Hear Hear!
A New Music initiative
This unique programming innovation provides listeners with a powerful opportunity to deepen their appreciation of today’s most interesting—and rewarding—contemporary music through full-length performances of the evening’s featured contemporary work, introduced from the stage, just prior to each Alice Tully Hall concert. Doors open at 7pm and the presentations begin promptly at 7:15. This is an open-seating event, free to all ticket holders.
PREACHING WHAT WE PRACTICE :a message from Artistic Director Anthony Korf
This program is the brainchild of many years pondering how to deepen our audience’s connection to contemporary music. While our salons strive to accomplish this goal, listening to a new work from start to finish twice in one evening will do wonders, helping the music get “under your skin.”
Indeed, with the fleeting experience of one listening, on what basis can an audience member be expected to form a reaction to a completely new work in an unfamiliar musical language?
Nothing beats repeated listening.
Hear Hear! begins to address such important questions. Moreover, attending these pre-concert previews will do more than enhance your enjoyment of a particular work. By participating in our experiment, you will be following the time-honored practice followed by musicians themselves. Just like practicing a musical instrument, active listening is a skill developed through repetition and experience. In this way, you will be picking up a transferable skill that will develop the more you use it.
We don’t claim that Hear Hear! will complete your journey. It might, however, spark your curiosity and inspire further exploration. In short, if you find yourself enjoying the same work more the second time through, or noticing certain details you initially missed, you’ll be on your way. You may not be in “love” or even in “like” yet, but your odyssey will have begun.