On Pine Streets
The performance librarian profession is a tricky little animal. There is no formal degree and only two orchestras in the United States which have specifically designed library fellowship positions. Therefore, those who actively seek work in the profession have very limited educational options. Earlier this month, I traveled to three major U.S. cities in hopes of educating and networking with those who are already well established in this field. Hundreds of photos, thousands of minutes, eight pages of handwritten notes, twenty handouts, two new pairs of shoes, one coat, living on two streets named “Pine” in two different cities and one two-page booklist later, I daresay it has at least been an eventful time (And yes, I learned TONS.) Alongside meeting professionals, I was able to see and spend time with close friends again. The icing on the cake is when each friend lives in an incredible city, each with a major orchestra.
The current state I live in is a purported hellhole for the classical music business. Culture is decidedly dead. To balance my unbelievable happiness of traveling and learning was my intense jealousy for my hosts. Every one of them was surrounded by an incredible multitude of culture, if not actively involved in it. In between the various masterclasses, lessons, workshops and meetings, there was a little tour of the United States to be found. The United States can really be a pretty amazing place sometimes.
The first stop was St. Louis, where the symphony orchestra is so beloved by its audience that only a musician with a heart of steel could be immune to the joy from the SLSO audience. David Robertson’s radiant energy simply illuminates the stage, the orchestra, the music, and the audience. The orchestra and its audience is nothing short of a community. I would also like to take this opportunity to declare that the SLSO French Horn section is absurdly perfect. In later days, my feet nearly fell off from walking through Forest Park, stopping in the History Museum and most of the zoo. The zoo is fabulous – especially the penguin exhibit where an Emperor penguin splashed me, dooming me to smell of fish for the remainder of my afternoon visit.
Next was Chicago, a city I have always loved, with the main agenda of attending the [MOLA] workshop at Northwestern University. But there were so many libraries to visit! And I only got through two of them. At the Newberry Library, the librarian who was graciously showing me around smiled at my frustrations and pretty much confirmed that so far as cultural cities went, Chicago was a pretty hard one to beat. She could have been smug about this, but she was instead genuinely proud. I would have envied her if she hadn’t been so nice.
That same night, I watched the Lyric Opera of Chicago perform Bizet’s Carmen from the very last row of the gorgeous opera house. Even from that treacherous spot, there was no question regarding the level of skill at which the musicians performed. Don Jose’s “Flower Aria” was particularly beautiful, and its resulting ovation stopped the opera for a good 30 seconds. Only a few days earlier, I had heard the Chicago Symphony Orchestra breeze through Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3. My St. Louis hostess declared that Chicago culture was spoiling me (I had also gone to the Art Institue the day before – after having met the luthier who crafted my beloved violin – but only managed to view about 20% of the entire museum. Also, leaves in Millennium Park were changing color and causing me conflicting emotions.)
Then it was off to Philadelphia. My host there lived in the Historic District, if that gives you any idea how lucky HE was: literally five doors down (or so) from a beautiful plaza with restaurants, coffee shops, stores, a historic firehouse, three blocks from the riverside, and surrounded pretty much on all sides by historic churches and cemeteries. Half a mile would get you to Washington Square; another half mile or so got you to City Hall and the Masonic Temple. The Kimmel Center (where Brahms and the Philadelphia Orchestra made sweet sweet love to our ears) was also within walking distance. We had walked back after the concert, through Center City, with my host pointing out significant places nearly every second. Every person and place was interesting. I had sorely missed having conversations like the ones that took place in Philadelphia.
My main motivation in visiting this city was to take a class with the former Head Librarian of the Philadelphia Orchestra and perhaps the one guy who is a viable “celebrity” for performance librarians. He also suggested a visit to the [Fleisher Collection] at the Free Library of Philadelphia, a true hidden treasure of the musical world. With approximately 250,000 scores in the collection, there is all too much to discover between those shelves (including a former colleague from undergrad who now works there!) The afternoon was effectively killed walking back in the direction of the apartment, thus taking me through the central park that lead to City Hall, the Masonic Temple, and all the lovely in between. My host and I visited the gardens behind the Art Museum later that night after an unsuccessful attempt to locate an art installation of interactive lights along the Schuylkill River. The architecture and weather everywhere was gorgeous.
My brain struggled to process the thought of leaving, of not having anything to experience and absorb. It was painful.
After having my luggage lost on my return flight home, then experiencing on the first venture out after my return both a group of octogenarians in a medical waiting room unanimously gripe about how “terrible” this state is added to the lack of Kick-Ass 2 in my local bookstore on its release date, I’m pretty sure it was a terrible decision to get off the road. But coming back just in time for my parents’ 30th anniversary certainly lessened the blow.
October 30 2010 07:57 pm | music and travels
Crazy 8 on 04 Nov 2010 at 5:00 pm #
Man, what an adventure! I’m glad you had such a good time. I only hope the ending for the next one is better.