“Every single classical organization is looking at how they evolve and how they adapt in order to maintain their connection to their communities and maintain their relevancy as an art form,” says Matt LaRocca, creative projects chair of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, in Melissa Pasanen’s Wednesday (9/15) article in Seven Days (VT). “That evolution isn’t just about marketing; it’s also about changing how music is presented…. The VSO Jukebox Quartet is probably the highest-profile local example of classical artists performing in nontraditional venues. The chamber concert series launched five years ago at ArtsRiot in Burlington, where rock bands normally play… Patrons are invited to ‘pay what you will’ with a suggested sliding scale of prices. This summer, Jukebox staged free concerts at breweries around the state. [An August 31] program included string arrangements of traditional Danish folk tunes and Jimi Hendrix songs. Previous set lists have featured Stevie Wonder’s ‘Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours’ followed by Béla Bartók’s String Quartet No. 4…. Informal, sip-as-you-listen performances of diverse, shorter pieces give audiences more ways to understand what a classical music concert can be, … ‘more like you went down to the neighborhood bar and caught the band,’ LaRocca said.”
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