RANDOM VISIONS......The Arts.....Audiences.....AcquaTroupe
I got a clear vision of what I wanted AcquaTroupe to be when we did a concert a few years ago...the highlight was when a costumed actress portrayed a character in a painting (which we shared with the audience) while we heard a Schubert song which perfectly described both her character and her actions. A few nights ago, I was thrilled by attending a rousing orchestra performance of music by Dvorak and Beethoven -- and equally moved, almost enchanted, by the motions of an audience member sitting near me who responded physically to every phrase of the music. A hired dancer could not have done better!
Ever since I matured as a man and as a professional musician and actor, I have wanted to help take great performances to small towns, and to people who don't experience much living art. AcquaTroupe is helping fulfill this mission. From the start, we have made clear that we will not always play the same venues, the same music, or utilize the same conventions as every other performing ensemble. Over the next couple of years, we are making at least one truly unique artistic event happen in each and every US state and every European country.
Nothing is more gratifying than to meet a person who is passionate about the arts, who has something to express, but who has never done much with it prior to meeting AcquaTroupe. Once when casting a film, I received an email from a middle-aged man with little or no experience. He wrote, 'I am just a guy from Iowa who really wants to be in a movie'. The simplicity and hunger in his statement has never left me.
I have seen hundreds of fellow artists who basically gave up on their dreams, or who settled for a watered down version of what they were probably capable of accomplishing. Mostly this happens because of competition. When we have to battle a hundred other people in town who have the same dream or thirst for the same job, we usually go home empty-handed. Some years ago I began to realize that if the arts could remove some of the competitive angst and cutthroat hiring practices, we could help a lot more people move ahead. I have always believed that cooperation is better than trying to outdo someone else, in almost any pursuit. AcquaTroupe proudly fosters any means we can find to join artists together, and to create more opportunities for all.
Being a composer is like being a writer or painter or poet. These are occupations done mostly in solitude, even isolation. Typically they are among the most underpaid jobs on earth. They demand concentration, patience, persistence, imagination, hard work and sacrifice. Creative, non-performing artists are frequently underappreciated or even ignored by the world at large.
As a composer, I have great empathy for anyone who devotes life to creating music. When groups like AcquaTroupe bring the composer's saga to life for audiences, everyone benefits immeasurably. So we are placing music by living composers at the top of our list of priorities for this year and next. We are already hearing from composers around the world who can scarcely believe we are willing to do this. Our revolving membership and inclusion of guest artists provides opportunities for performers as well as composers. We are boldly creative, spontaneous and innovative; we want our audiences and our performing spaces to become part of the event. Audiences love this openness and direct connection. We all go home fulfilled, with something special to remember.
---James Gibson
I got a clear vision of what I wanted AcquaTroupe to be when we did a concert a few years ago...the highlight was when a costumed actress portrayed a character in a painting (which we shared with the audience) while we heard a Schubert song which perfectly described both her character and her actions. A few nights ago, I was thrilled by attending a rousing orchestra performance of music by Dvorak and Beethoven -- and equally moved, almost enchanted, by the motions of an audience member sitting near me who responded physically to every phrase of the music. A hired dancer could not have done better!
Ever since I matured as a man and as a professional musician and actor, I have wanted to help take great performances to small towns, and to people who don't experience much living art. AcquaTroupe is helping fulfill this mission. From the start, we have made clear that we will not always play the same venues, the same music, or utilize the same conventions as every other performing ensemble. Over the next couple of years, we are making at least one truly unique artistic event happen in each and every US state and every European country.
Nothing is more gratifying than to meet a person who is passionate about the arts, who has something to express, but who has never done much with it prior to meeting AcquaTroupe. Once when casting a film, I received an email from a middle-aged man with little or no experience. He wrote, 'I am just a guy from Iowa who really wants to be in a movie'. The simplicity and hunger in his statement has never left me.
I have seen hundreds of fellow artists who basically gave up on their dreams, or who settled for a watered down version of what they were probably capable of accomplishing. Mostly this happens because of competition. When we have to battle a hundred other people in town who have the same dream or thirst for the same job, we usually go home empty-handed. Some years ago I began to realize that if the arts could remove some of the competitive angst and cutthroat hiring practices, we could help a lot more people move ahead. I have always believed that cooperation is better than trying to outdo someone else, in almost any pursuit. AcquaTroupe proudly fosters any means we can find to join artists together, and to create more opportunities for all.
Being a composer is like being a writer or painter or poet. These are occupations done mostly in solitude, even isolation. Typically they are among the most underpaid jobs on earth. They demand concentration, patience, persistence, imagination, hard work and sacrifice. Creative, non-performing artists are frequently underappreciated or even ignored by the world at large.
As a composer, I have great empathy for anyone who devotes life to creating music. When groups like AcquaTroupe bring the composer's saga to life for audiences, everyone benefits immeasurably. So we are placing music by living composers at the top of our list of priorities for this year and next. We are already hearing from composers around the world who can scarcely believe we are willing to do this. Our revolving membership and inclusion of guest artists provides opportunities for performers as well as composers. We are boldly creative, spontaneous and innovative; we want our audiences and our performing spaces to become part of the event. Audiences love this openness and direct connection. We all go home fulfilled, with something special to remember.
---James Gibson
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