Symphony director democratized classical music in Miami
When Michael Tilson Thomas took his final bow last weekend, the standing ovation and thunderous applause were no surprise. Neither were the shouts of acclaim and the silent tears (that, at least, trickled down my face.) Then three of the New World Symphony musicians brought the artistic director large bouquets of bright blue roses.
Many people know of Tilson Thomas’ love for blue. His round blue glasses and the blue tennis shoes he sometimes wears with a tux are just two examples. But there’s more here than meets the eye.
It turns out that blue roses are quite the metaphor. Botanically speaking, there is no such thing as a blue rose, so it’s a symbol of the impossible dream come true, a miracle. And what could be more appropriate?
I’m speaking of the miracle that brings in throngs — as many as 3,000 or maybe more — of people out on a Saturday night to sit on aluminum chairs or picnic blankets and listen to music that is centuries old. I’m speaking of the impossible dream that, by day, is a big blank 7,000square-foot wall — blank at least until night falls, and the music starts. I’m speaking about the New World Center and its monthly WALLCASTS Concerts, which brings live classical music to
SoundScape Park through technology.
Indisputably, Tilson Thomas is a remarkable conductor, a brilliant scholar, a charismatic personality and more. He co-founded and for 35 years was artistic director of an orchestra of the most promising young musicians imaginable.
But I am a music-loving architecture critic. To me, his greatest legacy will always be this building, a philosophic and architectural triumph. It marks a major moment in the democratization of the arts.
When I interviewed the Pritzker Architecture Prize-winning architect Frank Gehry about this building, we talked more about music than architecture. Gehry has had a lifelong friendship with Tilson Thomas. Frank was, many years ago, Michael’s babysitter, and they share a missionarylike passion for spreading classical music across the world.
BIG DREAM
Decades after the babysitting gig, they built a small jewel of concert hall with only 756 seats and near-perfect acoustics and sightlines. From there they went big, letting that dream unfold of bringing music into the world become a reality, the big dreams that sometimes only science fiction thought possible. It is a landmark moment for the arts, and most particularly for classical music
The New World Center changed the trajectory of classical music in Miami, and let’s hope, much of the world.
For too long, the performing arts have been out of reach for all but the elite. Ticket prices are (necessarily, and sadly) high. There’s an evergrowing breach between the very rich and the rest of us. Arts education is at its nadir in too many public-school systems across the country. So how do you get to know the power of music, the power to inspire, heal, transform, invigorate? You invent the WALLCAST.
If you’ve ever been to one, you know that all are welcome (including wellbehaved dogs and babies). There’s no dress code. I’ve long been a believer that architecture and design can affect behavior. Treat people in a civil fashion and they’ll act that way. Offer inspiration, and they’ll be inspired. Or, to quote from an oft-quoted movie line, “If you build it, they will come.”
I still feel the awe and wonderment of that first WALLCAST Concert. I had a birthday party there once with dozens of friends sprawled on blankets in front of the big screen. I once sat behind a kid, maybe 9 years old, who played the cello, and watched him absorb the music through every bone in his body. My bet is that sometimes the audience spans at least nine decades, from babies to nonagenarians. Most people would consider it a miracle. But the impossible happened.
So, bring on the blue roses. If anyone deserves them, it’s Michael Tilson Thomas.