Carnegie Carnegie: Online with the Savoyards
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The Pittsburgh Savoyards spent months preparing a beautiful production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Mikado.” Alas, opening and closing night on March 13 were one and the same. This happens on occasion in theater when the production is a total flop. That was not the case with this fabulous Music Hall performance. The deputy secretary for libraries from the state Department of Education ordered the closure of all Pennsylvania libraries, abruptly ending “The Mikado’s” run and postponing all of our upcoming performances and events.
The imaginative and dedicated company members of the Pittsburgh Savoyards were quick to find a solution — they made a recording of their delightful production available to audiences online.
That sort of ingenuity has been a source of inspiration for me in these trying times. A big part of my job is bringing audiences together with artists, which is challenging, to say the least, while the Music Hall and studio are dark. But individual artists and arts organizations are keeping the world turning by making their work available to enjoy online.
The Boilermaker Jazz Band — featured in our 2019 benefit concert, Carnegie Swings! — performed a fabulous, live, virtual concert from the bandleader’s own living room that viewers can still enjoy online. I highly recommend you tune in and dance like no one is watching.
The Pittsburgh Irish Festival is streaming live mini-concerts throughout April, which will surely get you in the mood for a great concert we’ve got planned in the Music Hall later this year. As you find yourself catching up on your Netflix queue in solitude, I urge you to keep our local artists in mind to stay connected and lift your spirits. You can find a list of local and national performance arts available to enjoy online on our website’s Upcoming Events page at www.CarnegieCarnegie.org.
We’re all working to adjust to our extended, but temporary, new normal. Imagine starting a new job amid rampant uncertainty. Our new library director, my colleague, Walker Evans did just that. He joined us on March 16 after we were closed to the public. We’d managed to have one staff meeting — at the recommended six-foot distance from one another — before the stay-at-home order began. It wasn’t difficult for seven employees to spread out in our 35,000-square-foot facility.
Now, outside of the Library & Music Hall’s walls, it’s a bit more challenging to stay connected. But email and Zoom meetings have helped us to work together and become acquainted with Walker, who led us in adapting to provide our community with remote services. You can find a welcome video message from Walker on our website as well as all of the ways we’re still here to help you.
A library staff member is available from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday to answer your reference questions by chat on our website or by phone. We also have a host of ways to access free movies, books and music online, and virtual story time with Miss JoLynne live, three times each week.
We look forward to welcoming you back to the Library & Music Hall. In the meantime, we’re here to help keep you informed, entertained and engaged. Be well!
For more information please visit CarnegieCarnegie.org or call 412-506-3131.
Melanie Paglia is the Carnegie Music Hall director.