I like to call the final recital of the year a studio showcase rather than a recital because recitals imply prim and proper stand-in-one-place and sing and that sounds boring to me. (In opera, that kind of performing is called “park and bark.”) Sometimes there’s a need for that – prepping for a competition, college auditions, things like that – but generally, I prefer a more active kind of performance, both as a performer and an audience member.
This past Sunday was our studio showcase at Springwell Senior Living in Mount Washington, and it was very successful. We had a lovely turnout from both studio family and friends and the residents at Springwell. Performers sang with energy and commitment, dedication to their text and were excellent collaborators in their ensemble pieces. Studio community is something that is very important to me – having my students all support each other and work together are elements that, in my opinion, set our studio apart from other studios.
I can’t tell you how pleased I was with everyone. No one looked uncomfortable, scared, or as though they didn’t want to be there. There were some really heartfelt and moving moments, a lot of dang funny ones, and a really great sense of camaraderie and a feeling of “we’re all in this together and we GOT this.”
Things I learned –
- I have to work with my students on bowing. I keep saying this. I kept saying it in Milwaukee too. Someone remind me.
- I need to check the lighting as it’s going to be once they adjust the lights for the performance. The spot I designated as the edge of the “stage” was a little too far forward and put the performers in shadow.
- If you specify “booklet” when you upload your programs to the Staples website, it comes out much smaller than the standard 8-1/2×11″ paper per page. A little hard to read for a senior living center audience. Oops. Perhaps next time I’ll call upon people to help me print those out (like maybe 10 copies per participant) to help defray the cost and make it more legible. (I was running low on ink in my own printer and figured outsourcing it would be better…)
Next year I’d like to have a holiday recital in December and a final showcase in June. I’ll be looking for places to do them – ideally, I’d like to find a place where we can rehearse in the space the day before for the June performance. I’ve also spoken to Cyd Wolf at Germano’s about doing a studio cabaret, to which we would charge a small admission fee per attendee (I’m thinking $5) and where they could eat excellent food while enjoying the studio performances.
So many possibilities – we can do it! WE GOT THIS!!