© 2018 THE MARKET @ REBUS WORKS + MM DESIGN

Started by Dovid Friedlander, the Associate Concertmaster violinist for the North Carolina Symphony, Classical Hang is an intimate, live performance of small string ensembles, playing classical music in a relaxed, pay-as-you-can setting. The intent is to educate and interest a new audience in learning more about classical music.

With art and music education budgets being cut in our schools, our music history is being lost to new generations. Classical music is becoming something only the middle to upper class socio-economic level can enjoy, with “cheap” tickets to the local symphony starting at $49 per person: not easily affordable for many families in Wake County.

Classical Hang wants to bring classical music to an audience that would not be able to afford a concert series of this nature. The performances are held in a gallery coffee shop, Rebus Works, and patrons pay what they can and are encouraged to bring their families. There is an added attraction to our concerts, because our audience is able to sit close to the musicians to watch them perform and are able to talk with them one-on-one after the performance. This type of performance takes the stuffiness out of classical music and makes it financially as well as physically accessible.

Plus, this relaxed atmosphere contributes to more of a story-telling set up, allowing musicians the opportunity to explain the history surrounding the works presented, along with creating a portrait of the composers life and background, bringing a more grounded and accessible entry into the classical music world.

We need financial help developing our series. Last year, we depended solely upon public donations during the events to cover our costs and this has left us falling short. In order to keep our pay as you can prices, we need to cover our overhead, which includes chair rental, a nominal fee to each musician, space rental, and advertising.

Last year we presented three concerts and had an enthusiastic response to our programming. Based on audience feedback, we would like to expand our programming to include four concerts in 2018. With your help, we would also like to enrich the type of musical programming we do by adding a visual component to our concert series.

Because our concert series is held in a gallery space, we would like to coordinate four separate art shows with our four concerts. What we propose to do is pair the music we present with the work of four different Wake County artists. The concert setting would also provide the artists a chance to speak to the audience along with Dovid Friendlander, and talk about how their work reflects the music being played.

In order to expand our series to four concerts and to also include art shows in our presentations, we would need to have a certain amount of dependable money, including enough money to pay musicians as well as artists and properly advertise each event.

The audience we want to reach with our music is the same audience who might not have ever been to museum or modern gallery.  What an incredible experience it would be for young and old alike to meet and talk with professional musicians as well as artists.

Through the work of Classical Hang, we are bringing music back to the masses, rather than to one specific socio-economic class. And, with our expanded programming that would include artists, we are providing a rare culturally enriching event for those who might not be able to afford it otherwise.

In addition, after last year’s response to our programming, we can see that the Classical Hang series is more than an hour of good music, it is a way to create a sense of community, a place where everyone feels comfortable with classical music and contemporary art regardless of age or income.

Classical Hang has already proven it can make a positive social impact on our neighborhood and Raleigh.

With your financial support, anyone in the community can attend, not just those who can afford the ticket.

ART + MUSIC

THE ARTWORK OF CLASSICAL HANG

For our January series, Abie Harris will be painting live to the music.

Plus, we'll have a photography exhibit by Michael Zirkle.