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The Amadeus Trio in Homer Alaska
By Ryan Blum
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Violinist Timothy Baker shows a young player how body
english can help the musician. |
Known for its breathtaking scenery and outdoor activities, Homer, Alaska is probably not the first town to come to the minds of Americans when one mentions art enthusiasts. According to the Alaska Community Database, 22.9% of the households do not have a telephone. Even the size of the town, 4,205 souls in the city proper, leads one to believe that Homer receives little exposure to the arts. However, these statistics belie the artistic appreciation of Homer’s inhabitants.
Those who know the area have a better understanding of the community’s appreciation for the arts. John Villani, the author of The 100 Best Small Art Towns in America, has been aware of Homer’s attributes for some time. In fact, Homer has appeared in each of the three editions of his book. In an interview with Sarah Sanders of the Homer Tribune, Villani commented upon the quality of the youth art programs that occur in the town.
Homer’s strong commitment to the arts is maintained through the efforts of the Homer Council on the Arts (HCOA). A previous recipient of the Governor’s Award for an Arts Organization, the Council was cited for its "dynamic and innovative arts programming." A quick survey of some of the HCOA projects explains why the Council has received such accolades; local productions like last season’s community performance of "Colors in Sound and Motion" expose inhabitants to their own local talent, while partnerships with area institutions–the Pratt Museum, the Bunnell Street Gallery, and the Kachemak Heritage Land Trust–exemplify the collaborative nature of the Council. Given the size of the population which it serves, the Homer Council on the Arts is clearly dedicated to enriching its community.
No where is Homer’s commitment to the arts more evident than in the January 2001 residency of the Amadeus Trio. Thanks to the NEA’s Regional Touring Program (administrated via the Western States Arts Federation’s TourWest program) block booking, and support from the Alaska State Council on the Arts (among others) the citizens of Homer were given a rare chance to see what The Los Angeles Times has called "a world-class ensemble". Concerts performed by the Amadeus Trio at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and the Kennedy Center support that claim.
During their three days in town, the Amadeus Trio gave one public performance and provided three outreach activities to the greater community. These activities consisted of a lecture/demonstration at the local elementary school, a Monday night Community Strings Workshop for area musicians, and a post-concert reception. In addition, Jefferey Solow, the cello player for the Amadeus Trio, provided free instruction to a family of local cellists, while Marian Hahn, the Trio’s pianist, spoke to Homer’s local music ensemble. Both of these activities were done as a courtesy to the community and were not a part of the artists’ contract.
In order to ensure that the community was able to take full advantage of such talented performers, the Homer Council on the Arts took some new steps as a presenter. Jenny Carroll, the Interim Director of the Council, noted that "Typically, Homer has a small, but dedicated audience for classical music–we usually expect no more than 125 people at any classical music event. HCOA’s intent with presenting the nationally renowned trio was to build that audience. To accomplish this, we established a new ticket outlet that serves communities on the northern Kenai Peninsula, thus extending our reach to communities not recently targeted by our organization."
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Jeffrey Solo examines instrument belonging to a residency
participant. |
The attendance figures for the concert attest to the success of the Council’s strategy. Audience size doubled in the public performance alone. In a letter to the Editor of the Homer Tribune, a reader noted that "Last month’s performance by the world-class chamber ensemble Amadeus Trio drew more people than any other classical event ever sponsored by the Homer Council on the Arts." Furthermore, Jenny Carroll stated that the Council "received much positive feedback from concert attendees who appreciated giving children exposure to such quality classical music, and much encouragement to do more."
Kirk and Lisa Olsen took their two daughters, both of whom play the piano, to the public performance. Kirk noted that "the timing between the performers was amazing. It is what the performing arts should be–to have that caliber of performance and artists of that quality in our town was just really inspirational . . . we came away from it really inspired."
Successful residencies affect artists as well as community members, and the Amadeus Trio’s visit was no exception. Timothy Baker, the group’s violinist, noted that "the trio totally enjoyed themselves." Though the weather was less than cooperative during the group’s flight (they had to endure a storm with 80 mile-an-hour winds on their way to Homer), the Trio found that "the people were very hospitable–we had a great time there." Baker noted that "folks in the office of the local arts council were wonderful. We went out to their homes for tea and cookies. Members from the community even took us on a sled dog ride before the performance."
Yet the courtesies extended to the performers were not just related to their personal comfort, Homer residents also addressed an unforeseen challenge faced by the ensemble. Due to a baggage restriction imposed by a local airline, Jefferey Solow was not permitted to take his cello with him to Homer. Ever willing to assist an artist in need, local dentists provided Jefferey Solow with cellos so that he could take part in the concert and outreach activities.
A particularly memorable portion of the Amadeus Trio’s visit to Homer was their Monday night Community Strings Workshop. Instrument tuning and repair is difficult to come by in the Kachemak Bay area, and having skilled musicians who are adept at keeping a stringed instrument in proper working order was a rare treat. Speaking of their efforts to put cellos and violins back into top condition, Timothy Baker indicated that he and Solow "had a wonderful time . . . they had a lot of comments to make about their instruments." Baker was especially moved because the local musicians’ "reaction was very overwhelming . . . they came from all over the area. "
So impressed was Baker with the Trio’s treatment that "Afterwards, I called to tell them how much I enjoyed it. We would be delighted to be considered to go back." A return visit seems likely, as Jenny Carroll noted that "the residency was an outstanding success . . . We feel we optimized our opportunities to touch many corners of the community with this residency. Overall, the Amadeus Trio visit was energizing and has led to exciting options for presenting chamber music in the future."
The success of the Amadeus Trio’s residency can be attributed to the Homer Council on the Arts' ability to build upon the strengths of the local community–bringing people and institutions together as partners. This is visible in their willingness to engage in new audience development, and their employment of funds, including National Endowment for the Arts Regional Touring Program funds, to help bring this group to Homer. Furthermore, the investment the community made in the artists produced a reciprocal relationship, whereby the artists have a strong desire to return to the area to do even more public work.
Funds made available through the National Endowment for the Arts are channeled through TourWest. TourWest is a competitive grant program administered by the Western States Arts Federation. Applicants may apply for two grants for artistic fees in amounts of up to $2,500 or 50% of the artistic fee–whichever is less. TourWest grants are provided to encourage the presentation of performing arts programming to culturally diverse audiences and underserved audiences that do not typically enjoy ready access to the performing arts, such as in rural communities like Homer, Alaska. For additional information on TourWest, please consult the WESTAF Web site at
www.westaf.org, call WESTAF at (303)629-1166, or e-mail them at staff@westaf.org.
National Endowment for the Arts
Contact the Web Manager.