This fall, the Mosaic Trio played music by Bach, Massenet, Puccini and others for an appreciative audience of friends and neighbors in Tulsa.
By: Maureen O’Boyle, Applied Associate Professor of Music
On Sunday, Oct. 4, the Mosaic Trio presented a short public concert. The Mosaic Trio — consisting of myself on violin, Lorelei Barton on harp and Pete Peterson on cello — played a varied program, including music by J.S. Bach, Massenet, Puccini, Carlos Gardel and the Beatles. In the last several years, I have enjoyed many such performances with the Trio, and we played several very familiar pieces, so the program was not at all unusual. But what a difference a pandemic makes!
The venue was certainly new to me: we performed in the driveway of Lorelei’s home in the White City area of Tulsa, near The University of Tulsa!
It was a perfect fall afternoon, breezy and bright, and after months of canceled performances and Zoom violin lessons, I was delighted to have a chance to perform for a liveaudience. Of course, performing pandemic style does require a few adjustments, as well as a sense of humor!
The audience of over 70 was spread out over the neighboring lawns and driveways on blankets and lawn chairs. It was a wonderful informal atmosphere, which is lucky, because outdoor performances do often involve the unexpected. A few examples: missing an entrance as one pins music to the music stand, chasing music if it does blow away and trying to avoid direct sunlight while keeping one’s mask from sliding up over the eyes while playing!
I have played many concerts in much more controlled environments, with fewer challenges and distractions, better acoustics and more rehearsal time. Yet, after teaching students remotely for months, and many canceled performances, the opportunity to share a performance with my colleagues “onstage” and so many students and friends out on the lawn gave me a renewed sense of the importance of sharing music with each other. It was a bright and memorable afternoon.