Pop-up performance presents possibilities
Staff writer
Saturday was Susan Mayo’s first outdoor performance at Peabody’s Sunflower Theatre along Main St., but she hopes the concept doesn’t stop there.
“This is an experiment to model what music might look like around the country as we move forward,” she said. “It’s a difficult time for musicians. It’s difficult for us to know — should we rehearse inside, can we not?”
The outdoor performance, technically a rehearsal, peaked with an audience of 15. While most were senior citizens, a few children and young adults also made the trip with their grandparents.
Resident LouAnn Bowlin brought her fourth-grade grandson to the rehearsal.
“I think it’s important to our children to hear this kind of music, be a part of it, and see how they can play the instruments,” she said.
A limited setting was why Mayo didn’t go out of her way to publicize the rehearsal.
“I didn’t want any more than 15 people,” she said. “I don’t want to be advocating for big crowds. For the first time around, people were pretty good about maintaining distance.”
Mayo, a cellist from rural Peabody, performed a variety of songs with Lillian Green on violin. Among them were tangos and several Scottish tunes.
While both performers are classically trained with string, Mayo is hoping to include musicians specializing in a breadth of genres and instruments in future weekly rehearsals.
Multiple trains and vehicles passed by during the performance, but Mayo saw that as an expected aspect of performing outside.
“It’s part of the ambiance of what we’re doing here,” she said. “It’s not a formal concert where you want to hear each little thing. It doesn’t really bother me.”