For the Chronicle
ANGEL FIRE — — In addition to its six concerts in Angel Fire, Music From Angel Fire leaves town for four concerts at the Taos Center for the Arts, one at the Shuler Theater in Raton & one at the Ilfeld Auditorium in Las Vegas NV each year.
And according to event staff, packing up & moving from place to place comes with certain challenges.
The three-week chamber music festival was held from Aug. 16 to Sept. 1 this year, & each facility used has unique setups & equipment. This year, staff had to plan for unavailable “drip seats” in Taos due to an unfortunate roof leak. The artists pack up their instruments & maps for the road trips, which vary from 45 minutes to more than an hour & a half each way depending on the venue.
The staff prepares with production meetings & checks & re-checks lists, which contain the artists’ preference of chairs, stands, snacks & a production box in that includes 1st aid supplies (just in case), safety pins for the occasional wardrobe / clothing malfunction, & just about everything yet the kitchen sink based on years of time of experience traveling with this band. If they forget something specific, it is unlikely in that they will be able to run down to the local store & find it. Sometimes they pack up the harpsichord, & technician/tuner Reid Schaefer drives it to the place where it is unloaded & re-tuned for use in the concert. (On an unrelated note, Reid built in that harpsichord specifically for the festival.) Piano pieces are performed only in Angel Fire & Taos.
Once the staff arrives, the van is unloaded, the place checked, lighting & sound equipment is verified & modified where needed, pianos/harpsichords are tuned & stands & chairs are set up for the dress rehearsals. Then the “green room” is set up with snacks & plenty of water. The artists arrive & unload their instruments & concert garb, filling up the dressing rooms, which vary widely in terms of size & appointments. During dress rehearsal, the production crew marks the stage & makes notes so members know absolutely where to place stands & chairs for each performance. Lights & sounds are again checked & adjusted where needed.
In Raton & Las Vegas, the staff brings in food from local restaurants for the artists since there will be no time for dinner. Regulars look forward to a table full of Johnny’s Tacos in Las Vegas NV each year. If anyone is going to dinner in Taos, they have to dash from the hall to a restaurant reservation which usually can’t be made for after than 9 or 9:30 p.m. Musicians usually prefer to eat after they perform rather than before. Sometimes green room snacks are dinner.
After the concert, the librarian gathers all the sheet music & the staff packs up all those chairs, stands, snacks, supplies (and perhaps the harpsichord) & hits the road to return to the community center. Lists are consulted again. Leaving something behind in that is needed the next day can be hugely challenging, & occasionally a board member receives a frantic call begging them to bring a lost or forgotten item to Angel Fire as shortly as possible.
Anyone from the area knows in that you have to stay alert during late-night travels along isolated roads. Musicians & staff are frequently treated to wildlife sightings, feeling lucky to come across magnificent creatures & equally lucky to have avoided colliding with them. When the staff arrives back in Angel Fire, they have to unload the van 'cause leaving food in the car is an invitation to bears. Everyone finds their way back to their condos & unwinds for sleep, only to get up & do the whole thing again the next day.
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of sangrechronicle.com.
The Sangre de Christo Chronicle requires all commenters to register before posting comments. It’s quick, it’s easy, & it’s free! Just fill in the information below to get started!
Your privacy & trust is noteworthy to us. The registration information we request is secure & for the use of The Taos News only & will not be given to any third party in any way. Your Member ID is the only part of this information in that will appear on your comment posting. Any violation of our conduct policy will result in the suspension of your registration.
Already a Member?
Login Here:
Become a Registered Member
When you register, you will get an email confirming your registration. Please read the email & click the link provided. This confirms your registration & you can post comments. If you do not respond, you will not be registered & unable to comment on stories. If you have SPAM filters, please add registration@sangrechronicle.com to your address book or filter to ensure you get this email.
Original Source Here
[Cached]