AKRON, Ohio — Ever wanted to attend an orchestra performance but weren't sure if the music is for you? What if you could listen to a preview on Spotify?
Akron Symphony Orchestra Executive Director Paul Jarrett understands our natural inclination to avoid the unknown, especially when it comes to music, he said.
“How many people go to see U2 perform at First Energy Stadium, never having heard a U2 song?” he said.
Ahead of the 2022-23 season, Jarrett began populating an Akron Symphony Orchestra library on Spotify, where a basic account is free.
The library offers previews of upcoming performances and is packed with playlists Jarrett creates, from songs for road tripping to a holiday set that’s in the works, he said.
For Halloween, Jarrett created an “old school scary” mix that’s still available for those who enjoy a requiem, year-round.
Jarrett tries to expose people to music of all kinds, so each month he highlights new music on both social media and mailers, where a QR code sends people to Spotify to have a listen.
He hopes that people will spend a little time listening to the new selections, even as background music, he said, because although they might find one song terrible, the next one might be something they love.
“So it's all okay. It's okay to like something and it's okay to not like something as well,” Jarrett said.
He points out that back in the days of Mozart and Beethoven, everything was new because the composers were writing for the next event or the next commission.
“You know, we didn't become this sort of museum type of thing until the middle of the 20th Century when we started just exclusively playing works from the past,” he said.
But not Akron Symphony Orchestra, he said, because the orchestra is committed to exposing audiences to under-represented composers.
“It's exciting to know that we're doing something that no one has recorded and put out before,” he said.
A look at the symphony orchestra’s current season reveals a diverse mix of cultures and races in both composers and musical styles.
In the season program’s “Podium Notes,” Musical Director and Conductor Christopher Wilkins describes the season as a kind of “intercultural dialogue ... unlike any season we‘ve ever offered.
“The practice of performing the same works repeatedly over decades and decades — with the same profile of a typical performer and audience member — has caused serious harm to American orchestras,” Wilkins writes. “It is time for change.”
Music from the great composers is included in the season, Jarrett said, but those works are layered with selections from diverse composers.
He points to “American Fanfare,” the first performance of the season. In addition to Aaron Copeland and George Gershwin, the line-up included music by composers of color, including American Indian (Chickasaw) composer Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate.
Tate, who is alive, represents another intentional aspect of the season, which is to represent living composers creating new works, Jarrett said.
“That whole program sort of encapsulates everything that we're trying to represent this year and moving forward, which is how do we truly represent the rich musical tapestry that's available to us and share that with our audience?” he said.
Akron Symphony Orchestra stands apart from traditional orchestras in other ways as well, such as its use of animation, projections and narration.
An example is a performance coming up in May 2023 titled “Harriet Tubman & The Underground Railroad.”
The piece is from composer Timothy Adams, who was commissioned by a consortium of orchestras, including Akron’s, Jarrett said. It is for an orchestra and narrator.
“It's very visceral. It's very gritty. It's very moving,” he said.
The piece is paired with Brahms’ “A German Requiem,” which is traditionally a mass for the dead. But Brahms created this requiem for the living, so it is light and very positive, Jarrett said, so it balances the night’s program.
What’s more, attendees are encouraged to dress comfortably at concerts, including a favorite pair of jeans, as tuxedoes are no longer worn even by performers, he said.
Attendees also are encouraged to enjoy the music and clap whenever they want, the way audiences did in Mozart’s time, he said.
“Music is filled with emotion. Music is filled with things that move people, and then we put these false expectations that you're not allowed to show that when you're at the concert,” he said. “For us, it's come as you are and clap when you want. It's a very open and welcoming environment.”
You can view Akron Symphony Orchestra’s schedule online. To preview music ahead of a performance, check out the orchestra’s Spotify library.