CMC Up Closer: Behind the Scenes in 2012-2013, our 54th season
It is 7:15 on a mid-week evening, and the auditorium at LaSells Stewart Center is getting populated, if not exactly filled. The whole point of CMC, which is to bring world-class chamber music ensembles to Corvallis, is about to be publicly realized. What happened behind the scenes in order to reach the point of putting bows on strings, hands on piano keys, and embouchures on reeds, is mostly invisible. What you do not see is the small band of CMC volunteers, who do the practical work of putting on our six concerts.
When we watch a professional chamber music ensemble on stage, it is tempting to think that the life of a musician is glamorous. What could possibly be better than playing wonderful music with other gifted musicians? For many musicians, who are constantly on the road away from family and friends, weary of hotels, hard-pressed to learn and perform new repertoire, the answer to that question might be: “What’s better than playing Beethoven? Staying home for a few weeks is better.” The musicians love what they do (many of them forego careers as soloists or members of major orchestras in order to play chamber music), but it is a demanding life. They need to play 80 or more concerts a year to make a living. Every town wants and deserves a great performance, but not all performances can be great. Musicians, like the rest of us, get tired, lonely, and occasionally perplexed by what Beethoven or Bartók meant.
During our 53rd season (2011-2012), one ensemble cancelled their U.S. tour, because they weren’t going to make any money. A delightful ensemble stepped in late in the day. Two string quartets toured with temporary replacement musicians, because permanent members were expecting babies. Another quartet toured with two new members, because two of the founding members had decided to do other things. An ensemble played a program that was somewhat different from the one we expected. Two ensembles asked if they could change one of the pieces on the program, after we had printed everything. In each case, the ensembles assured us that the changes would not affect the quality of the performances (they didn’t), and offered to play the original programs if we insisted (we didn’t).
People ask me, “How do you choose the ensembles?” It is a complicated process. I am familiar with a lot of ensembles, but this is a golden age for chamber music, and there are hundreds of excellent groups. I listen to chamber music ensembles, to see if someone stands out. I ask friends, colleagues who manage chamber music programs, and musicians for recommendations. I am in touch with other chamber music series, from San Diego to Portland, to see if we can share an ensemble. Finding open dates for concerts can be complicated. The most sought-after ensembles may tour the west coast for just a week or two, so we have to make quick decisions about taking them, and sometimes just one single date is available. There are many competing events, and it is impossible to avoid them all – the Corvallis-OSU Symphony, the Eugene Symphony, OSU basketball games, and the four or five other interesting events in Corvallis the evening of our concert.
When I ask people what they want to hear, the most common answer is “variety.” People want a variety of ensembles and music. There are limitations to what we can offer. CMC can’t present avant-garde music (we could present it, but would anyone come to hear it?). We can’t afford the most famous ensembles. An elite string quartet like the Emerson Quartet customarily demands a fee of $15,000. We rarely have a concert on a weekend, because fees are higher and schedules are even more complicated.
Our 53rd season (2011-12) offered a guitar trio, a piano trio, three string quartets, and a saxophone quintet. Our 54th season (2012-13) will offer two piano trios (one with a soprano), a clarinet-piano duo, and three string quartets.
People also ask me, “How do you choose the programs?” Typically, an ensemble will offer several programs for the season. You are asked to choose one. But it’s not that simple. CMC has been going for a long time. If you look at our archive, you will see that some pieces have been played a dozen or more times. I have to make sure that our audience does not hear Schubert’s ‘Death and the Maiden’ quartet every year, as wonderful as it is. I also want our audience to hear modern and contemporary pieces.
This is somewhat controversial. We have loyal and knowledgeable audience members who want to hear music from Bach to Brahms, and nothing later. I certainly respect that, but music is not a dead art, and much beautiful music has been written since 1897, even since 1997, and I want our audience to hear some of it. So, like the vast majority of music series, I combine core repertoire and modern and contemporary pieces in our programs. Modern masterpieces like the Bartók or Shostakovich string quartets still challenge audiences, partly because they are not played often enough. We should remember that a lot of people hated Beethoven’s quartets when they were first performed. Superb music is being written right now, and deserves to be heard. A Program Director can be a sort of musical museum curator, but that is not how I think about my job. I want people to hear the best possible performances of great music from Bach to Now.
Sometimes, I marvel that a series like CMC exists in a town this size. Corvallis, in fact, supports two chamber music series, Chamber Music Corvallis and Chintinimi, and OSU presents additional chamber music concerts. We are not competitors, but rather brothers-in-arms for the advancement of chamber music. Chintinimi plays in June, after CMC has wrapped up its season, and their concerts, feature musicians with a connection to Corvallis. CMC supports the public schools orchestra program (each season one of our ensembles gives a master class for the school district’s top orchestra, the Camerata). CMC brings ensembles from the U.S. and Europe. So Chintinimi’s local connection is complemented by our international spirit.
The success of Chamber Music Corvallis has been due to the work of many people over more than 50 years, and to a loyal audience who appreciate great music played at the highest level. But CMC is fragile. Like all music organizations, we worry about developing our audience (attendance has been gradually declining), about breaking even financially (we do, just barely), and about recruiting new people to do the behind the scenes work (we are very short-handed). I think that CMC is one of the crown jewels of Corvallis, but its future cannot be taken for granted.
I am already working on our 55th season. Scheduling complexities require working two years ahead. Our 2013-2014 season is completely booked, but I’m not going to spoil the excitement by telling you now who is coming, or what they will play (actually, I don’t know yet). Rest assured that our 54th and 55th seasons will continue the CMC tradition of bringing a variety of world-class chamber music to Corvallis. Thanks for listening.
Chris Rochester, Program Director
When we watch a professional chamber music ensemble on stage, it is tempting to think that the life of a musician is glamorous. What could possibly be better than playing wonderful music with other gifted musicians? For many musicians, who are constantly on the road away from family and friends, weary of hotels, hard-pressed to learn and perform new repertoire, the answer to that question might be: “What’s better than playing Beethoven? Staying home for a few weeks is better.” The musicians love what they do (many of them forego careers as soloists or members of major orchestras in order to play chamber music), but it is a demanding life. They need to play 80 or more concerts a year to make a living. Every town wants and deserves a great performance, but not all performances can be great. Musicians, like the rest of us, get tired, lonely, and occasionally perplexed by what Beethoven or Bartók meant.
During our 53rd season (2011-2012), one ensemble cancelled their U.S. tour, because they weren’t going to make any money. A delightful ensemble stepped in late in the day. Two string quartets toured with temporary replacement musicians, because permanent members were expecting babies. Another quartet toured with two new members, because two of the founding members had decided to do other things. An ensemble played a program that was somewhat different from the one we expected. Two ensembles asked if they could change one of the pieces on the program, after we had printed everything. In each case, the ensembles assured us that the changes would not affect the quality of the performances (they didn’t), and offered to play the original programs if we insisted (we didn’t).
People ask me, “How do you choose the ensembles?” It is a complicated process. I am familiar with a lot of ensembles, but this is a golden age for chamber music, and there are hundreds of excellent groups. I listen to chamber music ensembles, to see if someone stands out. I ask friends, colleagues who manage chamber music programs, and musicians for recommendations. I am in touch with other chamber music series, from San Diego to Portland, to see if we can share an ensemble. Finding open dates for concerts can be complicated. The most sought-after ensembles may tour the west coast for just a week or two, so we have to make quick decisions about taking them, and sometimes just one single date is available. There are many competing events, and it is impossible to avoid them all – the Corvallis-OSU Symphony, the Eugene Symphony, OSU basketball games, and the four or five other interesting events in Corvallis the evening of our concert.
When I ask people what they want to hear, the most common answer is “variety.” People want a variety of ensembles and music. There are limitations to what we can offer. CMC can’t present avant-garde music (we could present it, but would anyone come to hear it?). We can’t afford the most famous ensembles. An elite string quartet like the Emerson Quartet customarily demands a fee of $15,000. We rarely have a concert on a weekend, because fees are higher and schedules are even more complicated.
Our 53rd season (2011-12) offered a guitar trio, a piano trio, three string quartets, and a saxophone quintet. Our 54th season (2012-13) will offer two piano trios (one with a soprano), a clarinet-piano duo, and three string quartets.
People also ask me, “How do you choose the programs?” Typically, an ensemble will offer several programs for the season. You are asked to choose one. But it’s not that simple. CMC has been going for a long time. If you look at our archive, you will see that some pieces have been played a dozen or more times. I have to make sure that our audience does not hear Schubert’s ‘Death and the Maiden’ quartet every year, as wonderful as it is. I also want our audience to hear modern and contemporary pieces.
This is somewhat controversial. We have loyal and knowledgeable audience members who want to hear music from Bach to Brahms, and nothing later. I certainly respect that, but music is not a dead art, and much beautiful music has been written since 1897, even since 1997, and I want our audience to hear some of it. So, like the vast majority of music series, I combine core repertoire and modern and contemporary pieces in our programs. Modern masterpieces like the Bartók or Shostakovich string quartets still challenge audiences, partly because they are not played often enough. We should remember that a lot of people hated Beethoven’s quartets when they were first performed. Superb music is being written right now, and deserves to be heard. A Program Director can be a sort of musical museum curator, but that is not how I think about my job. I want people to hear the best possible performances of great music from Bach to Now.
Sometimes, I marvel that a series like CMC exists in a town this size. Corvallis, in fact, supports two chamber music series, Chamber Music Corvallis and Chintinimi, and OSU presents additional chamber music concerts. We are not competitors, but rather brothers-in-arms for the advancement of chamber music. Chintinimi plays in June, after CMC has wrapped up its season, and their concerts, feature musicians with a connection to Corvallis. CMC supports the public schools orchestra program (each season one of our ensembles gives a master class for the school district’s top orchestra, the Camerata). CMC brings ensembles from the U.S. and Europe. So Chintinimi’s local connection is complemented by our international spirit.
The success of Chamber Music Corvallis has been due to the work of many people over more than 50 years, and to a loyal audience who appreciate great music played at the highest level. But CMC is fragile. Like all music organizations, we worry about developing our audience (attendance has been gradually declining), about breaking even financially (we do, just barely), and about recruiting new people to do the behind the scenes work (we are very short-handed). I think that CMC is one of the crown jewels of Corvallis, but its future cannot be taken for granted.
I am already working on our 55th season. Scheduling complexities require working two years ahead. Our 2013-2014 season is completely booked, but I’m not going to spoil the excitement by telling you now who is coming, or what they will play (actually, I don’t know yet). Rest assured that our 54th and 55th seasons will continue the CMC tradition of bringing a variety of world-class chamber music to Corvallis. Thanks for listening.
Chris Rochester, Program Director