Ensembles and musicians of all stripes are embracing the use of screens in their performances. We love this trend – our own eggs are in this basket! – believing as we do that a successful future for live concerts lies in creativity of presentation and a heightened attention to stagecraft and production value. The emerging challenge for many performing arts organizations is developing high quality concert content that enhances live performances.

 

Who likes click tracks, anyway? Performers and their interpretations are at the center of a cueing system which frees musicians from having to follow markers or yoke their playing to on-screen action. Instead, our cueing makes use of industry-leading QLab software to control video and lighting elements from a booth or hall position. Even hard cues are delivered with precision while artists onstage focus on giving their best, most personal performances.

 

 

 

 

Finally, let us help you connect meaningfully with your audiences or partners in your community by hosting our artists for special presentations, pre- and post-concert activities, and gallery showings. Gary Kelley is available for in-person activities and has extensive experience sharing his expertise and point of view with everyone from students to symphony audiences. All extra services and related fees are established at the time of booking based on direct consultation with your organization.

Nachtmusik: “Kelley based his drawings on the original novel, Dracula, by Bram Stoker, and on the first Dracula film, Nosferatu. [His film] used written words on the screen for explanations and what dialogue was needed, thus giving the event somewhat of a silent film feel (though with a very good pit orchestra!). Kelley’s skill was in full display here, transfixing audiences in a riveting display of artistry. I was particularly drawn to his expert depiction of architecture and the period costuming, and to his stunningly evocative echoing of the unsettling Nosferatu images. The combination of Kelley and Mahler worked for me, and for others with whom I talked.”

A New Nutcracker: “Kelley did a series of illustrations of the Ellington Nutcracker that tell a story, as does Tchaikovsky’s, of a little girl who receives a nutcracker for Christmas. Kelley’s little girl lives in Harlem and the evolving series of illustrations have a distinctly African-American take. These images weren’t static – they moved across the screen, were of differing sizes, and included a completed-in-front-of-your-eyes line drawing. The audience was greatly enthusiastic for this new mixed-media creation. The work, with Kelley’s unmistakable artistry, has every chance of becoming a Christmas fixture across the country. Called up on stage for bows were Kelley and Jacob Meade, the technical wizard who put Kelley’s creations successfully and artistically onscreen.”

The Planets, Reimagined: “The idea of pulling these artistic forces together was brilliant and was, I am sure, the result of close collaboration between Kelley and Weinberger. The complicated uniting of several art forms worked beautifully. [In this presentation] the personalities of each planet are, of course, imagined ones, loosely related to the astrological significance of the planet. The total experience was a kind of powerful philosophical journey of music and metaphysics. The program inspired one of the grandest ovations – the audience was simply frenzied.”