And Now for Something Musical

I haven’t written much about music in this blog so far. In my post about lifelong learning, I did mention some experiences with learning to play different types of music. I wrote about singing in choirs and playing various instruments. Now, when I re-read that post, I realize I neglected to mention that for a while, I played the handbells. But no matter. That’s not the focus of this post.

Instead, what I want to focus on is a free concert series offered by the Library of Congress (LOC) that I’ve been enjoying throughout the fall. It’s been offered virtually, and from what I can tell from the archive of past concerts, the first concerts to be offered virtually occurred in June 2020. Prior to that, it looks like all the concerts were in-person and required tickets.

The concerts have featured a variety of musical styles and instrumentation. From one highlighting Afro-Cuban jazz fusion, to another presenting classical instuments playing contemporary music, to yet another featuring just percussion instruments, the series has aimed to provide something for everyone to enjoy. Many of the concerts are still available to watch and listen to, and while some have been taken down from the site, their supporting materials are still available. These include interviews with the performers, extensive program notes, and links to resources held by the LOC that are related to the concert material.

My favorite concerts so far have included a piano recital featuring music by Beethoven, Grieg, and Dvorak. Unfortunately, this is one of the concerts that’s no longer accessible on the site, although an interview with the pianist is still viewable, as are other supporting resources. I found this concert to be soothingly beautiful, including its backdrop of snow-tinged Norway pines through a large glass window, and I regret it’s not still available for another listen.

Another favorite was the one featuring percussion instruments. This one had a rather heavy undertone at times from its focus on racism in society, but I enjoyed watching the ways the musicians played their sometimes cleverly constructed instruments in addition to their more traditional ones. One thing I found fascinating was the way the xylophone players sometimes strummed their instruments with bows. I had never seen that technique before.

One more highlight for me was the most recent concert, which was given by the Netherlands Chamber Choir and the Concerto Köln. They performed Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, and although I could barely understand a word the choir was singing, I was proud of myself for hearing the words Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Joseph, and Mary a few times! It was interesting to see some instruments from the period being played, including a lute, and one of the soloists was a countertenor, a part I haven’t heard sung in my previous experiences with classical music.

Lute (Aukland War Memorial Museum)

Although living through the COVID-19 pandemic has been awful, I’m grateful for opportunities like this one that have sprung up as a result of our hardship. I see from people’s posts on social media and from watching live events on TV that many people have begun gathering in large groups again. I, however, have not. The local newspaper where I live reports that only about 50% of residents are vaccinated, and health experts are still advising that people who live in areas like mine, even those of us who are fully vaccinated and boosted, should remain cautious. In a recent article from NPR, one of them, an infectious disease specialist from Stanford University, stated, “we should invoke the precautionary principle,” so that’s what I’m doing.

As a result, I haven’t been attending any in-person cultural events that aren’t taking place outdoors. Nobody here is requiring vaccination for attendance at events, and while some are requiring masks indoors, others are only requesting them. A local jazz orchestra held an outdoor concert in May, and the local choral society held an outdoor concert in October, so I attended those. I also attended a local minor league baseball game in July. Otherwise, all my cultural and sporting event attendance has been virtual. This has included a concert by the local symphony and a lecture series sponsored by a local culture magazine. The LOC concert series has been a great addition to the list.

The main page of the LOC concert series mentions that starting this spring, they’ll be transitioning back to in-person concerts, while still offering some virtually. I think this is too bad, as my life has certainly been enriched by the opportunity to attend these concerts online. As we make plans for a post-pandemic life, which I hope will come to pass soon, I wonder to what extent people will focus on maintaining efforts to make events more accessible to a broader audience than what can be reached in person.

I realize not everyone has access to the same level of internet service that I’ve had available to me, and that internet inequality is a major worldwide problem, so maybe making events available online isn’t the only answer. What can we do to make sure more people around the world can access high-speed internet consistently and affordably? What other means can we use to make sure cultural events are equally accessible to as broad an audience as possible? I don’t have the answers, but I hope to see some creative solutions in the future.