Title: Remember That Concert?

Our Audience remembers (well, most things. We're a bit hazy on details.)

A recent query that made my day!

In my work as Operations Coordinator for the Minnesota Center Chorale, I have had to wear many metaphorical hats. Organizing concert accommodations, formatting and printing programs, writing grants, paying bills,.... All of these occur on a fairly predictable schedule. It's fun, then, to get a question from out of nowhere, especially if it involves a bit of research.

Our very first concert program!

I was lucky - in our 50th Anniversary Season last year, we had already sorted through reams of ephemera from previous seasons. The clippings, programs, and posters have certainly accumulated over the years. The scan above is from the MCC's very first season.

The Email...

"Hi,"it said. "My wife and I attended the choir’s first concert at the  Benedicta Arts Center in December 1973. The Messiah. It was our second date. I can’t find the date of the concert. Do you have it in your archives?"

The Answer

Absolutely! Oddly enough, right here on my computer. Although NOTE TO ANYONE PRINTING PROGRAMS FOR ANY REASON: please put the year on your document! I was able to double-check with a calendar program that yes, in 1973, December 5 and 12 were Wednesdays and the 16th was a Sunday, which were indeed the right dates to be the first season. I passed this information along, and received the following reply: "my wife and I have many fond memories of performances we’ve seen at the BAC over the past 50 years, but the Messiah on December 12, 1973, is tops."

What concerts have stayed in your memory, even if the specific details are a bit hazy? How have music (or theatre) performances touched your life? What is "tops" on your list? Share a comment!