|Image from Wikimedia Commons|
Yesterday afternoon a disheartening musical crime was witnessed. The scene of the crime was at a local ballet company's performance in which young dancers and musicians combined with the intent to transport their audience to places only conceivable in one's imagination. One young victim, age 6, was in attendance with her parents. They, eager to expose their child to a special cultural event, arrived early to find their seats and to ensure that a sense of anticipation was heightened as their daughter repeatedly asked how many minutes remained until the curtain would rise. Their strategy was successful until it was time for the show to begin. All was well at first. The ushers uniformly closed off the doorways to the hall, the lights were dimmed, and the audience, even the kids of a young age, drew a hushed silence. The 6 year old was on the edge of her seat, holding her breath.
Instead of music rising from the orchestra pit, instead of the lush red velvet curtain rising, a man walked onto the stage with paper in hand. For the next 10 minutes the gentleman in question proceeded to thank everyone responsible for the afternoon's event. With each minute that ticked away in this fashion, the light in the 6 year old's eyes visibly faded and she grew more and more disinterested in what was to happen next. The girl's parents were saddened and shocked by how quickly magic could be zapped from such a moment that could have been filled with unspeakable excitement.
Upon further thought and investigation, the witnesses of the crime understood the motives of those who were responsible and no charges were pressed but the effect of this oversight was duly noted and it is the hope of the witnesses that others in the arts will remember the importance of those first moments in the concert hall when the lights have dimmed, whether those in the audience are 6 or 60 years old.