Amateur musicians rejoice!
Anne Midgette — though I don’t always agree with her blog posts, I did enjoy this story on Marin Alsop’s “Rusty Musician” series. If you’re over 25 and can read music, you can have a chance to play with the BSO. Tickets to the show are $10 - just cheap enough that friends can come see you play.
Just saying - how many of these audience members are going to turn around and buy a ticket? They’ve just crossed the biggest barrier of entry - literally walking through the door. Marin just put a very friendly face on a very unfriendly product (the orchestra). Add to that the fact that the concert is a paid, ticketed event, and she just added some cash to the bottom line. I believe that business calls this “win-win”.
I’m a big fan of Marin — although she did kill my first Mac (story to come later). I appreciate that she makes music a happy and comfortable place for everyone. And get ready for her Gershwin with Thibaudet coming soon (sorry for the work plug).