i received an e-mail from one of the guest artists at ASO's season finale, recently. she took exception to my comments re: her physical appearance that evening, going on to school me as to the timbre of Mahler 2, making note as to how lucky the ASO was to have procured the other guest artist for these last performances.
i went back and read again the piece titled, Resurrection. granted the comments in question are a bit snarky but please, ma'am, it's not like i berated your instrument. perhaps you should choose your dress more carefully and maybe get a hair cut and style. you looked nothing like your head shot that evening.
in her response, she made note of mahler 2 as being a somber piece and not appropriate to be wearing "over the top formals and bling." i will cede that point, still one could dress to fit the mood of the piece without wearing something that looked like it might have been sewn from the sun faded sheers taken down when new drapes were hung. something like your co-guest artist was wearing perhaps.
i may be wrong about this and maybe i have a chip on my shoulder but in my mind certain artists and companies, consciously or not, have a tendency to "phone in" their performances, being of the mind that "amarillo is lucky to get" their services. that's bullshit. whether performing in amarillo, or on broadway, the audience is your pay check and as such deserve a best effort, not some mealy mouthed excuse in the "amarillo, texas-- where the hell is that?" vein.
that's imho. aio
I completely agree with your statement that artists often take little old Amarillo as a venue not to be taken seriously. The performing arts venue that the symphony gets to perform in is evidence of the top quality arts available in the Texas Panhandle. I also think it is up to the guest artist, or that artist's manager to research the venue in which their performer is performing and guide that person in their attire accordingly. A poor choice in outfit can be quite distracting to a somber type piece - and give that the GNCPA's orchestra shell is orange, it can be a challenge when choosing a performance outfit for this venue. Research is a good thing, because, whether you are in NYC or Amarillo, the people who show up to hear you perform deserve a stellar performance. Amarilloan's money is just as good as New Yorks, and don't think that Amarillo's patrons don't know the difference between a phoned in performance and a true evening of art. They may have been very gracious and given a standing ovation, but that's because they are nice and are happy for you to see that Amarillo is not your run of the mill, no-culture town.
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