“Somewhere between a chamber music concert and a casual hang lies ‘Scribing the Void,’ an off-center offering by the Hartford Symphony Orchestra at Real Art Ways in Hartford on Thursday,” writes Michael Hamad in Sunday’s (1/22) Hartford Courant (CT). “ ‘Scribing the Void’ stages musicians around the various spaces of the Arbor Street gallery, surrounded by eye-popping works of art…. Newer works—’Pale Blue Dot,’ by British composer Roger Goula, RSM’s ‘Void’—rub up against older ones [by J.S. Bach and Stravinsky].… There’s food and drink…. One of several new efforts to ‘diversify and expand our audience,’ says HSO executive director Steve Collins, ‘Scribing’ adds a new flavor…. [Music Director Carolyn] Kuan says. ‘You play the [Bach Cello Suite] and people respond: “Oh, yeah, I know that!” … But I bet nobody has experienced it with the sound coming from different places.’ … Kuan, who listens to rock music, likens the experience to going to club shows…. The unpretentious vibe will likely please HSO subscribers drawn to the popular Classical Conversations series, which ran from 1985 to 2000…. ‘We have all of our existing music lovers in mind,’ Kuan says. ‘At the same time, we want to reach new people.’ ”
Posted January 23, 2017
Pictured: Hartford Symphony Orchestra Music Director Carolyn Kuan and Executive Director Steve Collins. Photo by Lauren Schneiderman
