The New World Symphony’s BLUE Project will challenge any preconceived notions of what you thought a night at the symphony was all about. The cost? Pay-what-you-wish.
Founded in 1987, the New World Symphony is an orchestral fellowship program headquartered in Miami Beach’s New World Center. For almost four decades, the New World Symphony has helped to launch the careers of over 1,300 musicians globally, many under the tutelage of twelve-time Grammy award winner and Kennedy Center Honoree Michael Tilson Thomas.
BLUE (standing for Build, Learn, Understand and Experiment), is the leadership and entrepreneurial sector of New World Symphony. Started in 2018, BLUE has grown from a handful of small projects a year into one of the most popular and innovative classical music series available to audiences.
Fellows are tasked with the responsibility of creating their own event. They are in charge of everything; including what music will be played, seating layout, lighting, costumes, beverages served, and the level of audience involvement. They submit proposals for their own BLUE projects at the start of each season, and a committee votes to decide which projects are to be performed in front of an audience later during that season.
“Every single project is unique in it’s own way”, says Felice Doynov, Associate Dean of Visiting Faculty and Entrepreneurship, who heads the BLUE program.
One BLUE performance in January, Game, Set, Music, had a sports themed program featuring a piece by Mozart, John Cage’s “4:33”, and the ballpark standard “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”. Violinist fellow Marissa Weston acted as the orchestras’ commentator throughout the evening, and invited audience members to shout, clap, and sing, as they would at a sporting event.
Another BLUE performance, The Clock Strikes 2:32, was inspired by Edgar Allen Poe’s Masque of the Red Death. The audience, all wearing masquerade masks given to them by staff at the door, were transported back in time to a castle-like atmosphere by the haunting, cerebral sounds of fellow Eloise Fares’ harp.
This Wednesday, it’s viola fellow Srivishnu “Vishnu” Ramankutty’s turn to present his project. Devotion Meets Symphony will be a concert that blends classical music with Kirtan, a traditional form of music native to Vishnu’s ancestral roots in India.
“In Kirtan, there is this idea of call and response, which there is a leader who sings a call, and then everyone in the room is invited and encouraged to sing back as a response. It’s a type of art form that gets people engaged and active. So it’s the complete opposite of passive listening.” says Vishnu.
Growing up in Little Haiti, Vishnu is one of only four locals in the symphony. He was first exposed to classical music when the NWS performed at his elementary school. He began attended NWS concerts back when their home was the Lincoln Theater (now the Lincoln Road H&M store). In high school, he earned the opportunity to perform alongside the symphony.
Despite his commitment to the viola and the classical music world, Vishnu also found time to perform drums at his local temple. He became so proficient on the drums that on travels to India he would perform throughout temples there.
For Devotion Meets Symphony, Vishnu is presenting his audience with a symbiosis of the two art forms that have shaped his life. He goes on to explain, “It’s taking something that can be considered antiquated, but then realizing that the soul of that thing is still completely present three or four hundred years later. My hope is that people can experience a part of themselves that they didn’t realize was possible before”.
The concert starts at 7pm, and there will be a free question and answer program at 6:15pm for first time attendees.
“Every single concert is designed to be as accessible as possible”, Doynov states. Unlike many classical music concerts, Devotion Meets Symphony is geared towards all-ages. Limited tickets are still available on the New World Symphony’s official website.
Following Vishnu’s concert, there are two remaining BLUE concerts this season. If It Ain’t Baroque, on March 31st, and the Yellow Wallpaper, on April 7th.
For those who have never been, the performance hall itself is a modern marvel. It was designed by the late Frank Gehry, who’s other notable works include the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris. In addition to BLUE programs, the New World Center also hosts both traditional and non-traditional symphony performances throughout the year. Many are simultaneously broadcast free of charge to the public on their state-of-the-art projection system at SoundScape Park, located next door. Within the New World Center there is a full-service bar, an attached parking garage, lecture halls, and a rooftop terrace offering stunning views of the Miami Beach skyline.
It is no secret that as far as music goes, Ultra is Miami’s biggest party. For those looking for something intimate, affordable, and sophisticated, the secret’s now out that BLUE concerts are the place to be.
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