ArtsLab

Sharon Rodning Bash
ArtsLab Program Director

For me personally, November, 2008, will be held as a lifelong memory—the month that André Watts played in Bemidji, Minnesota.

The Bemidji Pioneer reported that the orchestra “brought down the house”; that they “performed masterfully.” But it was most memorable for me as an opportunity for a regional orchestra, rapidly growing in stature, to be graciously supported by an artist of profound generosity and kindliness of spirit. Beverly Everett reports that Mr. Watts gave her a “thumbs up” each time she left the stage. He showered praise on each orchestra member who spoke with him. He posed for family photos, signed autographs, and clearly reveled in celebrating the role of the arts in community.

I watched with amazement the youngest violist (age 9) playing Rachmaninoff with Mr. Watts, while her legs dangled free (visible under his piano) because her feet still could not reach the floor. It was fun to watch women in furs arriving with men in hunting caps. It was a thrill to celebrate a career milestone with “our” ArtsLab orchestral conductor, Beverly Everett. It was delightful to hear the local buzz of community pride and a new excitement for what the arts, and this orchestra, can become in Bemidji.

Beyond simply “bringing down the house” with their lengthy standing ovation, I would describe the audience exuberance as akin to having just won the Stanley Cup. As the Bemidji Pioneer reported: “Cheers! Symphony wins!”