The segment will air at 8:34 am (Morning Edition) and 5:44 pm (All Things Considered) on WGBH 89.7FM. The segment will also be streamed and archived at the Classical Connections website.
Sarah didn’t start off playing the flute. In the fourth grade, she played viola because it was “so easy.” Later on in band class, she chose the flute to avoid brass. By middle school, Sarah knew
she would be making music for a long time. In her undergraduate years she double-majored in flute and voice. While she never finished her voice degree, she “lives vicariously” through singers from the orchestra pit of the Opera Boston.
A large percentage of Sarah’s impressive career has been spent playing contemporary music in ensembles such as Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP) and several others. She says that Radius, with whom she’s appeared several times in the past, gives her the opportunity to play a more diverse repertoire of music that spans more time periods, as well as a connection with old colleagues like pianist Sarah Bob.
In a classical music world that increasingly offers fewer opportunities to play music regularly, Radius has been a positive outlet for Jae. The kind of concerts Radius presents and the unique “pizazz” of the group are among the drawing factors for him. (And, pianist Sarah Bob and cellist Miriam Bolkosky are longtime colleagues.)When you read your program, you will probably notice between two and five major compositions of music, with several movements listed as subcategories of each. It is best not to clap between movements of a larger composition. Certainly, though, it is sometimes difficult to differentiate between movements and keep track of where the performers are in the course of the program, particularly if you are unfamiliar with classical music. Therefore, if you are unsure of whether or not clapping is appropriate, follow the lead of the experienced audience members around you.
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Although you don’t need to dress as if you were attending a state dinner at the White House or a royal wedding, you will probably feel more comfortable at a classical concert if you dress in a respectful manner. Different audience members will interpret this in different ways, but you should generally avoid clothing with holes, rips, or tears; very casual shorts, skirts, or jeans; and very casual t-shirts or tank tops.
A safe outfit for a female would be a nice dress or suit, and for a male, nice pants and a jacket and tie. Less formal dress may be acceptable, as may more formal dress, but a good rule of thumb might be to dress as if you were going to attend your church, synagogue, or other house of worship, visit the bank for a loan, or make an appearance to defend yourself in court.
Emphasis mine. :)
While the attitude toward clapping often appears to novice concert-goers as a secret code developed in ancient times, there's actually no historical precedent for it.
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There is ample historic proof of the expectation of applause. Mozart famously wrote to his family with pride in 1778 when one of his pieces was so well-received it needed to be encored. "At the premiere of Beethoven's Seventh, they applauded so vociferously they had to repeat it, right then," says [Leonard] Slatkin.
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"All of us love applause ... it means that the listener LIKES us!" writes [Emmanuel] Ax. "I really hope we can go back to the feeling that applause should be an emotional response to the music rather than a regulated social duty."
