The proposal has the capacity to unite two vacancies in the New York of the pandemic, the shop windows and the musical performances.
Since last March there is silence in the city of skyscrapers despite its musical fame. Beyond the daily noise of a city, also lessened by the drop in activity, this is a bad time to listen to a melody. No theaters, no concert halls, no jazz clubs. The absolute emptiness.
Live music has become a testimonial. There are artists who go with their instruments to the parks or the terraces of the bars, but the harsh winter discourages. The so-called “truck” of the New York Philharmonic took his art to various locations around the city last summer.
In this winter wasteland, the Kaufman Music Center, located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan since 1952, has launched an initiative to bring live music to the neighborhood that welcomes it. They have called it “new series of musical windows in winter” and it is precisely that.
Violinist Sean Lee at a pop-up concert
In empty stores, territory already affected by the epidemic of greed a few years ago and that has increased with the covid, musicians who have been deprived of stages due to the health crisis perform.
It is what is called a ‘pop up’, a seen and not seen, but that gives a joy to the spirit and breaks the monotony. In these concerts, which started last week, a total of more than a hundred artists from the Big Apple will take part, including chamber musicians, jazz musicians, classical soloists or Broadway stars of such renowned works as’ Hamilton ‘or’ Tootsie ‘.
Safe music
The artists perform inside, locked in the tent, and their sound is amplified outside
What is called “music in the windows” provides jobs for artists who have suffered severely from the impact of the cancellation of live shows. The most promising expectations do not consider the reopening of stores until the summer. The governor of New York State has given some hope that he will be able to regain limited seats with an audience that has previously been subjected to a rapid test.
In the concerts promoted by the Kaufman, an artistic complex of the New York scene, it is emphasized that the format put into practice applies all the necessary precautions to protect the health of the artists and the public. The artists perform inside, locked in the store, and their sound is amplified outside, which guarantees social distance with the spectators, something that is also achieved on the sidewalks among the attendees.
Surprise concerts
To avoid crowds, actions are carried out without prior notice
Precisely to avoid crowds, the actions are carried out without prior notice, with the idea of catching pedestrians by surprise and reducing the possibility of massive attendance. Shows always take place around Columbus Circle (intersection of 59th Street and Broadway Avenue) and heading north on the west side of Manhattan.
The initiative, which lasts until the end of March, started with the violinist Sean Lee, a regular on New York and national floors. He surprised the citizens with his interpretation of a program of “the whims” of Paganini. “I feel at home again, it’s like being on stage and communicating with the audience again,” Lee said. “It’s great to see people who are eager for music and hopefully we make their day a bit brighter,” he added.
Until the end of March
Programming with first level figures
Another who has already passed through one of these stages is Chrystal Williams, a frequent mezzo soprano at the Metropolitan Opera House. He said it is a somewhat disembodied experience to sing behind glass for New Yorkers while they are immersed in their daily journey. But he remarked that the initiative fits because New York is a city that is closely related to window shopping.
On the list of scheduled performances are JACK Quartet, Orli Shaham, Caroline Shaw, Attacca Quartet, Timo Andres, Adam Tendler, Gabrielle Stravelli, Rubén Rengel, Conrad Tao or Lisa Bielawa, among others.
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The idea for this deployment is not credited by Kaufman, but credit is given to Jay Deweck, a former executive of the Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley banks and an amateur violinist. Deweck, a board member of the Alphadyne Foundation, which supports these concerts, was inspired by touring Manhattan and becoming aware of the number of venues that are closed. He thought that filling them with musicians ¬¬ would bring some encouragement to a city more than in need of stimulus and would offer a paid concert at a time when opportunities are very limited.
“The continuous cancellation of live music, dance and theatrical shows – he stressed – has had a devastating effect on the performing arts, in many cases reducing revenues by 90%.”
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