Listening Practice

Technology has made listening to music so convenient that we take it for granted. Once if you wanted to hear your favorite tune, you had to seek out a musician willing to perform it for you; now, our favorite songs are embedded in our phones. But hearing music is not the same as listening to it. To sit and do nothing but listen to a song as its played is to bear witness to a singular act of alchemy: Notes someone heard in their head and transposed on paper, and then transmuted to audible thought and feeling by the fingers/lungs/talent of a musician. To listen actively to music as it plays is to be engaged in the process first begun by the composer in solitude. Chamber Project Saint Louis invites you to become part of the process at its Very Open Rehearsal at 7:30 p.m. tonight at the Tavern of Fine Arts (313 Belt Avenue; www.chamberprojectstl.org). Jennifer Gartley (flute) and Vince Varvel (guitar) will work their way through The History of the Tango by Piazzolla, and then answer questions. They'll also ask questions, work on the piece some more and explain what it is they're listening for while they're playing. It's a fantastic opportunity to see -- and listen to -- artists tending to their craft. Admission is free.
Thu., Jan. 10, 2013