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Finding the truth is not enough.
What we also have to find is justice.
                               ~Rigoberta Menchu
Chicago Sinfonietta: a gchat review
Saturday, 31 January 2009

ImageThe following is a real gchat conversation that took place at 1:27am following the Chicago Sinfonietta's Annual Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. where Sphinx competition winning cellist Patrice Jackson followed up her stunning 2005 debut with the orchestra performing Saint-Saëns: Cello Concerto No. 1. Walter Miles narrated Dr. King's famous 1965 Selma, Alabama speech, while the orchestra performed Symphony by Stefan Smith and Primous Fountain. The mighty Apostolic Church of God Sanctuary Choir had the audience clapping their hands. Also on the program: Beethoven: Leonore Overture.

rashida: so how'd you like the sinfonietta concert?

leslie:  i though it was amazing

absolutely breathtaking

and not just in the cliche way

more in the forget to breathe way

rashida:  wow

that's deep. what made it so?

leslie:  i'm generally a lover of music, like all kinds

but if you look at my music collection it is 50% gospel

maybe 40% gospel

30% classical

and the other 30% in rap, r&b, alternative, NPR stories

when people ask me what my favorite types of music are i say classical and gospel

and this concert was a synthesis of the two

not to mention the fact that it was live, also my favorite

rashida:  do you see a connection there? if so, what it is?

leslie: i hadn't thought about it before but i think there is an extent to which the musicians and the conductor become consumed with the piece

whether its a choir director using his whole body to direct the tempo and strength of the choir's sound

to a conductor jumping up and down on the podium with his "directing stick" (there's a real word for this that i don't know) bringing in the different parts of the orchestra

there is a use of the whole body, i guess, about both of them

choral singers facial expressions and bodies get into the music

rashida:  *baton

leslie:  they sway and shout and clap

thanks, baton :)

and they emit an infectious energy

and likewise the people in the orchestra use their whole bodies to play their instruments and the sound is perfect and there is a clear element of performance

rashida:  yes

there was so much energy in this particular performance

Patrice (Jackson) for one was electric!

let's start with what she wore. what'd you think?

leslie: oh that dress was amazing

and she truly embodies the passion, the intensity, the whole body experience of playing

rashida:  the Kente with the black satin... gorgeous, ethnic, elegant, beautiful. like Patrice.

leslie:  she was such a joy just to watch let alone to hear

and i'd never seen anything like it

rashida:  RIGHT! She was like a jazz musician on stage and by that i mean...

she made eye contact with all of the first stands and really connected with them. She essentially conducted from her seat! that connection, the constant dialogue between players, made for such an enjoyable experience from the audience.

i was positively beaming when she started jukin in her seat!

she made the audience laugh and sway. she drew us ALL in. it was the effect I think most performers, even speakers, hope to attain.

or rather, artists.

leslie:  and to that end, the extent to which she was actually herself on stage, not just poised and confident, but in fact exhibited her personality was so beautiful

and so engaging

i agree, i do think its what all performers and artists hope to attain

there was a sense of genuine connection, not just doing the right thing

rashida:  yup! she just looked like she was having so much fun on stage. and then, she caught a sight of me in the audience and smiled. no trepidation. just joy.

that's a great performer.

and she sounded good too!

HAHAHAH

leslie:  i saw that too, that was amazing

oh right, i mean it seemed truly effortless

rashida:  truly, indeed

leslie:  and from her movements and engagement it seemed that she wasn't even concerned with her solo so much as how the whole orchestra sounded

such a rare thing to see

rashida:  it's too bad we don't see her more often. i think she would be a great role model for students.

another great role model from that night? elizabeth norman sojourner. isn't her name hot?

i want a strong sounding name like that!

her voice sounded effortless as well.

*sigh*

leslie:  absolutely, especially in terms of the juking on stage, it may see to black youth especially that the world of classical is so foreign, that they have no place in it or have to be someone else

rashida:  true

leslie:  but here is the ideal counter-example

indeed

i so loved her confidence

rashida:  like second nature

leslie:  her engagement with the audience

rashida:  yes

some vocalists look like they're searching for notes and straining to reach them. makes me feel uncomfortable to watch... like waiting to see if they're going to make it.

but as soon as Liz opened her mouth, it was nothing but effortless beauty.

leslie:  oh, how her sound just seemed to emanate from her, to flow out of her with such life

rashida:  yup... and those high notes at the end? gosh... i started crying and i couldn't help it!

it was like the sound was coaxing the tears from their ducts.

crazy.

leslie:  it was an amazing moment, its interesting how the right artist can make you feel even more connected with the gravity of the moment and the event and what it represents

rashida:  what do you mean?

leslie:  the words and sound were so clear that I actually had a moment where I thought "Martin Luther King fought and died so that I can have all that I have and we have a new president that no one ever expected.  What have I done to earn a place standing here in this amazing moment?"

rashida:  i see

leslie:  not just oh this is good music, but much more

i honestly am more concerned with having the day off then the actual symbolism and sacrifice of MLK's birthday

but I couldn't help but feel the meaning of the day, with her singing, the choir behind her, the orchestra, and the audience, all full of faces of color

and punctuated so intensely with her amazing sound

breathtaking really

rashida:  yes... that's one thing i absolutely love about Sinfonietta concerts--the color spectrum of everyone in there from the audience to the performers. THAT'S the world that MLK envisioned and President Obama addressed in his campaign speeches. sigh

leslie:  it really is, I felt so privileged to be there

absolutely amazing and i hope to be able to go every year hereafter

a wonderful first MLK day with Sinfonietta for me

rashida:  very cool

glad you enjoyed!

leslie:  oh and super sweet to get to meet the artists

rashida: OH! And let's not forget to mention that young composer who scored the MLK narration piece.

that was gorgeous as well.

and he was only like, what? 26 or something? could've been younger!

leslie:  it really was wow, he too was so inspiring

i don't remember how young but certainly impressive for his age

he really brought the speech alive

once again putting me in the moment so much deeply that i thought I would/could be

his enthusiasm and gestures, and change of tone with the parts of the speech that it was important for people to understand and remember

he totally owned it

rashida:  it was truly one of the best sinfonietta concerts i've ever been to. so much youthful spirit. so much to be proud of. wow. holding hands during the We Shall Overcome part with the audience. i definitely left uplifted and proud of my community. and HOPEFUL of the future!! that's what was amazing to me.

leslie:  it is definitely a bizarre and fantastic combination of things

rashida:  hahahah

leslie:  hope from obama and inspiration and uplifting within those walls

almost too much to take in, surreal

rashida:  right

leslie:  he didn't just read, he embodied

rashida:  who? the young composer?

with the swagger?

leslie:  yes

leslie:  haha the swag

so true

rashida:  yeah, and cool peoples too. i enjoyed meeting him backstage.

leslie:  yeah, he was so nice too, very sweet

i love talented people who are still grounded

rashida:  so true

leslie:  i think it adds to their gift, a humility that indicates that although they know alot there is still much more to learn

and so they learn and so they grow and so they continue to inspire

rashida:  mmmm
 
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