Page 309 - ASMF Marriner 100 Coverage Book

Scott Flavin, resident conductor for The Henry Mancini Institute at The
Frost School of Music, will lead two Classical Conversations, including the
Thursday, March 7 pre-talk before the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra’s
performance.

Pamela Smitter, DMA, who was principal trumpet with the West Michigan
Symphony for two decades and now performs with the Miami Symphony
Orchestra and Orchestra, was the first speaker in the series when the
Detroit Symphony Orchestra played the Knight on Thursday, Feb. 15.

She was particularly excited about Elgar’s Cello Concerto and told
audiences in her pre-concert conversation that the piece was an
“expressive, soulful piece of music,” and gave insight that Elgar composed
the piece in the wake of World War writing the composition near the end of
his life.

Frith says that’s precisely the idea behind the “Conversations” series.

“When the guests come, they will learn a little bit about what’s being
performed, the ensemble that’s performing, and then a little bit of the
gossip — who the composers were, was there an affair, was there
something steamy that happened?”

The “Classical Conversations” series is free and open to the public and it
isn’t necessary to have a purchased ticket to attend the pre-show talks,
according to the Arsht.

Flavin, who works closely with a younger demographic at University of
Miami’s Frost School of Music, highlighted new and innovative ways in
which orchestras have been using to engage audiences.

“It’s an amazing time for classical music,” says Flavin, citing the success of
the popular “Candlelight” concert series. In 2020, Flavin began performing
as a musician in intimate events that are held in various venues illuminated
by seas of candlelight and produced by a commercial company, Fever, that
puts on shows around the United States. They typically feature a string
quartet or a small jazz band performing the hit songs of popular musicians
like Nirvana, Queen, Fleetwood Mac, Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran as well
as some concerts that feature classical composers such as Vivaldi or
contemporary film score composers like Hans Zimmer. Venues range from
Pinecrest Gardens to the Coral Gables Congregational Church.

Smitter says younger audiences are looking for something else and has
hopes the Arsht conversations can help bring people in.