Go Outdoors, Hear Music

At 7:30 p.m. today, a group of friends will bring the healing and comfort of music to an outdoor concert at Mount Sequoyah in Fayetteville. Fiddler/violinist Miho Oda Sakon was motivated to host an outdoor, socially distanced concert after reconnecting with an old friend who now performs with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The friend, Sakon says, has been performing front porch concerts for her neighbors. But the Chicago Symphony also performs every year (when there’s not a pandemic) at the oldest outdoor music festival in the United States. As the principal second violin with the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas — not to mention a plethora of other performance and educational positions — Sakon was missing her colleagues, regular performances and connecting with audiences over the love of music. Taking inspiration from her friend, Sakon remembers thinking to herself, “Miho, why don’t you play violin for your favorite people?” The first “Fiddler and Her Friend” was hosted on Mount Sequoyah July 11 with pianist Tomoko Kashiwagi. The tickets sold out in one day, thus, an encore presentation was scheduled for today. Mount Sequoyah was the perfect place to host the concert, Sakon shares, because of the outdoor pavilion; the ability for guests to bring chairs, blankets and picnics (or purchase a Sequoyah Supper from the venue, prepared by Chef Justus Moll); and plenty of room to space group circles 10 feet apart. Tonight’s concert is also sold out, but keep an eye on Mount Sequoyah’s event page for future opportunities to get out of the house and safely consume music and fellowship once again.

Shakon