What does it take to actually pull a gig off?
Today, I want to tell you about an experience that one of my sax students lived recently, and what there is to learn from it.
My student posted a video of herself playing that got shared to many people. One person from those she reached liked what they saw, and contacted her to book her for an event. It sounded great, until it was revealed that the gig was in only two weeks.
Panic ensued. She did not know what to do. On one hand, she did not want to pass on the opportunity to play in public, even if for free. On the other, she did not feel ready. After consulting with family members and with myself as her teacher, she decided to go for it, playing a song she already knows well, and one she was working on. She did her best, and while she received no complaints, she ended up feeling overwhelmed and a tad regretful. She told me that she wished she could have an entire year to properly prepare. I can understand, I have been there!
Last minute gigs can open many doors, but they can also ...
Is this the best behaved audience ever?
The COVID-19 pandemic forced artistic venues to close down and all artists across the world face the scary question of how to keep doing our thing when we couldn't even meet with our audiences. After three months of inactivity, the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona came up with a solution. On June 2020, they offered a performance to an attentive public that needed no social distancing:
Watch on Instagram
The string quartet in charge of the performance played Giacomo Puccini's "Crisantemi" for a full auditorium of potted plants plus human audiences connected via livestream. Later, the plants were donated, along with a certificate of attendance, to over 2000 healthcare professionals attending the COVID-19 emergency.
The event, a call to reconnect with nature in times of crisis, was the prelude to the Liceu's 2020-2021 season, during which the Spanish authorities permitted the operation of artistic venues and cinem...
Do You Like Surprises? Check This One By Pentatonix and Lil Buck
Creativity and innovation are at the core of art. There's always delight at the surprise of getting our expectations subverted, and the more conventional and formal the base context is, the greater the joy.
A good example of this is the famous a cappella group Pentatonix, which always finds way to catch their audience by surprise. In this occasion, they partnered with renowned dancer Lil Buck to give an impressive twist to their Hollywood Bowl show. Link to reel.
Watch on Instagram
What do you think? Did you like it? If you're on your own music journey and would like to put on big shows like that one day, be sure to check all the resources Success Beyond The Score has to support your dreams.
Emergency on Stage!
Anything can happen on stage and, as performers, we must be prepared! However, sometimes things go wrong no matter how hard you think about every possible inconvenience ahead of time. That was the case of Taiwanese-Australian violinist star Ray Chen during a concert in Brussels some years ago, when one string of his violin broke mid-song: Watch on YouTube.
We feel his pain, but the video is hilarious! Check how everybody reacts super fast, while the director pays no mind whatsoever to the chaos unfolding right next to him. The show must go on and orchestras know this better than anyone!
We hope this brings a smile to your face and some energy for the week that just started. If you want to learn more about how to make your performances a success no matter what, be sure to check the e-learning course "10 Things The Most Successful Artists Always Do, That You Can Do, To Give An Unforgettable Show"