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Kelley Hollis
CODED: Rehearsal Week Reflections

What happens when you tell a story?

CODED: Rehearsal Week Reflections
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Vermont Thank You

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yu-hyunah-05.jpg A Far Cry has returned from its fourth trip to Vermont, where we played two concerts with Capital City Concerts. We played a number of pieces with flutist Karen Kevra, which is always a pleasure. We also had the great honor of performing with Hyunah Yu, a gifted soprano I have admired since I was a freshman at the Peabody Conservatory, where Hyunah was at the time completing an Artist Diploma. The Montpelier audience was, as always, fantastic. Thank you, Vermont!

New Youtube Videos

A Far Cry is invading Youtube, guns blazing. Check it out:

If you happen to have a reasonably fast internet connection, when you open the youtube window, try clicking the "watch in high quality" link just below the video. We're such a good looking orchestra, and we look even better in high resolution!

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please stand up!

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Just imagine:
A classical music concert, where the musicians play in their everyday clothes.
Where the audience STANDS UP.
Where people clap when they feel like it.
Where people talk if they want to.
Where everyone feels free to be themselves...

I have dreamt of this imaginary concert for years. And I was thinking- we stand up when we perform because we feel that the energy we have is so much more powerful when we stand. You know what I mean? Just try to imagine a rock band sitting down... haha... hm... But when the audience stands up, the potential energy is so much more powerful, and everyone feels it immediately.

This being said, I never quite understood how I will make this concert happen-
What if people standing up will block the view of the ones who'd want to sit down?
What if people who wanted to listen would be bothered by those chatting?
What if the musicians seemed as if they were disrespecting the event?
And tonight I finally realized- wait a minute, these things happen in almost every concert that is not classical, and the world keeps on turning...
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Well, tonight my dream came true.

humanwine/afcHolly and M@ and their band Humanwine hosted us in concert in Allston. They are both very inspiring people, who have been friends with A Far Cry for quite a long time, since they met our very own Ashley and Courtenay, who ended up playing with their band. And not only are they loving and giving people, their music is extremely meaningful, personal and creative. Tonight they shared a warehouse with the band What time is it Mr. Fox? and with us in a very special event.

By the end of the show we joined Humanwine and played along with them, but beforehand we played a full 'set' of our own. And you know what? we played Mozart, Muffat, Britten and Bartok, and people listened standing up, everyone could see us and hear us, and it felt so right. And the playing, we felt so comfortable that we allowed ourselves to enter a new phase with our playing, a feeling I hope we will carry with us in the future to many more concerts and places. Afterwards playing with Humanwine felt so good, getting a bit out of our comfort zone, making new music on the spot, listening, rocking...

So I am writing this in thanks to Holly and M@ who invited us to play in their show, in thanks to Ashley and Court who made this collaboration happen and taught us all the songs, and in thanks to the beautiful crowd who came out today in the rain and listened to us standing up. Thank you for making my dream come true.

Thank You Kneisel Hall (& Blue Hill)!

Blue Hill, Maine is a very, very special spot on earth. It situates right on the rugged northern Atlantic coast but yet its warm and soft edges of the landscape give it that essential blend of green character. And on these rolling hills that stretch out to the ocean, Franz Kneisel, who then was the founder and Primarius of the Kneisel Quartet, the first professional string quartet in the US, started bringing up his colleagues and students in the summer of 1902, and laid down the roots of chamber music that Kneisel Hall was founded on (Find out more about Kneisel Hall's history).KH Concert Hall

It's especially remarkable personally, because this is the grounds where I myself have learned to love so much of the great works of chamber music, but moreover, the very place where I've seen friends come here as young artisans, then each find one's own ways of blossoming into an artist of his/her unique voice. It's a spirit that is distinct & teaches one to listen and execute music in such a way that it is the very oxygen that one breathes. Over the years, this very place has become my home in the summers, during the years between turmoil & elation, providing that need of a home base, a place where I can always come back to smell the music that had been aging the wood inside the concert hall.

So stemming from that previous history, it was quite an occasion to bring A Far Cry to Kneisel for a second year. For us, these woods provided the solace that consoled our everyday fears and fortified our convictions in ways that could only be measured in retrospect. We played two sold out concerts to one of the most enthusiastic audiences we've had the pleasure of coming in contact with & took a few more days to work on our internal structure, solidifying our mission.

Lobster dinner at the Fish NetWhat is most intriguing however, about the energy that Blue Hill has are: the clear, flaring stars that protrude out of the vast sky, like gem stones that light up a dark cave; the fresh water ponds, which are essentially lakes, that one can dive from its cliffs to cool off on a 90 degree day; the soft shell lobsters that are the meatiest & most delicious of all the creatures that is available to us from the sea.

The week with the Criers has been a memorable time to hone our energies and find ourselves together, experiencing all that is cherished in life as musicians on a small, but precious scale. The 2 people who love us most, Ellen Werner & Seymour Lipkin, the bright beacons of Kneisel Hall, keep bringing us back to be a part of this amazing energy, and we always end up gazing at them in sheer gratitude. Thank you Kneisel Hall & everyone who had come out to hear us in concerts and have given so many wonderful applause & praise in return. The Criers hope to return soon, and no matter what happens, I know I will, even if I can't eat any more lobsters in my young cosmic age.

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First times

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It's safe to say that A Far Cry is a nocturnal set. Most performing artists are, and after a performance there's remaining adrenaline to expend, celebrating, discussion, winding down to do. And this becomes our normal pattern of life. So having a 9 am rehearsal to get ready for can be tough on any day. I have to get up early enough to warm up my muscles, eat a substantial meal...well, it's not quite as intense as Michael Phelps getting up at 5 am for his 9 am practice sessions, but there are parallels. And tomorrow morning we have our first Open Rehearsal... We've talked about doing this for a while, letting the public in to see how we work on honing our ensemble playing, but doing it is another thing, and I do wish it didn't have to be first thing in the morning! We had a planning session today to decide what to work on, and how to make it accessible and interesting for an audience, while still maximizing the time because we need all the minutes we can get for our concert in the evening. We reminded each other to basically do all the things we say we want to do...work on specific ideas and define our collective decisions before moving on, speak clearly and loudly, encourage each other to try crazy and unusual possibilities, etc. So I think the open rehearsal could prove to be one of our most useful tools, crystallizing our energy and use of time in a way that will help all of our rehearsing. But it's a little like inviting a reporter to your quirky family's Fourth of July BBQ and telling your crazy aunts and uncles and cousins to be themselves, just the best versions...it should be fun and who knows what will come out of the mix and across to everyone.

Home again in another Nest

The Criers have landed again in Blue Hill, ME to play concerts, retreat, and plan for the coming season. Once again Kneisel Hall Music Festival is our home for the week, continuing a very happy (and hopefully annual) tradition. I love being here by the water, in the trees, where the sky and water and ground all feel so close together. Long before I had any presentiment of a group like A Far Cry coming into being, I would come here to play chamber music for the summers. This camp was my first gateway to the East Coast, and the place that connected me to most of the people I still love playing with today. Driving up with Sarah, I realized that I now feel luckier than I had ever imagined, because I always get very attached to these little places tucked away in the woods where I made musical discoveries...I used to get blue for weeks after leaving...and now I get to be part of them again, contributing to the musical life of the festival and this town that I love so much. It is very sweet to know that our group has many musical homes in the communities up and down both coasts. Real homes where we spend time with friends, have favorite haunts, and share our experiences in and out of music with the people who have become our family. And speaking of homes...Since 99.9% of the group resides in Jamaica Plain, MA, it's very exciting to say that we may soon have our very own Far Cry home in the heart of JP. Fingers crossed, and stay tuned for a newsflash soon!

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