The New York Philharmonic pays tribute to front-line healthcare workers. (Watch below.)
(Courtesy of New York Philharmonic/YouTube)

The Healing Power of Music and the Performing Arts

Much of the world has been “sheltering in place” for a while now. Some of us have lost count of the days, and, in fact, might not even be sure what day of the week it is.

Our exotic travel consists of taking the garbage out or exploring a closet that we haven’t visited for years.

As a result of this change in our daily life, we are becoming expert virtual travelers—happily wandering the rabbit hole of the Internet.

The arts find a way to build community in times of struggle.
© Meredith Mullins (in collaboration with Opera Fuoco)

The good news is that artists and arts organizations are providing a rich offering of music and theatre when we most need it. (See also last week’s OIC for the opportunities offered in visual arts.)

More importantly, the arts seem to be bringing us closer together (metaphorically speaking, of course) in a time when the spirit of community has never been more important.

Music Gives a Soul to the Universe (Plato)

The power of music, whether at home or in the concert halls of the world, is a universal force. In these “stay-at-home” times, distance has not stopped the music. The virtual traveler is invited to just sit back and open ears, eyes, and heart.

The virtual traveler can be transported from the comfort of home.
© iStock/Martin DM

Musicians and orchestras around the world are performing . . . from their homes. The virtual performances show how much music means to the musicians . . . and how much it can mean to us, the audience—a message straight to the soul.

Bolero was a popular choice among orchestras, as the New York Philharmonic (watch below) and the National Orchestra of France (watch here) both chose this dramatic Ravel piece for their first virtual performance (a good steady rhythm to keep everyone in sync).

The New York Philharmonic dedicated their performance to the front-line healthcare workers who are risking their lives every day.

If video does not display, watch it here.

The Toronto Symphony Orchestra reminded us that spring is here, even if we can’t breathe it in, with Copland’s Appalachian Spring (watch it here).

The Norwegian Arctic Orchestra paid tribute to their native son, Edvard Grieg, with a Praeludium from the Holberg Suite (watch it here).

A rare look at each musician’s part in the whole
© iStock/bizou_n

And the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra brings it home with Hang on Sloopy, the official rock song of Ohio (watch it here). Let’s all hang on.

With all of these virtual orchestras, it is a rare privilege to see the musicians highlighted as individuals. We better understand how they play their instruments and how each instrument’s part is interwoven into the whole.

Music is a unique art, where much can be layered in each moment. This new form of performance helps us to feel that special quality.

Virtual Voices

Choirs and choruses around the world are reinventing their way of performing during this time when physical concerts are not possible.

The Camden Voices, a choir from the U.K., found a new way to stay in touch with a virtual performance of Cyndi Lauper’s True Colors. Their celestial harmony and song lyrics like “Show me your smile” and “Just call me up cause I will always be there” are particularly meaningful in these times of isolation and stress.

If video does not display, watch it here.

We are also serenaded by singers around the world, who have taken advantage of YouTube and Instagram to provide a song a day to keep our spirits up or a live mini-concert from home.

For example, listen to Rufus Wainwright (watch his quarantunes here) or Keith Urban (watch here). And if you’re a New Yorker missing one of the iconic Washington Square Park street musicians, know that Colin Huggins, a regular in that park, has moved his mobile piano indoors to continue to provide his music (watch him here).

For that often-needed humor, creative musicians and YouTube masters are offering some lockdown parodies.

If video doesn’t display, watch it here.

If video does not display, watch it here.

The Digital Stage

The Kennedy Center is streaming performances from the archives on the corona-safe digital stages of YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook. Don’t miss:

• Beyonce singing Proud Mary in a tribute to Tina Turner
• The bottle trick by illusionist Kevin James.
• John Legend and Lindsey Stirling performing All of Me
• And, for kids (and kids-at-heart) Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems

If video does not display, watch it here.

Lincoln Center’s online offerings include concerts, pop-up classrooms, dance, songs, puppetry, and paper weaving.

The center is also sharing a selection of master classes from female filmmakers, including Agnès Varda, Ava DuVernay, Jane Campion, Sofia Coppola, Greta Gerwig and more.

The Magic of Performing Arts During Corona

For the virtual traveler in search of culture, here is a sampling of organizations providing solace for the soul.

• The New York Metropolitan Opera offers a nightly opera for streaming. Don’t miss this week’s highlights: Rusalka (with Renée Fleming) or Madame Butterfly. Check the schedule here.
• The Paris Opera is offering limited-time streaming of operas and dance. This week’s offering is a tribute to Jerome Robbins. Coming attractions include Cinderella, Tales of Hoffman, and Carmen. Find the schedule here.
• The National Theatre of London is offering limited-time streaming of plays, including Jane Eyre, Treasure Island, and Twelfth Night.
• Dance Companies are also sharing performances and lessons online. Watch performances of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Company and the The Paul Taylor Dance Company that are a tribute to the human spirit and the majesty of movement.
• The circus arts, too, are alive and well as Cirque du Soleil offers a new show every Friday.
• If you like dramatic readings, visit Dolly Parton’s bedtime children’s stories or Patrick Stewart’s daily Shakespeare sonnets.
• Whether or not you were able to score a ticket to Hamilton, you can be swept into Lin Manuel Miranda’s genius (and kindness). He gathers the cast to perform for a young fan in a ZOOM performance on John Krasinski’s new Some Good News (SGN) show.

If video does not display, watch it here.

A Grand Finale

As with any good musical composition, we end this collection of culture with a flourish. Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony (Ode to Joy) is a perfect way to lift the spirits. The Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra finds a way to reach our souls from a socially acceptable distance . . . and somehow gives us strength.

For me, it was as if the whole planet lent voice to that final chorus.  Oh, I see. In these tumultuous times, the virtual traveler can seek solace, connection, and inspiration through arts and culture.

We will get through this together . . . with a little help from our friends.

If video does not display, watch it here. 

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.