All Access with Lauren Taylor

Saturday mornings...

2009-02-06T08:57:00.003-05:00

Two things that made Saturday mornings awesome as a kid…my favorite cereal and watching cartoons! Oh man, that was the life.

This Saturday’s concert will definitely be nostalgic for me, as the Orchestra will be performing scores from some the classic Warner Bros. Studio cartoons – while the actual films play on the big screen!

Syncing the music and the cartoons is a huge undertaking. Our production staff has been working hard to get all of the technical preparations in place. Each musician will wear headphones and many of the musicians will be on microphones, just like they do in the movie studios! I am really looking forward to seeing it all come together and having some fun too.

I hope you plan on coming out to the concert! Your inner-child will thank you :)

For more information on the concert click here.

P.S. They don’t allow food inside the hall, so make sure you eat your cereal and milk before you get there...

Did ya’ miss me?

2009-02-02T13:51:00.001-05:00

Okay, so it’s been a while since I’ve posted. Can you find it in your hearts for forgive me? I hope so, because it’s been pretty busy around here and we have a lot to catch up on!

After spending a week in fabulous Las Vegas for the holiday break and catching up on some much needed rest from that trip, we started off the New Year at the Orchestra with our third Masterworks program. Grammy winning artist, James Ehnes, joined us to perform Brahm’s Violin Concerto. This would be James’ third time performing with the orchestra and I have to say he’s one of my favorite artists (and I promise I’m not just saying that because he has a residence here and there was not much logistical work that I needed to do for him, LOL).

Not only did he perform at these concerts, he also presented a string masterclass that was open to the community. We had a wonderful turnout for it. If you went to the Thursday or Friday night concerts you might have noticed him slip into the violin section to play Bartók’s Concert for Orchestra…how cool is that?!?

One last note, right after performing the violin concerto on Friday night, as the audience waited for James to come back out to receive more applause, James asked me to hold his violin while he tied his shoes. A Stradivarius violin hundreds of years older than me and probably worth more than I can afford to even say. I reluctantly took the violin out of his hands. While I ever so carefully held it, Steve Lemke, our technical director, leans over and says “I hope you don’t drop it”...um, thanks for helping me relax Steve! LOL. Since I’m able to tell this story and still laugh about it, you might have guessed that I didn’t drop it and my nerves are still intact…thank goodness!

Happy Chrismahanukwanzakah!

2008-12-18T14:05:00.000-05:00

Only 7 more shopping days till Christmas…

…and the bad news is I haven’t even started buying gifts yet, eek! Good news is our Orchestra has been on a roll this month with some really fun and inspiring concerts.

Our Masterworks concert made for an interesting week. We started off with two fantastic guest artists but ended up with three by the end of the week. Unfortunately, Kelley Nassief, soprano, fell ill and could only perform the Mahler for the Friday night’s performance. After a trip to the doctor earlier in the week and lots of rest, it was decided that we would need a stand-in for Kelley. Kelley was so wonderful to work with and has such a beautiful voice; we were sad that she wasn’t able to finish out the concerts that weekend.

Luckily after a few phone calls and working out some last minute transportation and lodging issues, we were able to have a stand-income for the Saturday and Sunday concerts. Lauren Skuce flew in from New York and picked up right where we left off. She did an amazing job and that was only with a small piano rehearsal. As they say, all is well that ends well.

Before we leave for the holiday break we’ve got another set of Great Escapes performances and a private event at the Ritz this weekend, phew!

Happy Chrismahanukwanzakah! And see you next year!

Home for the Holidays

2008-12-17T09:36:00.003-05:00

Our Home for the Holidays Family program was a ton of fun but also a ton of work behind the scenes.

There were almost 30 singers to coordinate between The Next Generation Kids group and the Holiday Singers from Orlando. We had to get the music out to the singers weeks before the performance, work on stage blocking (who stands where and when), produce a call sheet (order of what’s suppose to happen and when), arrange hotel rooms, arrange catering for lunch and dinner, gather volunteers to hand out hot chocolate and cookies for the audience and handle a host of other things to make this concert a success.

We were all especially pleased to see audiences members of all ages enjoying the concert. I’m posting some photos of the audience in line for hot chocolate, as well as a photo of the lucky winners of Sarasota Orchestra t-shirts.

What a wonderful way to celebrate the holidays!!!!

Stewart Goodyear

2008-11-14T13:07:00.001-05:00

For our first masterworks of the season we brought in a fantastic pianist, Stewart Goodyear. He performed Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini by Rachmaninoff and one of my favorites, Rhapsody in Blue which was part of a themed-program of all Rhapsodies; a novel concept in my opinion.

From the moment I picked Stewart up from the airport, I knew the week was going to be a breeze. He was extremely gracious and we had a nice conversation on the way to drop him off at the hotel. At the first rehearsal, once I showed him where the coffee was in the office kitchen, my work was done. Stewart made himself right at home; even so much as to have an impromptu lunch with some of our staff one day!

Often guest artists travel from city to city, orchestra to orchestra without a chance to really settle down while they are in season. Matter of fact, Stewart travelled straight from Sarasota to the Windy City to start rehearsals with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. I’m sure all the traveling combined with intense performances can make it hard for anyone to keep a smile on their face, but Stewart did it with style.

It’s always nice when a guest artist’s congeniality is a great as the talent they possess.

Duh, duh, duh, duuuh…

2008-10-23T09:39:00.002-04:00

…no, I’m not mumbling. I’m thinking of the most famous opening four notes in the world, Beethoven’s 5th. And this symphony has been playing in my head ever since the fabulous concert on Saturday; I can’t seem to shake it. Chances are, you’ve heard this symphony before. Whether you’ve seen it performed when you were a child, heard it used in a commercial or even maybe you even heard “a 5th” of it on Saturday Night Fever! Yes, it appears that even the disco era had an appreciation for 200-year-old masterpieces!

On Saturday night we not only performed this symphony, but shared the life and times of the genius behind it. Most knew that Beethoven became deaf in his later years, but they might not have known the anger and torment he suffered because of it, or that he was abused as a child. And still, within the prison of his emotions, was able to write some of the most profound music of his time and beyond. Putting the music into the context of his period of time and his thought process made me listen to his music in a different way. It made him more real and more than just a last name. Not to mention that I had the added benefit of experiencing this great music over several rehearsals.

This was no ordinary concert. The format was as revolutionary as Beethoven’s music. It wasn’t just a lecture; it was a fusion of narrative, video imaging and musical excerpts that brought a “hearing” concert into a “seeing” experience.. It was made possible by all the meticulous behind-thescenes work that went into this production. It was humbling to see all the countless hours of effort from the operations team, camera crew, sound people, lighting, videographer, script writers…. and it all came together to create one fantastic program.

And most exciting of all, it was a totally sold-out show! I don’t know about you, but I think we may have upped the ante for the next Journeys to Genius based on Dvorak’s life. Can’t wait to hear and see the “New World”! (And if you don’t buy your tickets early… don’t blame me if you miss the next sold-out show… consider yourself warned!)

A few pics from the rehearsals for your viewing pleasure:

Mentors of Music

2008-10-02T16:03:00.001-04:00

This Saturday’s concert celebrates the teachers and role models who inspire their students to excel in music. The highlight of the concert will feature four soloists from our own Orchestra, each performing various concertos: Adam De Sorgo, principal oboe, Larry Solowey, co-principal horn, Chris Takeda, associate concertmaster and Yoko Kita, principal timpani.

It will be quite an experience to see all of them take the stage in one concert and also learn who has guided their paths to becoming professional musicians. I’m especially excited to see something I’ve never seen before, a soloist taking on eight, count ‘em eight, timpani! I know Yoko and the other soloists are going to be fantastic.

The concert will also open and end with some of my favorite pieces from Bernstein and Rimsky-Korskov and include some visual elements that are sure to enhance the listening experience.

Guess what? Just because you read my blog today, and I greatly appreciate my readers, I am giving you a discount code to purchase tickets from our website for Mentors of Music for just $10! All you need to do is choose your seats and enter the code MM8 in the checkout area. Click here to redeem your discount! Don’t say I never gave you anything!

Flashing… Lights…

2008-10-01T13:50:00.002-04:00

The hottest ticket in town last Saturday was to SRQ Magazines 2008 Hot List party at the Sarasota Opera House. It brought together all of the places in the area that make Sarasota special under one roof. Fashion, food, music and beautiful people…now that’s my type of party! It was definitely a Hollywood-esque event; the only thing that was missing was a red carpet. Come to think of it, they might have actually had one out there.

While I was rubbing elbows with the glamorous and chic, I also got to enjoy food from some of the finest restaurants this town has to offer. And just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, the show was about to begin. It opened with the Fuzion Dance Artists who, as you might remember, were featured in the Hot List issue of the magazine. It ended with the marquee event: the SRQ Fashion Show. I took lots of visual notes on what to wear this season, so I fully expect the bank account to get a full workout pretty soon (I hope my husband isn’t reading this!).

Perhaps I’m biased, but the best performance of the show was from our very own Sarasota Brass Quintet who rocked the house, literally. Bohemian Rhapsody was on the music menu complete with the vocal stylings of Larry Solowey, co-principal horn and Greg Knudsen, co-principal trumpet. Queen would be so proud. The Quintet also performed a classic Jimmi Hendrix song, Purple Haze. How cool is that? I think the audience was pleasantly surprised to hear something so fresh from Brass Quintet.

This week is the beginning of a very busy month here at the Sarasota Orchestra. We’ve got Mentors of Music coming up as well as Beethoven Live Upstairs, Great Escapes, Masterworks and Journeys to Genius! I’ll be working overtime to give you all the updates!

Full House

2008-09-22T10:03:00.001-04:00

Last Saturday we celebrated our new brand and our 60th anniversary by hosting an open house for the community. It was a wonderful opportunity for people to experience our Orchestra in a fun way and for some, experience the Orchestra for the first time. The Orchestra musicians were back in full swing, performing Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf sandwiched in between two concerts full of other favorite classics and pop songs.

It was overwhelming to see the hundreds of people at the event; standing room at a premium during the first concert! There was something for everyone: face painting, music, food, an instrument petting zoo, balloons, raffles and prizes.

A great time had by all and I have the pictures to prove it (pictures courtesy of Daniel Perales):

It was nice to meet so many of you at the “meet the blogger” table. Great to know I’ve got readers out there!

What's in a name?

2008-09-10T14:29:00.009-04:00

There’s excitement and anticipation in the air as we kick off our 60th anniversary season here at the Sarasota Orchestra. Musicians are returning to Sarasota from various summer festivals and other activities, staff are working feverishly to make sure everything’s in place, and I’m sure the community is anxiously awaiting the return of fabulous concerts this season!

Oh and did I mention our Orchestra has a new name? That’s right, the Sarasota Orchestra is the NEW Florida West Coast Symphony! The name is part of a whole new brand for our organization. I couldn’t imagine a better way to celebrate and usher in our 60th anniversary than with an innovative new look and name.

Over the past year, there has been much anticipation about the new brand: Will there be a name change? What will our new logo look like? How will everyone respond to the new brand? I sat in a staff meeting a few weeks ago waiting to get the answers to those questions. I was so ecstatic when everything was revealed. My initial reaction was literally “this is so cool!” The new look is fun, inviting and vibrant. And I’m so proud to be a part of it all!

The thing I have appreciated the most throughout this process is my organization’s commitment to keeping with the traditions of creating an excellent artistic product that our audiences have come to love and enjoy, all while looking towards to the future. Even though there are lots of changes on the outside, the core of the Sarasota Orchestra will remain the same. It’s great that we can make changes and still hold on to what makes us who we are and what our community loves about us.

We debuted our new brand to the world last Wednesday. It was so exciting to finally see all of the hard work that went into the launch realized. Not to mention it was great to finally spill the beans to everyone!

The pic below is from the unveiling of our hip new sign:

I am so happy to be a part of history here at the Sarasota Orchestra and embark on this new journey.

By the way, I am personally extending an invite for all of you to attend SO’s open house to celebrate the new brand with the community this Saturday, September 13! It’s going to be a ton of fun. Check out the Orchestra’s home page (http://www.sarasotaorchestra.org/) for more info. Hope to see you there!

So…how many times did I use the word “new”?

An Introduction

2008-09-02T21:08:00.009-04:00

If you’re reading this, that means you made it! Congratulations! Let me be the first to welcome you to Sarasota Orchestra’s brand new blog, AllAccessPass. No, you won’t get one of those laminated passes that you wear around your neck so you can say you’re “with the band,” but my hope is that you’ll get something even more valuable: an informal behind-the-scenes look at what goes on here at Sarasota Orchestra.

I am Lauren and I’ll be your tour guide! I have been with the Orchestra for about two and half years and currently am the operations coordinator. “So, what exactly does an operations coordinator do?” I knew that’s what you were thinking, right? Well, I handle a multitude of projects like managing our Chamber ensemble activities, building our season Orchestra calendars, preparing logistics and hospitality for our guest artists (read: running our guests artists all over town), and whatever else that seems to make it to my desk! I love my job because I feel like I am close to the process of making music without actually making the music. I also get a well-rounded view of orchestra administration, which is something I’ve always been intrigued by.

I literally just moved from Bradenton to Sarasota (I’m drowning in a room full of boxes as I write this. Does anyone want to help me unpack?), and I’m a newlywed with just over seven months of marriage under my belt. My beginnings in music started with picking up the flute as a way to get out of class for music lessons and hang out with my friends. I could have never guessed then that my need for social interaction would grow into a love for music and blossom into a career where I am constantly surrounded by it. I earned a music studies degree from the University of South Florida (GO BULLS!) and previously worked with the Florida Orchestra in Tampa. While it may appear that I spend every waking moment listening to all the classics from Mozart to Rachmaninoff, you’ll probably find more Miles Davis, Steve Reich, Coldplay, Kanye West and Amy Winehouse on my iPod than those old guys.

When I was first asked to contribute to this blog, I couldn’t help but be excited. Two reasons for this: I am thrilled that my organization is taking a fresh approach to reaching out to a broader audience, and second, I have always wanted to blog but never knew how and where to start or if anyone would be interested in what I have to say.

There is no set topic of this blog. It will be a compilation of all kinds of fun stuff: giving you the play-by-play of weekly Orchestra operations, chats with musicians, random musings off the top my head and where ever else this takes us. My hope is that through my experiences and observations noted here, you will be connected to the Orchestra like you never have before.

Check in with me again soon, and see what the Orchestra is up to!

- Lauren

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