandemic is simply how much appetite and need people have for music, theater, dance, and any kind of live art that you can personally witness,” says Katz.
“It is something that people need, as much as they need food and water. It is not just entertainment, it is not just a commodity.”
For Terry Lieberman, who stopped by to listen to the concert, the initiative is a balm in the face of a pandemic that looks stagnant, and a testament to New York’s resilience.
“New York is always like this, they always improvise when something bad happens,” says Lieberman behind his flowery mask.
“They always recover and come back; this is just wonderful.”
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