Healing Through the Arts: BroadStage

Courtesy of Teri Bond and Imani Wind

The BroadStage will be  presenting three concerts coming up on Jan 25, 26, and Feb 1. Throughout the first weeks of the new year, the city of Los Angeles has faced much destruction and loss. These concerts are offering a way for Angeleno’s to heal with music and art, entry starting at $0– pay with what you wish tickets. 

Wild Up, a contemporary music ensemble, will be performing on Jan 26. The group was founded in 2010 and performs new classical music to old, some things that overlap with pop. There are fifteen composers in Wild Up, with members constantly generating new work. 

In an interview with Chris Rountree, the artistic director of Wild Up, he provided  details about audience reactions and shaping the identity of the ensemble. 

“Classical music for so long has had so many barriers. I feel like we all have different types of etiquette and traditionally the cost of tickets– there's so many barriers to entry. One of the ways that I always think about Wild Up’s work; how can we really zoom out and look at the context for classical music and open as many doors as we possibly can?” Rountree said. “Very intentionally, I want them to have this experience that is memorable and one that they remember who they were with and remember what they talked about.”

Pertaining to shaping the identity of Wild Up, Rountree said, “It’s my entire job. I think along with those things about accessibility and the embrace of a concert, getting people in the door and then getting them to leave with a certain feeling in their heart.” Chris said , “When we do programs that are all queer composers, we really think about who in the band is queer and who’s in a position of leadership. When we’re doing programs that are specifically about race or sexuality, we’re always thinking about it. Identity is a huge part of the way we program as well.”

On Feb 1, Grammy winner band Imani Winds will be doing a 90 minute show with one intermission. This band celebrates music from the last 100 years and the next. They are a contemporary group with five members, still holding room to celebrate the classics within the chamber music repertoire for the quintet. The Wind quintet dates back 150 years. The featured instruments used are flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and french horn. 

Imani Winds likes to focus on  present day pieces that have been written specifically for them. They commission composers to write for them, looking towards a future with works of art that are fresh, forward-thinking, and speak to the times we are living in right now– politically or philosophically. 

When speaking with Monica Ellis, the bassoon player of Imani Winds, she expanded upon what message she hopes to portray through their music, her motivation to continue creating and performing, and her outlook on the comfort and solidarity of artistic expression and performance. 

“Joy is one word that comes to mind.” Ellis said. “We are very cognizant that the music is contemporary music, but we feel like it’s music that is still very relatable to any audience. Joy– a sense of a wow factor. It’s very virtuosic what we do. People don't often know what to expect when coming into an Imani Winds concert, but we hope that they are going to leave being educated, filled with joy, awe and inspiration.” 

When it comes down to motivation to continue creating, Ellis said, “primarily, it’s the personnel. They’re my friends, and we’re a little family that travel the world together. A chamber music group really is an intertwined entity. You want to be around people that you enjoy making music with. People who view the world the same as you– but at the same time, you’ll learn from them because we’re not all the same people.”

“I found my people; I found my tribe. That’s what keeps me around it. It’s their artistry which keeps me inspired everyday and every time we go on stage together. I think what pushes me is the importance of what we’re doing, getting the message out about the diversity that exists within chamber music. It would be remiss if I didn’t share this god-given talent that I have with others.” She said.

Regarding the comfort of artistic expression, Ellis said, “Music is a balm. The arts are a balm. I think we look to creativity for healing. We look to music, art, to the spoken word, to anything that’s a creative outlet or medium. We look to that for inspiration and for healing– community. Music can take us to a place that’s really beautiful.” She said , “We’re so attached to each other more than we’re different, and we’re feeling the pain and devastation that’s going on. If we can just bring a little morsel of joy and happiness to the audiences of Los Angeles, it’s our duty I think.” 

“If you don’t like what you’re hearing in the moment, just wait. Like they say in the Caribbean, "If it's raining, just wait; it’ll stop raining in 10 minutes.” Ellis said. 

In conversation with Brittany Gash, Director of Marketing and Communications at BroadStage, she expanded on the power of music and performance and giving back to the community that’s been affected by the wildfires and destruction. 

“I think that for all of us, we’ve had friends, family, and staff who’ve all been affected by this terrible tragedy. I think for a while as an arts organization, we were almost like, what can we do? What can we offer at this time? Art is healing– It’s how we connect with each other. Music especially is a kind of universal language. Even if you don’t know the exact words being sung or you can’t play the piano, you can feel from it. For us, we wanted to provide some comfort; a moment of relaxation.” Gash said.

In relation to giving back to the community, Gash said, “I think the most important part is just allowing people to come into the space and be and do whatever they need to be and do. One of the reasons why we’re not asking people to show proof that they were affected. We’re not asking people to give their address or anything like that because we understand that being impacted by this doesn’t mean that you lived in the Palisades.”

“Come and hang out and breathe or come and hang out and cry– or come and hang out and sit and be angry, whatever you need to feel, we want to be that space.” Gash said. 

While Imani Winds is playing on Feb 1, Marlon Martinez & Marlonius Jazz Orchestra will be performing on January 25, Sunday Morning Music / Santa Monica - Wild Up on January 26. To redeem your tickets, you can click the "Tickets" button on the web page for the show. Select a seat. On the dropdown menu, Select "Pay What You Wish: $0.00 minimum," and finish the check-out process. It is recommended that you reserve a seat ahead of time. You can find tickets to each performance on the BroadStage website. https://broadstage.org/