My students and I had the great pleasure of talking with the violinist Midori during her recent visit to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. And it struck me to find a touring performing artist so equally committed and creatively engaged to the work she does on-stage and off.
She was in Madison for one of her extended University Residency Projects, in which she takes any and every opportunity to give master classes, work with student performers, and also talk with anyone else who will listen in class and out — women’s studies, education, literature, psychology, science and technology.
The goals of her University Residency Projects are ‘to encourage an active involvement in music for both music and non-music students, and to give a deeper experience of musical collaboration to university-level musicians.’ A noble goal in a world where conservatory students aren’t being prepared, in many cases, for the professional world they will enter (little outreach education or experience, limited experience engaging a youth audience, and so on).
Midori has a similar reach and goal in her Orchestra Residency Projects, which seek to connect professional orchestras to their youth orchestra neighbors through joint rehearsals, master classes, and events. More information on both projects, and many others, are available on her web site under the ‘projects’ tab.
The striking thing about her efforts — and the three other nonprofits she has launched to support them — is knowing how much she is swimming upstream. As a big-ticket touring performer that can fill houses, most energy in the system (from performing arts centers, host orchestras, and her record company) would prefer she swing into town, do a performance and limited outreach (a talkback or school visit), and fly off to the next town for more of the same. That approach has patched some economic holes in performing arts budgets, but also contributed to the current detachment of the field from its community.
It’s great to see someone working so hard toward the true power of performance — the exceptionally human connection between audience, artist, and art.
