“A lot more goes into presenting a concert of orchestral music than meets the eye, and from time to time we will use this space to provide a ‘behind the scenes’ look at some aspects of concert production,” writes Yakima Symphony Orchestra Executive Director David Rogers in Wednesday’s (8/2) Yakima Herald-Republic (Yakima, WA). “Those who arrived 30 minutes early to our recent concert at the Cave B Summer Music Theatre [led by Music Director Lawrence Golan] witnessed the raising of the stage back, a synthetic canvas-like material suspended from pulleys…. As the sun is coming from behind the stage in the evening, the back shields instruments from direct sunlight, which can destroy varnishes and melt glues that hold them together…. This in turn helps keep temperatures down…. Extremely hot or chilly temperatures wreak havoc on tuning and can cause wooden instruments to crack…. Until the stage back was installed for our last concert the wind was so strong that the music stands themselves were blowing over.… The backing assists stage lighting, so that as darkness falls musicians can still read their music by virtue of the floodlights.” The Yakima Symphony Orchestra performs several Summer Sunday Symphonies each season at the Cave B Summer Music Theatre in Quincy, Washington.
Posted August 4, 2017
