Month: April 2008

TAFTO wouldn’t be complete without a
patron contribution and this year that role is being filled by Ben Smith. Everything you need to know about Ben can be summed up in the name of his website: classicalconvert.com. As Ben describes it, he wanted to create a beginner’s guide to classical music, by someone who switched at 23. There is nothing I can convey about Ben that is better than the opening paragraph which welcomes all those who find their way to his website:

"This site is aimed at people who want to get into classical music. It’s
hopefully just right for someone who can recognize a couple of pieces
(the da-da-da-dum of Beethoven’s fifth for example), and who might
stick on a CD for a pleasant background to work to, but would basically
consider themselves a beginner when it comes to classical music."

Ben embodies everything that is TAFTO and if classical music has a bright future in store, it will be due in large part because of folks just like him…

Read more

The word for today is "popular" and to help build
a frame of reference for its definition I want to point you toward
violinist.com. Without a doubt, Laurie Niles’ creation has been a smash hit
among casual violin enthusiasts and uber-geeks alike as a place they can talk
shop, it’s like a virtual violin convention that never closes. Along with violin
oriented blogs from more than a dozen U.S. violinists, the website boasts
regular bloggers from Australia, Canada, Germany, Iran, Japan, Netherlands, and
Turkey. Consequently, TAFTO 2008 is fortunate to have such an enterprising,
enthusiastic professional among its contributors as Laurie Niles.

Read more

It just isn’t TAFTO without a contribution from a bassist and veteran blogger and Calgary Philharmonic bassist Matt Heller fills that billet in spades. In his contribution Matt ponders what sort of worst-case-scenario inviting a friend to one of his concerts could produce . The results are not only highly entertaining (Take a Friend – but not too good of a friend – To Orchestra) but they should alleviate any sort TAFTO induced anxiety for all those on the fence about inviting a friend to an orchestra concert.

Read more

What better way to start off the 2008 Take A Friend To Orchestra program than with a contribution from an individual who has experienced concert events across the globe. Carlos Kalmar’s contribution demonstrates that the magic of live concert events occurs when “we all are unified in our thoughts and experience” and it is those experiences which ultimately reach beyond language and national boundaries to bring people together.

Read more