InsideOut concerts put the audience among the musicians—virtually

“Conductor David Bernard’s InsideOut concerts in New York [City] have typically involved putting the audience in the orchestra, sitting them side by side with the musicians and allowing them to ask questions,” states an unsigned article in Tuesday’s (11/3) Planet Hughill blog. “With the onset of social distancing and other restrictions, such innovations become difficult. InsideOut and the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony (of which Bernard is music director) have extended their existing partnership into the digital realm to create InsideOut Digital. For the digital experience, Bernard wants to create a way to make the audience at home still feel part of the concert, to still relate to the musicians…. So for InsideOut Digital, cameras will be placed inside the orchestra, and two humans seated amidst the orchestra will act as ‘avatars’ for the watching audience—spectators will send messages to the avatars, who will then read the questions and comments, for Bernard and his musicians to respond. Bernard believes that InsideOut Digital serves and improves the immediate digital necessity, giving viewers a richer concert experience, and works … to maintain the primacy of the ‘real thing.’… The first InsideOut Digital is on 22 November 2020 at 3pm Eastern Time.”