A segment on NPR’s “The Takeaway” program on Thursday (5/1) covers the Boston-based startup Groupmuse, which offers classical-music-themed house parties. “During his freshman year at college, Sam Bodkin listened to a recording of Beethoven’s ‘Great Fugue.’ Until that moment, Bodkin had never had any interest in classical music…. ‘It was fundamentally at odds with what I expected classical music to be,’ Bodkin says. He became obsessed with the composition for string quartet and listened to it about ‘ten times a day for the next two weeks,’ he says, followed by many more classical pieces in the weeks and months afterwards…. Instead of trying to persuade his friends to attend classical concerts at traditional venues, he would create a social network where students and young professionals could listen to live classical music, performed by talented musicians, in a more relaxed and entertaining house party setting. The parties would be hosted by volunteers living in the neighborhood. From that idea, Bodkin’s Boston-based startup, Groupmuse, was born and he was soon joined by partners Ezra Weller and Kyle Nichols-Schmolze.” The segment includes a conversation between Bodkin and WCRB station manager Tony Rudel, video, and photos.
Posted May 6, 2014
