James Gaffigan Gives Us Something To Ponder

The American conductor James Gaffigan was recently interviewed by the NY Times in advance of the NY Philharmonic’s series of summer concerts in the parks, which Gaffigan will direct. In the NY Times article, writer Zachary Woolfe says that Gaffigan understands the idea that classical music needs to be an “experience.” (We agree.) Gaffigan, in remembering his experience with the parks concerts as a teenager, paints a beautiful picture for us:

“I remember going to a parks concert when I was in high school, in Central Park,” he said. “But the memory was not of the music but of my friends, not to sound cheesy. What I remember of that time in my life, of being 15 years old or 16, was hanging out with my friends at night in Central Park. It’s a social thing. It’s about the drama and spectacle of it all.”  – NY TIMES

I don’t know about you, but I really enjoyed the imagery that this simple story creates. I read it over and over. And it made me think – how do we continue to create an experience for our audiences? The music itself is important, but as Gaffigan points out, it’s not the only part of the experience. Part of the goal must be to create an environment where people want to be, to share some time together, enjoy each other’s company, and make memories. So, how do we achieve this? Something to ponder.