Sphinx Virtuosi Chamber Concert at the Lobero last Friday night was beautiful and wondrous and enchanting. Come back soon!

Ahem… a bit of a request to all future audiences during any classical music performance…

Please respect that brief moment of silence during the “pauses” in a longer piece of music that has several movements.

For shorter, “single movement” pieces, go ahead and make that noise!

But for longer pieces, that silence is a very “magical” moment, and it is just as important as the notes are. 

It allows the prior movement to resonate and be sustained in the listener, and it allows the musicians to gather their forces for the next movement.

It’s counter-intuitive, but the absence of the applause is about being awestruck by what you’ve just heard, and silently revering what just happened.

And the silence also respects the other audience members around you.

Tempting as it may be to clap, just grip your fingers together and squeeze. And smile.

The string musicians will often signal when a piece is “over” by brandishing their bows in the air with a distinct flourish.

But, if the players let their bows quietly fall to their sides (especially after a sustained, fading note,) it’s only the end of the movement, and any applause at that time is… um… ew.

Cringeworthy.

So, read the program to look for those multi-movement pieces, and… read the room.

Those who know, know.

To those who didn’t know, now you know.

As to coughing and bringing an infant into the theater… well, that is a letter for another day.

If anyone knows the “higher ups” or board members in our local arts music organizations (The Symphony, CAMA, The Granada, Arlington, Lobero, City College, etc., please feel free to insert this letter as a little flyer into your programs, and let the ushers pass it out as the concert-goers enter the theater.

Continuing education of the audience is part of the whole experience, don’t you agree?

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