Association of Performing Arts Professionals 2015 | Photo by Adam Kissick
By Viola Cai, Publicity Intern
Maybe you are familiar enough with standard concert programs. They pile at the venue door, waiting to be handed to audience members. Glancing over the program, we are able to grasp the essence of what is going to be played on stage and become prepared for a great performance, however, this also means there will be no surprises.
Yet here comes something amazing: SHUFFLE! The night of March 5 is going to bring a completely different Classical Convergence Concert Series experience to the University Center for Arts. The feature of this concert for the audience is, instead of a program, a menu of musical masterpieces.
Delivering the unexpected, SHUFFLE allows the audience to choose the program from a range of more than 30 works in a variety of styles and genres, creating an engaging, high-energy performance. Instead of having a single theme, SHUFFLE tries to give the audience an all-in-one musical experience in one night.
Still not sure how to interact at this ensemble concert? Here are the rules:
Everyone gets an individually numbered menu, and if your number is randomly chosen, you have the opportunity to select one piece from any of the different styles. Categories range from opera to classical, Jazz to Broadway, French to Spanish; you can simply choose whatever you like and become a part of this unforgettable performance.
Every concert is a brand-new experience for the audience and the group! In a New York Times review by Anand Giridharadas, the critic said, “To be in the room that evening, though, was to discover the tension and the drama of never knowing what’s next...”
The inspiring New York-based chamber music ensemble has been changing the rules of performance from the ones we know. SHUFFLE’s members are exceptionally accomplished chamber musicians, having played throughout the world, and each having won several prizes, achieving their goals as soloists and collaborative musicians.
According to the group’s website, Eliran Avni, SHUFFLE’s artistic director and pianist, developed the idea of SHUFFLE while exercising at the gym. When his MP3 player jumped from a Pretenders song to the first movement of Prokofiev’s Fifth Symphony, the idea of SHUFFLE was born!
You can see SHUFFLE in their highly engaging concert, co-presented by the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance and the Fort Collins Lincoln Center, on Monday, March 5 at 7:30 p.m. at the University Center for the Arts. Tickets are available at lctix.com.