Alexandra Gardner | Building Noises

Already the leaves are changing big time in Maine!! I always feel clearer after a trip up north – like I’ve been internally realigned. Maybe it’s the air…or the lobster!

The concert in Baltimore went very well! Full house, good music. I particularly enjoyed Ingram Marshall’s Sea Tropes – his music, which is very sparse and delicate, has a gangling sense of balance, as if it might at any moment fall apart and tumble off into the distance, but manages to hold together. The Mobtown Modern team always puts a lot of thought and creativity into the theme of the evening – for this program, entitled Sound Ecology, the space was covered in plants, healthy snacks were served, the sound of crickets could be heard in the pauses between works, and there was even a little giraffe running around! I know some people say oh, who cares about ambience, it’s the music that really matters. Yes, the music is the most important part, but if people are going to be expected to travel somewhere and pay some money to have an experience, I really appreciate that the organizers of that experience are willing to go the extra mile to make it all-encompassing. It shows initiative and consideration for the audience, which, last time I checked, makes audiences happy and makes them want to come back next time.

There is a nice review here!