“What do you get when you smash together a string quartet playing a Vivaldi concerto with a DJ mix by Phamstar? About 300 people jammed shoulder to shoulder grooving to both,” writes Robert Faires in Thursday’s (3/5) Austin Chronicle (TX). “That was the case last Friday night when the Austin Symphony Orchestra served up the second edition of its Bach ‘n’ Beats…. The plan was to match four DJs with four classical pieces … and have them create mixes inspired by the older music, then stick it in a club where the audience would get to hear four ASO musicians play each classical work live before each DJ launched into their thumping creation. What happened the first time ASO tested that concept … was a crowd that was equally jazzed about the Bach and the beats….. Tickets [to Friday’s event] sold out a week in advance (a credit to ASO marketing maven Rachel Santorelli and the young professionals support group BATS—Be at the Symphony)…. A pretty even mix of folks in their 30s through 60s filled the floor… Before the night was out, ASO was already talking about a third Bach ‘n’ Beats … at an even larger venue.”
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