Breaking the Fourth Wall ANNALOTTE SMITH M.M. '22, Piano
There is often a perception that concert pianists are privileged relics of an elitist past who separate themselves on elevated concert stages to perform an esoteric hour of sonatas that are hopelessly disconnected from today’s realities. As a young artist, I have often felt conflicted on how to move past these stereotypes and meaningfully connect with today’s society while continuing to primarily perform classical music from previous centuries that remains rigidly coupled with multiple outdated norms. Fortunately, the COVID-19 era provided me with the opportunity to rethink the concert experience with a virtual concert series, Spirit of Harmony, which I created for isolated hospital staff and patients across the country. However, this required dismantling my traditional conceptions of what a concert should be. I have trained my entire life to create perfectly crafted and polished live performances presented according to a staged routine in a designated performance venue. The first few weeks of Zoom
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