Gimmick* or Good?

A concert with pieces that all have the word “Blue” in their title (true event)

Gimmick*

The strings in the third movement of the Symphony N. 3 only play pizzicato

Good

Celebrating the birthday of the first composer to use “iana” in the title of a composition, like Rossiniana and Schubertiana (true event)

Gimmick*

Harpsichord player Bridgette Engelhard playing with the damper on, creating a dry plucked and lovely flat sound in the final repeat of the main theme in the last movement of Couperin’s Royal Concert No. 4

Good (really good, actually)

“Two for Tuesdays” a Pop music tradition, where the same artist is featured back to back in succession (Happens every Tuesday)

Gimmick*

Trumpet player Brandon, Ridenour playing the flugelhorn instead of the piccolo trumpet in Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2

Good

Beethoven, Brats and Brews at the Symphony and Singles Night at the Symphony (true event)

Gimmick*

Pay what you can afford concerts

Good

New Coke

Gimmick*

DripKit Coffee

Good (Very good, actually) (See below)

Honoring composers during their birth years on the radio or on an orchestra’s concert season.

Gimmick*

If you want to take the birthday road, go deep:

Here’s something about Johann Strauss II’s most famous piece of music…

Strauss II was commissioned to compose the piece that would become the Blue Danube in 1865, but war with Prussia postponed things. Thus Johann wrote the piece post-war when Vienna was bankrupt and defeated. He took the opportunity to lighten things up a bit with this frothy waltz inspired by a poem of Karl Isidor Beck called…”Beautiful Blue Danube,” incorporating Beck’s text.

The Blue Danube was a total flop when first performed in 1867. The audience hated the lyrics. Never one to give in to defeat, later that year at the Paris International Exposition, Johann performed it as an instrumental piece and it became a smash hit.

Good

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*Gimmicks lack originality and creativity, and gimmicks make for lazy programming.

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Take a few more moments when you program concerts or your on-air shifts on the radio.

Your audience deserves much better.

This is what $120,000 looks like.

The DripKit Revolution