Discover What’s Beyond Your Comfort Zone

It’s hard to move our of your comfort zone – especially in today’s fast-paced, always connected society when most of us have more things we want and need to do than time (and perhaps money) will allow. But think of the times when you have pushed yourself outside of the familiar. I bet the experiences have been worthwhile, perhaps character strengthening, and maybe downright fun. My out-of-comfort zone experiences take me back to examples of physical challenges (i.e. learning to ski at age 20, and running my first marathon at age 40); as well as many intellectual and cultural stretches. I can vividly recall the Sweet Honey in the Rock show my husband took me to at Carnegie hall on one of our first dates.

“Sweet honey in the who?” was my first reaction. Being products of different generations, my husband and I do not share similar music or cultural tastes. And this has turned out to be a HUGE benefit – because we force encourage each other to participate in new cultural experiences- some we end up liking and some we don’t. But at the end of the day we’ve opened our eyes, minds and senses to something new.

Today I’m asking you to step away from the familiar and consider Wolf Trap’s Discovery Series performance of Kate Lindsey and Wolf Trap’s own Kim Witman.

I’m guessing that many of the readers of this blog have not been to a classical music performance this year or in some time. Apologies if that assumption is incorrect and please do chime in to let us know. Either way, it’s no secret that classical music more often than not, enjoyed by a niche audience.

While no one can say for sure what keeps younger audiences away from the classical music scene, I would proffer that intimidation plays a factor. The small, intimate and down-to-earth setting of the Barns, coupled with the format of Discovery Series performances make this the perfect opportunity to get past the intimidation factor. All Discovery shows include a commentary by international radio host Rich Kleinfeldt and a question and answer session, followed by dessert with the artists. Kleinfeldt is also the co-host of Center Stage from Wolf Trap which features live broadcasts of music from the Discovery Series on over 200 radio stations around the country.

All of this said, I’ve not gotten to perhaps the most important part of why you should come out to this last performance of the Discovery Series – which is the music! The performances feature top notch musicians who will not disappoint. Here’s a Wall Street Journal piece about Imani Winds who were here at the beginning of this month; and the New York Times raves about American String Quartet who performed in November.

The April 8th performance will feature rising Metropolitan Opera star Kate Lindsey. Lindsey who is no stranger to The Barns at Wolf Trap; she spent two seasons with the Wolf Trap Opera Company, and has since graced the stages opera houses including The Met, Seattle Opera, Los Angeles Opera and Theatre des Champs-Elysees. She will be joined on piano by Wolf Trap’s own Kim Witman. For those of you who don’t know Kim, she works 25 hours a day behind the scenes to make everything classical and opera come to life at Wolf Trap. She is also an accomplished musician in her own right –GRAMMY award winner and all.

The April 8th performance will include a set of songs with lyrics by Washington D.C.’s own Miss Manners. Particularly appropriate to this blog post are the ones titled “Manners at a Concert” and “Manners at the Opera” – tongue-in-cheek, of course. (Miss Manners knows what she’s talking about because her son works in opera –he actually got his start at Wolf Trap.) There will also be some brand new songs by young composer Mohammed Fairouz – these songs are actually having their world premiere in New York a week before they come to Wolf Trap. And there are a few songs in French and German; but no worries – every audience member gets a copy of the lyrics in English.

Kate’s an amazing twenty-something musician, and it was a coup for Wolf Trap to be able to arrange this homecoming at The Barns. The concert starts at 8:00! I hope to see you there.

Here’s a YouTube clip from the Met production of Tales of Hoffmann, start around 2 minutes in to see Kate.

Kathy Mattea: The Wolf Trap Interview

This is the first interview we've done in which we explored an artists life from childhood through the absolute present day. And this approach worked perfectly for Kathy Mattea because of the amazing number of "major crossroads" type decisions she has made that have helped shape her life and career. This is actually a very inspirational interview, brimming with echoes of her dare-to-be-great scenario that descended upon her while at West Virginia University, wrestling with a decision to choose music, or the safe path of engineering.

Her most recent album, Coal, is a tribute to her home state of West Virginia and to her heritage as the granddaughter of miners. She beams with pride when we start to discuss this album, and she cites it as a life-changing experience that completely altered the way she approaches writing, playing and performing music. Quite a statement from an artist who has had 17 Top 10 Country hits...none of which are on this album. Oh and did I mention her accent her is totally intoxicating?

Check it out...

Kathy Mattea: The Wolf Trap Interview by Wolf_Trap

A Quick Poll

How do you normally learn about concert and entertainment information?

We disseminate news across a broad range of mediums, and with the Wolf Trap summer season just around the corner--during which we love seeing you out at the Filene Center as much as possible--we want to know your preference in receiving performance news and updates.

Thank you for letting us know by taking this ten second poll below. If you’re viewing via Facebook, please pop over to our blog to participate, or simply comment on this post.

Tom Paxton: The Wolf Trap Interview

It's not every day you get to interview an American musical treasure, particularly one who has received the music's industry highest honor, the GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award. Tom Paxton is one of the country's last remaining true American troubadours, and he's returning to The Barns with his massive catalogue of tunes that weaves an intricate tapestry of American folklore. His songs have been recorded and popularized by Joan Baez, the Kingston Trio, the Chad Mitchell Trio, Peter, Paul & Mary, and a host of other performers throughout the past 45 years.

I've actually had the chance to play golf with Tom on separate occasions, but we've never discussed his career to this extent. It was a highly enlightening and entertaining experience, and like I said earlier, a very rare opportunity which we’re glad to be able to share with you!
Tom Paxton: The Wolf Trap Interview by Wolf_Trap

The Top Five Things we've Learned from our Yelpers

Although this blog is called Wolf Trap: From the Inside Out, sometimes it’s nice to look at Wolf Trap from the outside in. While updating our yelp page to announce our second set of Summer 2011 shows, we found that the reviews our yelpers left were often very helpful to other concertgoers. Often times they were just really funny.

The 5 Best Things We’ve Learned from Reading Yelp Reviews:

1. Wolf Trap patrons really love bringing in their own beer and wine and having a drink...while watching Fiddler on the Roof, for instance.

Reviews consistently reference the Filene Center’s lawn seating. People like that it’s affordable and that you can have a picnic with friends or what not, but it seems that they mostly love the fact that you can bring coolers…full of wine and beer (possibly also cheese). So as one yelper says, the next time you come out to a show, remember your corkscrews and trash bags.

2. Wolf Trap has clean bathrooms and plenty of them.

Some people may throw out a “meh” to this item, but bathrooms are great to have around—especially ones that don’t make people want to use the bushes instead. Yelpers note that, unless it’s intermission, there usually isn’t a line and that the bathrooms stay clean throughout the night.

3. Intimate performances at The Barns are awesome.

When it’s cold outside, yelpers still have a great time at The Barns at Wolf Trap. I could go on about The Barns, but one yelper described them in a much better way.

“I called the Filene Center an intimate experience, so I am going to have to do one better for The Barns. This place is like lying in bed with the performer. With only about 350 seats in a small barn that dates back to the 1700's (1730 to be exact -- no I didn't know that, i looked it up), you really feel like you are in an old place that was built to provide perfect acoustics. Obviously it wasn't, but the place is really a fantastic place for a concert.” –Evan H (not a Wolf Trap employee)

4. The parking lot across the street from the Filene Center may be the best bet.

In the DC metro area, I avoid driving at all costs. Luckily, Wolf Trap runs round-trip shuttle service for summer Filene Center performances for those of us who want to take the metro. If taking the metro isn’t your thing, then Wolf Trap has plenty of parking. One yelper prefers parking in the lot that’s across Trap Road from the Filene Center—it may be a longer walk, but it’s less crowded. This yelper has also kindly provided an ASCII map to guide Wolf Trappers through the tunnel under Trap Road.

Another yelper recommends concertgoers “come early to get a parking spot near the exit. The after-concert traffic is pure chaos. Bring a crappy car that says ‘I’m not afraid of collisions’”. While we can’t advocate pro-collision behavior, pre-planning your parking to be near the exit is definitely a good tip.

5. Bring water

Although it’s tempting to forego water in favor of a lighter picnic basket, hydration is key. The DC metro area gets “quite warm” in the summer and you’re probably going to be talking, laughing, and singing while watching the show. You might also dance and partake in libations. Water is very important, so remember to bring some: bottled water is allowed both on the lawn and in the covered seating areas.

Of course, Wolf Trap does have water fountains in case you decide that extra bottle of wine is way more important than a bottle of water, but you may not want to make that trip in the middle of a power groove with Earth Wind & Fire.

Think you can write a better/funnier/helpful-er yelp review? Do it. Tell us about your experience(s) with Wolf Trap, and in April, we may feature your yelp review in our magazine insert in the Washington Post.