What is the similarity between recorder Lucie Horsch, pianist Nynke Eekhof, oboist Dorine Schoon, singer Tim Akkerman, these Music narrator and many others. What binds them apart from the music? They open their mouths. Give an insight into life behind the scenes. By making themselves heard in newspapers (Eekhof and Akkerman), on platforms, within organisations and via blogs (Clean and moi) or at a prestigious award ceremony (Horsch). And there are more and more of them: creators making themselves heard. Glad that my words at Culture Press in 2015 turned out to be not just empty, angry words: giving insight, insight, insight AND saying no more often is what we as creators have control over, I wrote then. My patience has been tested, but the seed seems to have been picked up.
FANTASY
Great stunts by the likes of Akkerman (press release about 'aeroplane concert, oh no surely not') and Horsch (pithy words during prestigious award ceremony) and beautiful personal account by Eekhof that is very recognisable. Use your imagination for a moment for her story:
You are a professional musician with an empty schedule and you are approached by a big stage with a great idea: lunch concerts are finally possible again. They are looking for musicians and contact you! Wow! A happy feeling is your first reaction and you mail a YES I will. Your second reaction to the reply with dates and proposal is: ehhh, hmmm. So you mail to find out whether you got the message right. And so no. It is indeed different:
The fee of €136 ex does not receive every ensemble member. 'No, unfortunately you will surely understand in Corona time, this is for the whole ensemble'. How would you react? Eekhof climbs into the pen and her opinion piece is published in the Dagblad van het Noorden: Corona is no excuse for underpayment.
ACTION
My skirt has long since stopped falling down from the proposals some venues still make and the musicians who do say yes to them. But hey, why not try a different order stages. Get pecunia first before asking musicians. Invent the adopt concert series plan 'care about makers', concert equity project 'build art', pegs for pings. Make up the Bongo: bingo with rhythms instead of numbers or the Pingo: bingo with notes instead of numbers. Test the endurance of listeners with the sponsored run 'Sweat for sweet sounds' and let them recover afterwards at the concert they have thrown together. If I think about it longer, I'm sure something wackier will come out.
Involve those Friends of...clubs much more. Friends with undoubtedly normally valued jobs. From farmer to CEO, teacher to doctor, plumber to gallery owner. What forces are all in the shoulders of enthusiasts for their hobby? I know from my own experience that those shoulders can carry a lot and are happy to do so if the asking party is clear about how the flag, fork and behind-the-scenes life works.
CONTENT
Put all those creative, inventive PR, communication and marketing people to work and let them have a huge time on playful plans. Without, I repeat, without fear of going against audience expectations, traditions and habits for once. Something that happens quite often in ordinary times for fear of losing audiences, I speak from experience with various venues.
Get really creative. Ehhh...undertake! It is the time for it. In this, some say, lost time, there is room for spiel. Nothing left to lose= huge amount to gain! And should we fail to be creative (something that wouldn't make my mouth drop open enormously either, given the boring proposals I've seen past from dormant contributors, apart from the good ones), I have one last plan devised by a contributor of mine (and also recently implemented I noticed in my bank account):
All employees with permanent jobs donate their holiday pay and/or 13e month for charity. Then perhaps what is asked of people in front of the scenes is really felt on all sides. Don't come up with ridiculous gages. Not now. Not ever. Non, nein, no!
CANS
And another thing. I also see room for the programmers, curators, artistic directors of concert hall, cultural commission, theatre and all other venues where (performing) arts take place.
Spiritualised programmers who, with an understanding of music content, audiences and common threads, can now of course fantastically ...eehhh... adventurous (sorry, for this hackneyed word) and at last idiosyncratic programming. Who, surely, should now finally be able to decide autonomously who should take that 'thirty to live music-craving aficionados' may come to play to great heights. Without feeling the listening figure calculators from the other departments breathing down their necks who seem to go for quantity above all else. Yep, again, I speak from personal experience and often hear people around me complaining about it. Guaranteed full house these days right? So surely there is that leeway there too to bring the unknown cream of the crop into your hall?
If those creative vibes flow behind the scenes anyway, then it doesn't seem so difficult to me for PR and communications people to make it clear to the public in an original way that these unknown, so unfortunately often unloved, creators are enormously worthwhile. Especially now. Right?
ARTISTS FORMERLY KNOWN AS PRETTY UNKNOWN ARTISTS IN MAINSTREAMWORLD
Pioneering projects and creators with a smaller scope than the well-known need special attention. And audiences that dare to be surprised. Craving audiences also seem to me to be audiences that are more open than ever to something different. 'The peasants who do eat what they don't know' let's say. Or is this wishfull hoping?
Curious listeners are certainly there, I speak from Music Storyteller experience. But nudges, the right timing, ´But you can do it´-words from inventive marketers for somewhat stuck-up listeners are occasionally needed. As do programmers who have a peep at bildung dare to do so. Or a director who shares my current outlook and also sees opportunities. And gives.
TIPS
I too know plenty of makers with quality, but without mainstream name, who can take those 30 men to great heights. Examples? Give listeners the silence of Reinier van Houdt and Pisaro Please or necessary Mark Alban Lotz and see who he brings (from India, Africa or Lutjebroek). Invite Nerea Vera. Eef van Breen Group. Or, as a stage, confess a little more colour. Go socially relevant with Oene van Geel and his merry gang, see the video above. Watch, listen, feel what that does in the audience. Afterwards.
Skilled programmers throw off that (temporary) yoke of listening figures and marketers and show where your strength lies: tasty programming. With snippets of news, splashes of outrageousness, kilos of catchiness and a shred of bildung. The ultimate playing field is now.
I hope that this whirling (according to some no doubt naive ) seed too will have multiplied in five years. Earlier is also allowed. Do I end with that which my Corona slogan seems to be becoming. My conviction certainly is. This variation I make on a talmudic saying: he who moves one man moves mankind.
A suivre!
PS Yes, you may just donate your thirteenth month if you appreciate my words. I'll settle for less in this case too ;).
*The photo above the article is by Zapp4. They were not the reason for my words this time, like five years ago, but fit my story fantastically in terms of image,atmosphere and content. Unfortunately, they no longer play in this formation
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