June 21, 2020 After two weeks filled with rehearsals, workshops, social events, and performances, today was the official last day of Fresh Inc 2020. Fresh Inc this year certainly wasn’t the same as it’s been in summers past – all of our workshops were virtual, we made s’mores on our stovetops, and our performer participants …
June 20, 2020 We made it to the weekend! After dress rehearsals in the morning, performer participants had a free day until the second round of world premieres later in the evening. While the performers relaxed, composer participants gathered together via Zoom for two workshops in the afternoon. The first was led by composer Shawn …
June 19, 2020 The third-to-last day of Fresh Inc began with an important conversation with Michael Rohd of the Center for Performance and Civic Practice (CPCP). Michael helped guide us through Tuesday’s RHINO performance and discussion, and today he led a thoughtful conversation about what civic practice in music means. In addition to talking about …
June 18, 2020 How are we more than halfway through the festival already?? Today was the first day of dress rehearsals in preparation for this weekend’s final performances- it’s almost time to premiere the works of our composer participants! This afternoon’s workshop was led by Dan and Herine who showed us how to format a …
Wednesday, June 17, 2020 Did you know that non-profits actually do require…being profitable? Melissa kicked off Day 9 of Fresh Inc 2020 with a crash course in grants and fundraising. In this workshop, we learned about the differences between for-profit and non-profit organizations, the best way to actually ask someone for money, and all about …
Tuesday, June 16, 2020 Have you ever wondered how artists from multiple disciplines come together to collaborate with one another? Today Fresh Inc participants got a behind the scenes look at this process during a special workshop centered around “RHINO,” an upcoming Fifth House Ensemble experimental work produced in collaboration with Michael Rohd, writer, director, …
Monday, June 15, 2020 After a busy first week of workshops, rehearsals, and performances, we started week two of Fresh Inc 2020 by participating in a workshop about personal promotion led by Melissa and Alex. In addition to learning how to put together an amazing electronic press kit (pro tip: the structure of your bio …
Saturday, June 13, 2020 Today was a lighter day at Fresh Inc Festival. Instead of starting the day with a workshop, Fresh Inc’ers had the morning off (unless they were in rehearsals), then came together later in the afternoon for the second Performer Showcase of the festival. Spencer Arias, composer participant and emcee for the …
Friday, June 12, 2020 How do you create a concert experience that resonates with a specific audience? This is the question Herine answered in this morning’s workshop, “Putting Your Audience Center Stage.” In this workshop, Herine pointed out that being an audience member at a poorly designed concert is like going on a bad date …
Thursday, June 11, 2020 Today began with a workshop led by Paul Wang, associate professor of integrated marketing communications at Northwestern University. Paul guided us through a conversation about the El Sistema case study that we began in small groups yesterday. This case study discussed the background of the El Sistema program, with a focus …
