An obvious source of information on piano venues that I somehow left out of my preliminary list of networks: other pianists. I’ve received expert advice from Michael Arnowitt, who spent decades living and playing all over Vermont before moving to Toronto, Claire Black, who has been here on and off since 2012, and Tom Cleary, who has lived and played in Vermont most off his life. These three pianists sent detailed notes on several dozen options ranging from house concerts to opera houses. No doubt I’ll learn of many more from other Vermont pianists.
I was assiduously pasting their copious notes into our 252-town spreadsheet when the coin dropped. Why not make this a public wiki document? I could retain info on alternatives even after I’ve chosen a venue, with notes about the space, piano make and condition, contact info, etc. We could share this with pianists and promoters, spreading the knowledge base and also deepening it with user input, perhaps encouraging more pianists to play more concerts in more places.
One goal of the Play Every Town project is to contribute the vibrancy of village and town centers—a precious and valued resource in Vermont, but imperiled here as everywhere by the discount store at the edge of town, Netflix at home, and (anti)social media online. Sometimes this feels like a self-important notion: one concert is not a sustained contribution to a town’s cultural activity. Perhaps playing all 252 goes a bit farther, making a symbolic statement of support for town and village activity.
In this connection, the idea of a Piano Performance Places wiki spinoff is exciting to me—a way for the current project to resonate beyond its original scope.
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