In 2010, I created and organised the Monthly Musicales Concert Series, and continued the series for 7 years, facilitating a total of 75 concerts in Tulsa, Oklahoma USA.
Around 50 people attended the first concert. Then around 100 people showed-up at the second concert, which is when I realised this was something special. From that night-on, approximately 100+ people attended every Monthly Musicale, with many nights averaging 200 people. We never advertised; every person was there because of word-of-mouth.
Concert venues were in different locations each month, taking people to all edges of town. Venues were announced monthly through the email subscription list.
I performed at many Musicales, but my primary role was curator and MC, making sure musicians knew where to warm-up, tune and leave their cases, making sure a sound system was provided, making sure people knew where to park, organising the food and bar effort, and of course creating each programme with an ideal variety and flow. I was constantly traveling to houses and public facilities to scout-out potential Musicale venues. And I was in constant contact with a large number of diverse musicians all over town. For the first year or so, I was inviting the performers to be a part of this community effort. But it wasn’t long before it was the other way around; performers were asking me if they could be included. I kept an ongoing list of requests, potential performers, as well as past and future performers. I often went to hear local performances to see if the person or group would be suitable for a Musicale.
It was my privilege to sustain a regular platform for local and traveling musicians, dancers and artists. Each concert featured anywhere from 5 to 10 solo or ensemble performances with a wide variety in genre and medium, including drumming groups, dance groups, students of all ages, university faculty, amateurs, professionals, jazz, classical, bluegrass, experimental, folk, rock, vocal, singer-songwriters, ethnic music and more. Over the years, Musicales featured a body-percussion group, symphonic instrumentalists playing chamber music, modern ballet dancers, African dancers, tango dancers, a Flamenco dancer (she provided her own portable wooden dance floor), a comedian, an Israeli Klezmer band, a salsa band (and dancers of course), opera singers, duelling pianos, Theatre Pops, a Unitarian Youth choir, instrumental rock bands, a hammer dulcimer performer, a bassoon quartet, and the list goes on…
I made each concert free, on a donation basis, so everyone would feel welcome. Since there was such a wide variety in performers, Musicales drew an audience just as diverse. This was part of my goal in creating these concerts; for a wide range of people to come together, and to be in an atmosphere welcoming and inviting enough to get to know each other. Instead of a formal concert setting, Musicales were always in [large!] homes or public venues that were more welcoming of performer-audience interaction and relaxed viewing.
Since each performer or group generally had only 15 minutes to perform, we were all exposed to a variety of music without having to commit to an entire evening of one thing. Audience members were often surprised at what they wound-up liking and who they connected with. I loved pushing us all to our edge and introducing new ideas, music and people that expanded our friend-base as well as our perspectives and artistic awareness. Plenty of food and wine were at each Musicale, provided by the audience, so as to facilitate a fun, social setting.
The following 10 photos were taken by Stacey Craig at the final Musicale, #75, at the Skyloft Towers in downtown Tulsa.
with my Dad Theodore and his sister my aunt Minnie
