Memphis Symphony Orchestra

A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine called and asked if I would like a pair of tickets to the Symphony. I have always loved going, and the featured artist that night was Eileen Ivers, who used to play for Riverdance. Riverdance, for those of you who don't know what it is, is a group of Celtic dancers... most of the people are Irish, though there are some of other nationalities as well. At any rate, Eileen Ivers plays the violin (quite beautifully). It just so happened, that my youngest daughter was here that weekend, and she also plays the violin. So, I asked her if she would like to go to the Symphony. She will be 13 in May, and I didn't realize that she'd never been to the Symphony. I've taken her to the Orpheum for a play and she's been to other cultural things, but not the Symphony, and I was glad to be able to remedy that on a night that was so enjoyable to her.

When we arrived at the Cannon Center, there was a group of Irish Dancers performing in the lobby. They are based in Cordova, and they're quite good. Kacy and I watched the dancers for about half an hour from several different vantage points before the doors to the auditorium were opened and we made our way to our seats.

Once we were seated, we had an opportunity to watch and listen as the orchestra players warmed up. I've always loved that part of going to the Symphony. All of the instruments warm up individually, together, so there is a cacaphony of sound that is both pleasing and chaotic at the same time. Kacy seemed to enjoy it too, and because she plays in the school's orchestra, she was able to relate to some of what was going on. She spent a little time pointing out instruments to me, and though I already knew them, I enjoyed letting her show how much she'd learned in her instrumental music classes.

After 20 minutes or so, the Concertmaster came out and tuned the orchestra. The Concertmaster is the person who essentially holds the first violin chair, and in this case, the Memphis Symphony Orchestra's Concertmaster (since 1997) is Susanna Perry Gilmore. The Concertmaster is the person who sets the pace for the orchestra and they also let everyone know which way to bow. This is important because if the violins don't move their bows as one, the chaotic movements distract the audience and take away from the appreciation of the music. Also, different bowings can produce different sounds, so it's important for all of the strings (not just violins) to follow the Concertmaster's bowing. If there's a solo, the Concertmaster is generally the one who plays it, unless it's meant for the guest musician to play. So, when the Concertmaster comes out and tunes the orchestra, what she does is plays a certain note, and one at a time, each section will then tune (for instance) their "A" to her "A".

Now that I've explained what a Concertmaster does, I'll continue. The Concertmaster came out and tuned the orchestra. Then, the Conductor came out and the concert begain!

Our seats were in the Mezanine so we had a really good view of the entire orchestra. What was even nicer was that the music swelled up towards us, so we got, I think, a better and more full bodied sound than we would have otherwise. I've been on the front row, and on the floor in the middle, as well as up even higher than the mezanine for the Symphony, and I honestly think that the quality of sound was better where we sat that night.

After playing a few songs, the Conductor invited Eileen Ivers on stage to play. She has an entire band that plays with her - a traditional drum set, and an accordion-like instrument, and a couple of guitarists. One was bass, I know, and I think the other one was just - a guitar. Ms. Ivers plays Celtic music, but she also blends in a world music vibe to most of her songs as well, and she sings on a few numbers.

I don't think I can break the concert down for you much more than saying it was beautiful and amazing. Kacy said she had the best night of her whole life, which made me feel really good, and also made me very thankful for my friend who gave us the tickets.

After the concert was over, Kacy and I went to the lobby to purchase one of Ms. Ivers' CDs. Kacy was very excited to find that Eileen Ivers was in the lobby, talking to the people as they came up to her. She signed Kacy's CD and talked to her about playing the violin, making the night a complete success.

Kacy has already started asking when we can go back, and I'm considering purchasing season tickets just for the two of us.