Welcome to the Traveling Schubert Society! This is an inaugural piece inviting one and all to join in the exciting new endeavor that my colleague and I have begun to develop: creating an expansive community of musicians, music lovers, artists, art lovers, poets, writers, and literary folk, and many others, who are committed to the musical salon idea that evolved out of the life and work of Franz Schubert. The idea of the Schubertiade, as it has come to be known, is a remarkable achievement of building communities around the love of Schubert's music. And now, with the Traveling Schubert Society, we wish to take this a step further, by growing such communities of music and art lovers through the fostering of both classical and contemporary chamber music in the present world in which we live.
The story of "The Traveling Schubert Society" begins a few months back, in 2011. Truthfully, though, this story could go back at least two decades, because the influences and experiences of those involved in its founding are situated in the magnificent ideals of the salon de musique, which each participated in going back to the 1980s and 1990s.
On a bus ride from New York City to the Mid-Hudson Valley, one afternoon in the Fall of 2011, two strangers sat side by side as the sun faded behind the branches of the autumnal maples, oaks, and chestnut trees scattered along route 87. Eventually, a conversation was struck, and the two men found themselves sharing tales of Armenian history, modern painting, and the politics of the classical music world. By the end of the drive, it was decided to continue the conversation at a later date.
Sevan Melikyan and I (Anthony Elia) were in touch a number of times over the course of the fall and now winter months, but only decided to reconnect in early February. When we did finally meet this past week, we began to recount the salons, musicales, and Schubertiades that we'd participated in years ago, and had been mulling over how to jump start something new that would incorporate our old experiences with the possibility of growing a community, which shared in its love of music and the arts. But we wanted the experience to be more than just a static, old-fashioned concert venue. We wanted it to be alive with discussion, something that was both informal, but also quality.
The idea of a "Traveling" Schubert Society incorporates this idea. There are various Schubert societies around the country and the world. But our aim is to take the idea of a Schubert Society, and push it into another realm, where we move our conversational forum into multiple places and spaces. We hope to experiment with sound, movement, space, and conversation, in a way that is dynamic and creative, and afford those who are interested to develop along with us.
Though we will initially be based out of our homes and work places in the Hudson Valley and New York City, we hope that this does not limit us, and welcome all those interested into this conversation of music and arts.
We are now in the preliminary planning stages of organizing our first concerts, which we'd like to set for this summer (2012). And as we get closer, we will detail these events. One of the main things that we'd like to share from the beginning is our desire to provide these salons, musicales, Schubertiades free of charge to the burgeoning community of the Traveling Schubert Society. Of course, donations will be accepted to offset any costs we incur. But our hope is that this group will allow as many people as possible to experience something powerful through music, especially those who may feel that they don't get enough interaction with chamber music, the music of Schubert, or contemporary classical music.
This last item is of particular interest, as well. As a composer, I come to the musical scene with the goal of developing a network of new musicians, composers, artists, and writers (maybe librettists?), who are like-minded in their interest of developing such a community. And at these salons and musicales, along with our Schubertian and classical offerings, we hope to bring fresh, new compositions from contemporary composers.
We're just beginning, but we are very excited and look forward to great possibilities! Every week I am planning on contributing articles on Schubert, his legacy, and the goals that we will continue to set down for the society. And I invite you all to participate in this conversation as we move forward!
A hearty and musical welcome to all!
Anthony J. Elia & Sevan Melikyan
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