Music in the Italian Community

The first Sunday of every month, practically all museums are free entry in Italy. This particular Sunday was my second concert with the Carisch Orchestra of Milano. Our performance venue was inside the Science Museum of Milan, very close to where I go to school. The line was out the door waiting to get in and on time and not lost (for once) I made my way into the museum up to the Sala delle Colonne.

The idea behind out performance was to allow the community to 1. be introduced to the instruments of the orchestra and 2. to be able to sit among the musicians while we performed out concerto. It was awesome to see little kids come pouring in, pulling up a chair or sitting on the floor next to the bassoon or a cello player and watching wide eyed for the performance. The idea of classic music is different in Italy, it's advertised as something to be part of AND enjoy (though there is still a lot of pressure for perfection), There must have been six kids inches away from the conductor and there was one boy with his nose practically in the bridge of the cello player he was watching, eyes wide, rarely blinking.

It was refreshing to have that kind of involvement and to see people sit deeper within the orchestra to have that sensation of being part of it.

My orchestra does not have to pay for their rehearsal space, government officials pop in on our rehearsals and you get the feeling that the country wants you there. This is completely different than what we're experiencing in the United States where we go through school being told that you will fight every day for your program and you will fight for classical music.

I had always been put off by the idea of playing in an orchestra, my prejudice was that wind band was where I belonged. However, playing in this orchestra has given me a new appreciation and enjoyment of classical music. Between rehearsals and my family putting on concertos before dinner, the sound and history of the music is easily embraced and I find myself enjoying it more and more every day.

Perspective is almost everything, willingness and an open mind will always play a big part in how we all see the world and what we allow it to give us.