Austin Lyric Operat presents Puccini's Tosca this weekend.
Photo courtesy of the Long Center
At this point in our virtual lives, we might have grown weary of the flash mob/viral marketing double whammy. The stealth and beauty practiced by Austin Lyric Opera members when they mobbed at Central Market Lamar and burst forth with an aria from Tosca, though, is a sight and sound sweet enough to melt the heart of the most steadfast of YouTube cynics. There was majestic singing, there were entranced children, there was beer and there were flowers — lots and lots of flowers.
Watch it, really, even — maybe, especially — if you aren't a big opera buff.
Austin Lyric Opera performances of Tosca last the through the weekend. Sunday's matinee includes "music camp" childcare services; for an extra $20, you get to watch the show undistracted while your kids get musical fun complete with instruments, costumes, snacks and more provided by teachers from Armstrong Community Music School.
The members of Austin Unconducted are used to playing without a written score.
Classical music can be as weird as any other genre; in Austin, that's called "Offbeat." KMFA Classical 89.5 presents a new live-composed work in its Offbeat Concert Series Friday and Saturday, February 6 and 7. This work will unfold in real time in a world premiere performed by Austin Unconducted and Andrea Ariel Dance Theatre, using a technique called Soundpainting.
Soundpainting is a musical sign language created in 1974 by composer Walter Thompson. In a way, it is not so different from conducting: a "soundpainter" signals to the players what they would like to hear using hand gestures. However, conducting usually only adds information to a written score. In this case, the sound painter creates the composition as it progresses — while some of the players' interpretations shape the piece in unexpected ways.
Here, the creator of Soundpainting demonstrates the technique:
The performance — evocatively titled A Soundpainting Collaboration of Live Music Compositions — will include three works around 20 minutes each. They will draw from pre-existing musical excerpts as well as formations that the musicians will take as they play.
The audience will also be part of the experience, not just as spectators but as writers and noisemakers. They'll get a chance to respond to prompts before the performance, and Soundpainting allows for "spontaneous audience participation through voice or movement," according to a press release from KMFA.
Andrea Ariel, an Austinite who has worked to advance Soundpainting with Thompson since 1998, will be the soundpainter. Ariel's theater is the only company practicing the art form. Austin Unconducted is the perfect Soundpainting partner, since the string group usually performs without a conductor and is experienced in listening and responding to each other in real time.
“Live composing adds mystery, increases anticipation, and elevates excitement,” said Ariel in a press release. “We hope to inspire an engaging experience that is inclusive, creative, and energetic —an intimate community space where daring playfulness, participation, and connection spark pure delight.”
Tickets ($35 before discounts for students, seniors, and more) are available at kmfa.org. The show starts at 6 pm with a pre-performance talk featuring the artists. Music starts at 7 pm and a mixer at 8 pm closes the evening. Tickets include complimentary beverages by sponsors and "light bites."
