Post-COVID Riverside Concerts

Abstract

Background This project was a continuation of my curatorial research work in developing new programming for large guitar ensemble and presenting it in innovative contexts. These concerts were unexpectedly challenging as they were presented after many months of not being able to hold in-person rehearsals and then having to rehearse socially distanced, which poses great difficulties for guitarists. Audiences had been starved of live music experiences and performers had become used to playing “small” at home in isolation. Programme length became strictly limited to 60 mins and in both instances, there were guest performers involved. Contribution This research contributes to exploring how an ensemble can rehearse socially distanced under strict government guidelines and still produce an artistically relevant output. The concert featured the premiere of various new arrangements for large guitar ensemble, both by Joe Fallon: “Carinhoso” by Alfredo Vianna and “Techno” by Jurg Kindle. It also marked the large ensemble premiere of “L’Evasion” by Piazzolla and “Tarantella” by Inti-Illimani. These works make important new contributions to the repertoire for large ensemble, works which can be prepared socially distanced. Significance These concerts were described by various audience members as Riverside’s best playing to date. These performances also chartered new territory in how a guitar ensemble can be presented ( socially distanced on stage). Both concerts reached near-capacity audiences in larger rooms than usual wwith necessary use of amplification. Pedagogically, , it is significant that in fact the ensemble showed notable musical benefit from being forced to rehearse socially distanced and this opens up hitherto unexplored new research directions for guitar ensemble rehearsal techniques.