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I'm standing by, ready to introduce our guest artist for the evenings concert at Below Zero Lounge.  My palms are sweaty, I shift from foot to foot with anticipation, and my heart is pounding.  The first concert of the first "official" season, I'm nervous that people won't have a good time. Our guest is a double bassist, and the program surveys the music written for this instrument throughout musical history.  My thoughts collide with one another: Will the music communicate well in a bar?  Will people like the Baroque duet, next to a modern jazz influenced quartet, next to a classical sonata, next to a funky Herbie Hancock song?  Will it be too noisy? Will we break even? I hope it goes well….

Two years later, I'm in front of a standing-room only crowd, at a concert celebrating an often misunderstood composer of the 20th century, a man who had a huge influence on modern composition but whose music is hard to reach. Candles burn brightly on tables, and people are squeezed onto the basement floor of the Metaphor Building.  This time the anticipation is palpable among the audience, I worry about lighting, logistics and if the ice cream will be delivered.  I still hope it goes well…..

I don't think concert:nova could have happened elsewhere like it has here. My passion project has been to present thought-provoking, innovative multi-media, musical and visual collaborative concert.  It grew out of a series of simple, albeit risky, questions that sometimes gets one in trouble.  These questions are ones I've asked myself, and ones that I am most often asked.

Me, to myself (in 2006): Is this it?  Is this all I want to do?
Myself: It can't be. I want to do something that really gets people in the gut, that isn't just an escape but stirs something deeper. Is it fun? Yes.  Meaningful? Definitely.  Inspiring? That's the goal. Music belongs to everyone, there's a connection that isn't as strong as it used to be with audiences and classical music, it's the story within that carries the essential, and the artistry of delivery that gives it power. What if there is something that can be done to re

Q: It's an idea will break some molds, will it be an uphill battle?
A: It's my responsibility to give back, to break molds, to challenge and renew.  Programming and performing really good music can happen anywhere, not only on stages (an idea that is centuries old). What if we give this music a new context? It's like adding commentary to a good story, the story is still fantastic, but the expression of a unique individual response creates a relevant point of interest, a dialogue.   I love it.  I think Cincinnati is hungry and ready for something that pushes the envelope a bit.

Me: You've never produced anything before, well … except parties…but parties are different. A production, with lighting and actors and cues and music and media?  
What if I let the ideas lead the way?  The ideas are compelling, people are excited about them, and most of all, I am excited. Just do it and give up the idea that it's going to be perfect, let it grow on its own and happen.

Me: Ok, what ideas have you got?
I love chamber music and I love going out, – how about a chamber music party? Let's start with the classics, great music old and new, layer on a bit of a visual twist and put the audience at ease with a party-like atmosphere. Modernize it with a spin, add a flavor of the unexpected.   Chamber music is intense and there's so much great energy in live music, I want to break down the barriers and add a new dimension.  There's so much to explore: besides the classics like Beethoven, Schubert, Bach and Mozart, there are larger chamber theater, chamber ballet and opera pieces waiting to be discovered.  

Me: What's the spin?
I like to take a sideways look at a piece of music and see how we can approach it with a certain perspective, a point of entry, so to speak.  What if we took two masterpieces, one a chamber music masterpiece and the other a theatrical gem, and mashed together their ideologies? They might have two very different answers to the same question, but the interest is in where they intersect!  What if we took a photographer's eye, hooked her camera up with wifi, and were able to show the audience, up close, magnified, and in real time, what she is seeing and responding to during a live concert?  What if we took concerts to places people don't expect to hear live classical music?   What if we could make the difficult esoteric music of a 20th century composer more understandable by bringing the composer himself alive with a theatrical interpretation?  

Me: (2009) How's it all going?
Sometimes it's hard, there's always a to-do list ten pages long and sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night asking myself "What have I got myself into? Are you crazy?"  You go through uncertainty, insecurity and sometimes want to strangle your partners.  But in the end, when it works, you get excited. There's a standing room only crowd whooping for Schoenberg, someone is inspired to pick up a Stravinsky recording, a child becomes curious about a violin and the sounds it can make, you get one member of the audience to really laugh or cry; you get excited.  I'm so grateful for all the people who help, support, work, believe in and make their own this group that will continue to explore, experiment and have fun.

Me: How has the economic downturn affected this project?
We're going to keep playing and creating. The passion for this soul work is true and can't be taken away by the possibility that we won't get paid what we hope to be paid, if very much at all.  The recession has only created a desire for quality, a product that is real and undeniable. You learn to take risks for quality, and realize that most people find art and music essential in hard uncertain times. People are seeking a shared experience, a social network, and ideas that affirm yet challenge.  I think there are many people who understand that investing in a strong and smart project will not only help the community connect but be an investment in overall quality of life.  It has given us the opportunity to collaborate, share resources and come up with creative solutions.