Camerata Musica: Venue change is opportunity to explore

One year down, many more to come.

Those familiar with Camerata Musica just might understand what I am referring to. After five decades of presenting concerts at Battelle’s auditorium, changing business needs at the lab meant that we had to find a new venue for our programs. Columbia Basin College and Kennewick First Presbyterian Church came to our rescue and offered us spaces that allow us to continue presenting chamber music concerts to the public supported primarily by donations.

Having successfully completed a season and a half under these new arrangements, we can say that things are looking good. Both audiences and artists have expressed satisfaction with our new homes. They are different from each other, with specific characteristics for our selection committee to take into consideration when planning each season.

This past October, CBC hosted our presentation of the Park Brothers Duo guitarists. Since the college’s theater department uses that month to get ready for November’s play, we knew there might be set pieces on the stage. What we found was a raised circular platform – we have no idea what its function was in the play, but for us it was a perfect small stage for the guitarists.

In November, the church provided wonderful space for the powerful cello and piano sound produced by the Kouzov Duo. Wandering backstage at CBC, it’s impossible not to notice some of the amazing props available, e.g., a gorgeous elaborate chandelier that once graced the ceiling for a period production. I can’t help but wonder how it would look during a Baroque ensemble performance!

In each of the past two seasons, we have been very fortunate in having performers with experience presenting programs for young audiences. As a result, we were able to offer family concerts with Ensemble Caprice (2018-19 season) and Carpe Diem String Quartet (2019-2020). These offerings are an ideal way to introduce children to classical music. The pieces are shorter, there is direct interaction between musicians and audience, the program length doesn’t exceed their attention span, and no one cares if there is chatter or movement among the audience. Although there is no guarantee that we will be able to have a family concert every year, we have made it a goal to do so when we can.

Wrapping up our current season, we scheduled Byron Schenkman & Friends on April 25 at Kennewick First Presbyterian Church. As always, the concerts are open to the public at no charge, although patrons (i.e. those who support the series with financial donations) receive priority seating before 7:15 p.m. More information about these concerts, and about Camerata Musica in general, can be found at our website (www.cameratamusica.com) or by calling 509-946-1175.

Our biggest challenge is growing our audience in our new locations. Both venues are easily accessible from anywhere in the Tri-Cities, and for many people are actually more convenient than the Battelle Auditorium in north Richland. The difficulty is in spreading the news to people who don’t know about us, somehow getting their attention when they are wondering what to do on Saturday night.

Articles in the Herald help, as do listings on various website calendars such as those maintained by the Herald, Northwest Public Broadcasting (NWPB) and Visit Tri-Cities. For the last two years, Camerata has joined with other arts organizations in the Mid-Columbia to produce a booklet listing all our events in one convenient place. Look for your copy when the 2020-21 version comes out next fall. You will never again say there’s nothing to do here.

This story was originally published April 23, 2020 at 5:01 PM with the headline "Camerata Musica: Venue change is opportunity to explore."