In The Charlotte Observer on Wednesday (9/4), Mary Canrobert writes about the Western Piedmont Symphony, based in Hickory, N.C., and set to begin its 49th season on October 18. “The symphony has been called a gem, especially for a city the size of Hickory. Western Piedmont Artistic Director and Conductor John Gordon Ross responded to the metaphor with, ‘It’s a gem for a city five times this size.’ ” The orchestra presents five Masterworks concerts and a four-concert Chamber Classics Series. Its Kontras Quartet plays for children at libraries, the quartet and a chamber orchestra perform at elementary and middle schools, and another program brings WPS musicians to retirement communities. Executive Director Reggie Helton “has an idea that might entice young adults to become symphony-goers. ‘I would like to create a live video feed of the orchestra from several vantage points on stage,’ Helton said. ‘This signal would broadcast so that members of the audience could use their mobile devices and see the performance from the musician’s point of view.… I think this approach will appeal to younger audiences by giving them multiple visual choices to enjoy the orchestra,’ said Helton, who added that guests who participate in this novel approach … will sit in a special area of the auditorium, their mobile devices remaining silent.”
Posted September 5, 2013
