EMILY HSUEH
LUSKVILLE Nov. 21, 2020
Live concerts have nearly disappeared this year amid tight COVID restrictions, but one organization in Luskville is making sure the music stays alive not only in the Pontiac, but globally as well.
Pontiac Enchanté has been hosting free, live virtual concerts since September, and will be hosting two more this upcoming weekend, Nov. 21 – 22. These will feature Pontiac Enchanté co-founder Carson Becke on piano playing alongside cellist Paul Marleyn, a professor of cello at the University of Ottawa.
The concerts will focus on . . .
British music from composers Ralph Vaughan Williams, Frank Bridge and Benjamin Britten, who Becke notes are “three of the more important British composers of the late 19th and 20th centuries.” He also added that the British theme of the concert was important to him and Marleyn.
“Paul is British, he grew up in Britain and went to school there and was the principal cellist of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic for a time over there. I studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Paul was also a student at the Royal Academy, but a generation before me. We thought because of our joint British heritage we would play a concert that is all British music.”
The concerts will be streamed live from their venue at Venturing Hills Farm on the Pontiac Enchanté website on Saturday, Nov. 21 at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 22 at 2:00 p.m. which can be found at www.pontiacenchante.ca/virtual-concert-hall.
Becke and his brother Tait, who also co-founded the series, worked together to present it virtually. Tait’s knowledge of computers helped them build one optimized for streaming, and they now boast a four-camera setup, a video switcher, and the help of an audio engineer.
While the concerts are usually ticketed events, the virtual performances are free for all to enjoy, with donations being accepted.
“We’ve been amazed at how well the donations have gone, people have actually given more money in donation than they would for the average price of a ticket,” Becke said. “So it’s been really nice to know that people are interested and supportive, and it gives us an incentive to keep developing this system and keep making the product better and better.”
As an added feature, the Becke brothers interviewed people who have insight into the music that is being played, including an interview with cellist David Strange who was a close friend of composer Benjamin Britten. It will be played during the intermission.
“Because at a normal concert you would have an intermission between the two halves of the program, I think people need that kind of break because it’s a lot to sit there and listen for 90 minutes, especially if there’s no other social features,” Becke said. “It just kind of adds a layer of personal connection to the music that you’re listening to.”
Their venue usually holds 115 people, but with the new virtual format they have been able to perform for more viewers than normal. And that hasn’t been just for Pontiac residents; because geographic restrictions are no longer an issue, Becke stated that many viewers tuned in from Great Britain and Germany to listen to catch the music.
“It’s kind of funny to feel like you’re pulling in viewers from around the world into Luskville. That’s something that we definitely were not doing before,” he said with a laugh.
More information on the concert can be found here: www.pontiacenchante.ca/britishcello22noveng
