1 - 1 Concerts - A Review by a Composer/Performer.
Yesterday* I was privileged enough to participate in an International concert series “1-1 Concerts”. This intimate art piece places one performer and one audience member in a room, sitting on chairs spaced 2 metres apart. The performer chooses a unique set of music for their audience member based on feelings communicated by eye contact.
*By yesterday I mean the literal yesterday from the perspective of when I wrote this post. Pro tip: it’s no longer yesterday ;)
This concert series started as a performance piece in Germany. Envisioned by Stephanie Winker, Franziska Ritter and Christian Siegmund, this series has been used to raise money to help support musicians during the Covid-19 period. After it’s premier in Germany, it soon spread to other countries, including Australia via Sally Walker.
I knew the experience was intimate after photographing the first few Australian concerts in Christ Church Cathedral in Newcastle, but experiencing them from the performers side was more enlightening than I could have imagined. I’m still processing the feelings, from the silent giggle fits, to mutually teary eye contact over folk song, this will be a performance I’ll keep with me all my life.
The concerts start with a minute of eye contact. It’s such an intimate experience sharing eye contact with a stranger. The cliche is true, eyes are the windows to the soul, and every soul is a precious gem.
From my side of the performance, the eye contact allowed me to construct a truely unique program for each audience member. This ranged from classical music, to folk, to my own compositions.
A few days prior to this performance I’d released my solo flute EP “Five Short Thoughts”. I used this performance as an opportunity to secretly premier the work. It was the first time I’ve performed some of these pieces, and I feel so privileged to share them in such a special way.
Performing music you’ve written is already an exercise in vulnerability. Performing to one lone soul takes that vulnerability to the next level.
If you’re in Australia and you notice 1-1 concerts is in your city, I highly recommend registering to be an audience member. The concerts are truely a once in a lifetime musical connection. There are still a few slots left that you can book via this website: https://1to1concerts.de/en/booking/australia/
About the look: This whimsical dress is one of my own creation. I’ve really been enjoying looser fits, and it’s really coming out in my own sewing. One day, once I’ve finished it’s prototype, I’ll launch this dress into the world (although, probably with a different print!)
ALSO, as mentioned earlier, I’ve just released my solo EP Five Short Thoughts for Solo Flute. You can hear the first one below. If you’d like to purchase the recording and or sheet music, it’s available over on my bandcamp .
