Classical Music Can Be Popular After All (Particularly When Free)

Ask the majority of New Yorkers about the "Free for All at Town Hall" concert series and you will most likely receive blank stares. After all, classical music—even free—isn't for your average Joe Six-Pack or Hockey Mom... But, then again, New York City isn't the country's cultural capital for nothing and I suppose I really shouldn't have been surprised to discover the program's overwhelming success.

Living in a city replete with choices in all areas of art and entertainment paradoxically means having to miss out on a number of enticing events. Practically speaking, it is impossible to be in all corners of Manhattan (let alone Brooklyn and the other boroughs) at once. For this reason alone, I suspect the "Free for All" series has managed to fly under the radar of many an avid classical music-goer such as myself. Call it a feeble excuse or poor judgment on my part but, although I have been aware of the program for several years, I have never managed to fit it into a packed cultural calendar.

This all changed when I learned the final "Free for All" of the season would mark the first appearance by a string quartet—and not just any old ensemble, the Emerson String Quartet. Add to that an all-Schubert program designed specifically to cater to one of my musical weaknesses, and clearly the time had come to experience this daring alternative to Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center.

So, when Sunday arrived, I decided to hike over to Town Hall and pick up a pair of free tickets. My plan was to arrive at around noon, when the box office opened, and join the line that would inevitably be forming outside the theater. Imagine my shock when I discovered that at 12:35 PM the said line stretched all the way to the nearest cross-street, clear up one full block and three-quarters of the way down the next street! A jaded realist who has been known to mourn classical music as a dying art form, I couldn't help but wonder whether Beethoven, Mozart—or in this case Schubert—for the masses were in fact not as implausible as I had always imagined. Pondering the possibility I had entered some sort of alternate reality where a string quartet had achieved rock star status, I sauntered over to the end of the line, most likely looking somewhat confounded.

I never expected to be writing this about standing in a queue but it was at that moment that the fun really began. Fortunately for everyone in attendance, it was the first sunny day in a while, which lent a more festive feel than would have been possible if we had all been sloshing around in the rain. The wide cross-section of people in attendance could not go unheeded: a multitude of races, ages and social classes were represented. Locals and repeat-attendees were duly equipped with books, while newcomers looked around in wonderment. I spoke with people who had traveled from other states to attend the concert, as well as New Yorkers young and old who, like me, were there for the first time. The enthusiasm of those waiting to secure tickets was palpable from both seasoned patrons of the arts and those for whom this would be the first such experience.

What was most astounding about the concert later that day was the number of youthful faces that could be seen eagerly waiting to hear one of the all-time great American string quartets. Although most concert halls offer student tickets, this is the first time I have attended a classical music concert where gray-haired patrons were firmly in the minority. More than anything else, this validates the success of "Free for All."

When she co-founded the program, Jacqueline Taylor envisioned a performance space that would expose people from all walks of life to first-rate classical music normally reserved for an elite group, and form a new generation of aficionados. Taylor's impressive credentials and relentless belief in her undertaking allowed her to do just that. Having served as the Executive Director of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and founded the critically-acclaimed chamber music program at the 92nd Street Y, under the watchful eye of her former mentor, boss and “Free for All” co-founder Omus Hirshbein, Taylor was uniquely positioned to see this ambitious project to fruition in 2001. Along with Hirshbein, she was able to draw on her connections not only to attract world-class artists but also secure the funding that has allowed the program to live up to its name for eight seasons. Consistently filling to capacity the 1,500-seat Town Hall with an audience that enthusiastically turns out to hear renowned musicians such as Joshua Bell, Hilary Hahn, Anne-Marie McDermott, Peter Serkin and Dawn Upshaw, "Free for All" is proof positive that bringing great music to the people can be more than just a naïve dream. More important, the program’s success reminds the cynics among us that the great classics really can be enjoyed by all.

Details on “Free for All at Town Hall” can be found on the Twin Lions, Inc. web site.

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