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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsFerguson flash mob interrupts St. Louis Symphony with Requiem for Michael Brown
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/10/watch-ferguson-flash-mob-interrupts-st-louis-symphony-with-requiem-for-michael-brown/
Suich
(10,642 posts)Hard to tell what the audience thought. Quite a few seemed to support it but the woman in the black strapless dress didn't seem very happy.
JimDandy
(7,318 posts)as reported on the symphony's blog:
STL Symphony Blog
Posted on October 6, 2014 by Eddie Silva
A Human Requiem
...You no doubt have heard of the protest at Powell Hall Saturday night, just before Markus Stenz turned to give the downbeat to the orchestra and chorus to begin Ein deutsches Requiem. You no doubt have your own thoughts and feelings about it.
Among the orchestra and staff of the St. Louis Symphony the thoughts and feelings are as diverse as can be found anywhere outside of Powell Hall. In response to the protest, some were inspired, some were afraid, some were appalled, some were angry, some were puzzled.
Some members of the audience booed, some applauded. Some members of the orchestra and chorus applauded. Others did not.
Ive seen the word surreal used more than once on individual musician and chorus member Facebook accounts. And for some, there remain unresolved, conflicting thoughts. One chorus member wrote: As for me, I added Michael Brown and his family to my private list of those for whom I was singing the great German Requiem.
Behold, I show you a mystery:/ we shall not all sleep,/ but we shall all be changed
.
http://www.stlsymphony.org/blog/index.php/2014/10/a-human-requiem/
BrotherIvan
(9,126 posts)Thank you so much. Brought tears to my eyes.
billhicks76
(5,082 posts)Everywhere and Every Day.
BrotherIvan
(9,126 posts)I can't sing, but I can stand in the background and play the tambourine or cow bell
But seriously, it's a great way to protest. Because cops cracking heads of people singing is not good optics. And it forced even the snooty people in the audience to listen and be shamed. I was very happy to see applause from the stage. It's too important to let Mike Brown's murder disappear.
cali
(114,904 posts)Brigid
(17,621 posts)Well-behaved people seldom make history.
JimDandy
(7,318 posts)during some down time at an upscale event.
All 50 protesters who sang their Requiem for Mike Brown bought pricey tickets ($55-$150 each) to the symphony to point out that "Racism Lives Here". I applaud them for, in one-fell swoop: honoring Mike Brown; effectively raising awareness of racial injustice in a venue frequented by the upper crust in St Louis; and financially supporting the arts and symphony members.
duhneece
(4,093 posts)Somehow, somewhere. I love that these folks bought tickets for the symphony, organized. I love these folks and all who participated by clapping whether musicians or other (non 'organized') audience members. Sigh, smiling.
surrealAmerican
(11,332 posts)It looks to me like a well organized (and effective) protest.
Skidmore
(37,364 posts)surrealAmerican
(11,332 posts)I had thought it was a group who had only "met" on the Internet. This group obviously got together in person to make signs at least.
gollygee
(22,336 posts)the people who are part of the flash mob can be completely rehearsed in person over and over again - and usually are if they're going to put on a good performance. The only defining characteristics are that the people they're performing for can't be prepared and know it's coming, and it has to be done in public (which is part of the first I guess since the whole point of being in public is catching their audience unaware.)
wheniwasincongress
(1,307 posts)And are the people clapping in support of the flash mob and their message?
freshwest
(53,661 posts)druidity33
(6,428 posts)it sounded like the person filming.
JimDandy
(7,318 posts)It's a male voice very close to her that is singing '(Mike Brown) is a thug'. A bit later in the video, the videographer captures the face of a male attendee with a creepy smile who is sitting next to her. She asks him something pointed and he doesn't answer. That's probably the man who made the idiotic remark.
strawberries
(498 posts)when the folks were leaving.
kelliekat44
(7,759 posts)blood. "Thugs" are people too...but some thugs are more favored than others (militias, some bikers, etc.) I still watch in my super market as kids from the high school next door flood the place at lunchtime and proceed to pilfer and steal as much as they can put in their pockets and no one bats an eye (mostly white, mostly upper class families live in my area...the few minorities around are watched with frowns and suspected of every wrong doing. I watched two black teens enter the store and immediately picked up the produce manager as an eye on as the white kids just pocketed chips, cookies, and gum and no one even glanced except me. I told the store manager on the way out what I saw and he said thanks, "I'll pay more attention at lunch time." That was it..
Nothing surprises me any more. A young black teen gets killed carrying a pack of skittles and the children of the elite get away with murder...or at least stealing.
Liberal_in_LA
(44,397 posts)malaise
(267,464 posts)is freaking delish!!
Most excellent! Rec
wheniwasincongress
(1,307 posts)malaise
(267,464 posts)That was the best of the lot - Ms totally disconnected from reality must be saying "How dare you!"
pangaia
(24,324 posts)freshwest
(53,661 posts)freshwest
(53,661 posts)rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)barbtries
(28,689 posts)did you see the horrified look on that one woman's face? HA
JaneyVee
(19,877 posts)One of my fav pro union songs.
theHandpuppet
(19,964 posts)... some on DU have called ignorant, toothless fucks.
That's what a protest should be.
Fantastic.
pnwmom
(108,915 posts)hopemountain
(3,919 posts)good grief, lady in the black strapless dress - just think if it were her loved one lying dead on the street for 41/2 hours after being unjustly shot by a policeman...what type of expression would she have under those circumstances?
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)was priceless.
And the cowardice of the man next to her who made some comment but refused to say it again when the camera was on him.
Bravo to the flash mob people.
pangaia
(24,324 posts):>
WillyT
(72,631 posts)marions ghost
(19,841 posts)freshwest
(53,661 posts)sheshe2
(83,138 posts)freshwest
(53,661 posts)brooklynite
(93,629 posts)I support Freedom of Speech, except when it intrudes on someone else's. I see no legitimate goal in interrupting an unrelated cultural event, other than the unsupported allegation that "the 1%" in some way support the actions of the Ferguson Police Dept.
nolabear
(41,902 posts)They'll all talk about it for years.
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)If the orchestra had joined in!
panader0
(25,816 posts)LawDeeDah
(1,596 posts)Darn.
JimDandy
(7,318 posts)according to the symphony's VP, Adam Crane. He stated that the protest occurred during the intermission and that all fifty protesters paid for tickets.
I don't have the disposable income for symphony tickets, so I appreciate all of those protesters that could afford to "put their money where their mouth is". The total ticket purchase for 50 tickets for a Saturday night performance was somewhere between $2750 ($55 cheapest seats) and $7,000 ($150 seats). The protest had the nice side affect of financially supporting the orchestra members too!
hifiguy
(33,688 posts)then the Emily Litella rule applies - "never mind."
JimDandy
(7,318 posts)as in 'this is not worthy of attention, even if it is during intermission' or 'no one should mind such a worthy effort, especially since it's during intermission? What are you trying to say?
Do you disapprove of their protest?
hifiguy
(33,688 posts)anything to beef about. The issue is a very important one, and IMO the entire Ferguson PD should be disbanded, but there's a time and a place for everything. I love going to the symphony but can't afford it all that often. I would be mightily cheesed off at something like this interrupting a concert I paid a significant amount of money to see despite my agreement with the cause.
Number23
(24,544 posts)Wow.
brooklynite
(93,629 posts)Protestors could have interrupted a St. Louis Cardinal's game, the Missouri State Legislature or any number of other events. Explain the relevance.
Number23
(24,544 posts)And why in your opinion is a baseball game seemingly more fitting for a protest against racism than a symphony performance?
theHandpuppet
(19,964 posts)Tickets for that symphony are probably a lot cheaper than tickets to a rock concert and the performers make a helluva lot less. But let's not burst any preconceived notions around here.
hifiguy
(33,688 posts)I was at a press event a couple of weeks ago and part of the package was a trip to see the Dallas Symphony, which was wonderful. The ticket said $95.00. And the musicians in any decent full-time orchestra make high-five to lower-six figures.
Such a protest would actually be more effective at a baseball or football game. Bigger crowds, more exposure.
theHandpuppet
(19,964 posts)Tickets to see the Rams, about 100 bucks and up. Guess which one I'd rather see.
R.Quinn
(122 posts)I'm a diehard Rams fan and have been to many games, including primetime Rams games, such last year's Thursday night game against the 49ers ($45) and Monday night game against the Seahawks ($14). I'm about to purchase tickets for next week's Monday night game against the 49ers, which start at $9 on StubHub as of this post.
If you are paying anywhere near $100 for a ticket to a Rams regular season home game, either:
1) The Chicago Bears are in town (they aren't)
2) You are well-off and can afford great seats
3) You have been ripped-off beyond belief
Just sayin'.
JimDandy
(7,318 posts)2 weeks ago and were escorted out in handcuffs for hanging banners there protesting Brown's senseless death.
The relevance is the word "cultural". Micheal Brown's death and the unfair targeting of blacks by police is a cultural problem in the St Louis area and other places in the US. Venues hosting large cultural events, whether baseball, music, or political, are all appropriate places to focus on cultural injustices.
jen63
(813 posts)who don't give a rat's ass about Michael Brown and all of those gunned down by our militarized police force. They are under the the mistaken illusion that we are living in a post racial society. I say bring on more protests where these entitled people go to hide from the real world.
theHandpuppet
(19,964 posts)I'll leave it at that.
warrant46
(2,205 posts)It's like having a commercial for the Koch bros shouted between the acts of a play.
We are there to hear the music and besides that who is next to push their agenda the Anti Abortion crowd with their fetuses in jars etc.
Arugula Latte
(50,566 posts)I don't think you can categorize them all that way.
theHandpuppet
(19,964 posts)Only 1%ers ever go to the symphony or enjoy classical music.
hifiguy
(33,688 posts)ChisolmTrailDem
(9,463 posts)Wow.
You just do not get it. Which is disappointing.
RandiFan1290
(6,204 posts)I couldn't be happier that this got your GOAT!
Pissing off all the right people!!!
brush
(53,333 posts)Sure you're in the right place?
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)should apologize for intruding on this cultural event.
Wait! Doesn't all political speech interrupt someone's peace and calm?
Puglover
(16,380 posts)supports the action of the Ferguson Police Dept. Whether you mean to or not.
So I assume you support "protest zones" so those nasty protesters don't ruin someone's beautiful experience?
calimary
(80,522 posts)And it was orderly, well-behaved - and rather elegant. I also like that it happened in an unexpected place - one as buttoned-down as an event like this. I would hope to see these random demonstrations popping up all over the place, in all kinds of circumstances. Some people need to be reminded. Repetition dontchaknow. Especially if they don't otherwise live it every day or have any taste of it in their own lives.
It always pleases me when I see demonstrations of multiculturalism. When I see white faces popping up in the marches against racism (where you'd expect to see mostly black faces). Where you see other races joining in to protest an injustice done to one race. I like seeing that. It gives me hope.
noiretextatique
(27,275 posts)truth2power
(8,219 posts)I would have been wondering why I didn't think of it.
Good on them!!
riverwalker
(8,694 posts)treestar
(82,383 posts)Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)It certainly looked as though several of the protestors were practically bursting with smug self-importance, but are such antics really likely to win people over to the cause?
CatWoman
(79,267 posts)but reading your response, i couldn't help imagining your words via Lindsey Graham's voice.
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)What you are experiencing is voices in your head.
http://m.psychologytoday.com/articles/200701/in-your-head-hearing-voices
whereisjustice
(2,941 posts)in the streets while protesters arrested and placed under martial law. Civil disobedience, we need it more than ever before.
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)because the lunch counters were discriminating against blacks.
But did MLK ever do stuff like randomly disrupt concerts or symphonies?
whereisjustice
(2,941 posts)I'm betting the symphony was disrupted. What do you think?
FourScore
(9,704 posts)with most of the members of the symphony applauding as well.
The only thing I found sad was the fact that the auditorium had so many empty seats. Maybe some press like this will help boost sales.
whereisjustice
(2,941 posts)and they are not appealing to the working class. The opera productions are getting more and more lavish to attract big donors pricing out anyone but the elite. It's a tragedy but mirrors the standard trajectory of our widening disparity between rich and poor.
It also bothers many musicians that the classical arts are becoming inaccessible to all but the richest among us.
Coventina
(26,808 posts)which is WAYYYYY less than the average rock concert ticket.
I am working class, and I have season subscriptions to both.
Are you suggesting that working class people can't appreciate the symphony or opera?
theHandpuppet
(19,964 posts)One might assume from some of the comments that only 1%ers enjoy the symphony or opera. It costs more to go to a ballgame than to the symphony, not to mention other types of music concerts.
Don't worry about some of the stereotyping going on around here, my wife and I both love classical music and opera.
As for the folks in attendance, I found it odd that of the hundreds in the audience, when the protest started the camera managed to be focused solely upon the one woman who acted like a fool. What a coincidence! It seems that not only did the rest of the folks sit quietly during the protest, some actually applauded as did some in the orchestra. I must have missed the part where the alternate audience came in dressed in evening gowns and pearls.
tammywammy
(26,582 posts)That only the 1%ers and upper crust go to the symphony. I grew up middle class and played the cello for 8 years. My parents also took me to the ballet and symphony multiple times a year, because they knew I liked it. We were neither 1%ers or upper crust.
I still like the symphony and you can get tickets cheap. I'm still not a 1%er.
whereisjustice
(2,941 posts)and that performance has to be on a weekend. Music is something that should be shared and it is difficult to manage $80 3/4 times a year.
Our $20 seats are far right/left upper balcony behind obstructions.
For a mid-market show, reasonable seats generally start at $50 and go to $100+.
I'm sorry, but it is a fact that the classical arts are hemorrhaging audiences. Few can afford subscriptions (I did not renew mine local arts subscription this year due price hikes).
Ballet is yet another problem with pricing.
As far as rock concerts, there too, I am seeing older crowds. It's going to catch up with them as well.
The ticket prices are going up far faster than my wages. Service fees are up to $6.00 a ticket. Free concerts are not enough to sustain a vibrant arts community, it's nice but can only be afforded if there is a sustaining subsidy.
The market is pricing out the middle class and below for these performances. I am middle-class and have seen hundreds of performances.
I understand your frustration, I don't have a answer to the problem, but that doesn't mean the problem doesn't exist. I am also of the opinion that cities should invest in the arts community at proportional level as their sports investments. But when I bring that up, I am shouted down.
Coventina
(26,808 posts)each of the last three years.
Children and students get deeply discounted or even free tickets, they don't pay anywhere near full price.
We also have a special family series on Saturday afternoons specifically for families with small children with very cheap pricing.
Service fees in our market are $2 a ticket - both the symphony & opera.
Or, if you buy a package, it's $10, no matter many tickets you buy.
Again, that's wayyyyyy less than what the average rock show is going to cost you.
I'm sorry to hear that your symphony, opera, and ballet are suffering so badly. All the arts organizations took a big hit with the "great recession." But, ours seem to have recovered well and are back to growing and flourishing again.
It sounds as if there is a disconnect between your arts organizations and your community.
TexasMommaWithAHat
(3,212 posts)by people who can't sing.
The protesters had nice voices and sang during intermission, so it doesn't seem like a big deal, but - oh! - how I can imagine some really horrible singing!
marions ghost
(19,841 posts)This well-organized protest would not have affected my enjoyment of the symphony one bit. In fact I would have been HAPPY to see the spontaneous expression of solidarity--the clapping of many in the audience.
I'd call it the best symphony experience ever. Because it would indicate to me that SOME people are truly alive, actively doing what they can to awaken others--not just passive consumers dozing in their chairs. A lot of people go to the concert just to sleep, y'know.
I would find it incredibly uplifting and enjoy the rest of the symphony even more!
whereisjustice
(2,941 posts)Justice is not for us, it is only for the rich.
Catherine Vincent
(34,485 posts)That woman looked a bit scared didn't she?
catbyte
(34,123 posts)after Katrina. That white woman was so clueless--I'll just bet this is the first time in her obviously sheltered. privileged life that she was confronted with someone else's reality. I hope she opens her eyes, but I fear she will just complain about "the rabble rousers" who got into the symphony. I'm cynical, though. The guy she was with said a smart ass comment to the camera operator that he wouldn't repeat then smiled that creepy smile. I suspect they vote red.
Catherine Vincent
(34,485 posts)I'd be shocked if they didn't. I'll have to go back and listen to the guy next to her.
JimDandy
(7,318 posts)while the protesters were singing. No video of him singing it, but he was the closest male to the camera operator when the audio was captured. Hope the camera operator definitively IDs the idiot at some point.
catbyte
(34,123 posts)Enthusiast
(50,983 posts)Nitram
(22,614 posts)BlancheSplanchnik
(20,219 posts)powerful.... wow.
malthaussen
(17,024 posts)The use of that word in the headlines of the reported stories seems to me designed to create a mild sense of offense in the reader. I've seen a few disgruntled remarks made to these threads which indicate that the poster is offended that the performance was disrupted by the flash mob, which is of course not the case. Interesting how subtly reactions can be influenced by word choices, isn't it?
-- Mal
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)and then started their protest just as the performance was about to restart.
Which does raise the question, why not just do the protest during the intermission?
malthaussen
(17,024 posts)After all the smoking and head visits were done. The video doesn't show the exact timing: had the conductor (who looks pissed to me) already called the orchestra to attention? If so, one could argue it was poor timing, but if not, no problem.
-- Mal
Tatiana
(14,167 posts)I thought this was a very thoughtful and effective way of conducting a protest. If I'm not mistaken, it was done at intermission.
It also sends an important message to the 1%ers -- this issue of sanctioned murder of African-American males must be addressed.
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)then by all means, have sit-ins, do flash mobs, and interrupt concerts. But I don't think this was the case here.
riverwalker
(8,694 posts)was Sarah Griesbach. The world needs more people like her.
http://www.stlamerican.com/news/local_news/article_d3d4e0b0-4c48-11e4-bc55-275aa0a96f33.html
\
It is my duty and desire to try to reach out and raise that awareness peacefully but also to disrupt the blind state of white St. Louis, particularly among the people who are secure in their blindness, Griesbach said.
Two weeks ago, she and another middle-aged woman who wear our mom jeans pulled up way too high held up a sign at a Cardinals game that said, Racism lives here. A pivotal moment for her was when people around them started chanting in response, Hands up, dont loot.
She and her fellow protester Elizabeth Vega decided to try again at the symphony, which received a much warmer response. She believes that is because the audience was fairly diverse in ethnicity and age.
There is an inclusivity that comes with that intellectual culture, she said.
The group of demonstrators was also a mix of African Americans, Latino and white residents from college kids to college professors, she said. There were representatives from Clayton, Webster Groves, South St. Louis, Central West End and Ferguson. Although she lives in the Central West End, her children attend school in Clayton. As a mother, she has been deeply affected by Browns death.
This cannot be just a Ferguson issue, she said.
LawDeeDah
(1,596 posts)Scuba
(53,475 posts)ZombieHorde
(29,047 posts)I loved this video. Thanks for posting.
RobinA
(9,862 posts)and I am not upper crust. Just saying.
That being said, I'm probably one of the few people, I guess on the planet, who hates flash mobs. I find it intrusive, presumptive and manipulative. It's the same as standing up on a table in a restaurant and preaching whatever, which would never fly, but it gets a pass because it's usually something that would be considered entertaining. Then there's the peer pressure to ENJOY IT DAMNIT! or you're a churlish sourpuss who hates everything. Much like this lady at the orchestra who gets chastised because she didn't applaud wildly when her show was disrupted. We WILL interrupt what you were doing with our singing and/or dancing, and you WILL like it or face public ridicule.
Stand back, the herd is coming through.
Scuba
(53,475 posts)... not all of whom are members of the 1%, but all of whom need to be reminded that many of us still care about unjustices in this world.
By the way, I agree the woman in the strapless dress looked appalled, and maybe that was her reaction to her date's hateful comment, but probably not.
Horse with no Name
(33,956 posts)Thanks!
TygrBright
(20,727 posts)Remembering the days I had season tickets to both Symphony and Chamber orchestras in Minnesota, I can tell you *exactly* what would have happened had they done this in Minneapolis or St. Paul:
At about :30-:45 a couple of members of the audience would have stood, in solidarity.
By 2:00 a majority of the audience would have been on their feet.
By 3:00 they'd be trying to sing along.
By 3:30, some of the musicians would be playing along.
And when the flashmob finished, they'd have a standing ovation on their way out the door, from audience and orchestra alike.
Because that's what orchestra audiences in the Twin Cities used to be like, lo those many years ago. I don't know if they still are. But I'd take a flyer on at least some of that happening there even today.
St. Louis orchestra fans just sit there and look around uncomfortably?
Wow.
amazedly,
Bright
marions ghost
(19,841 posts)...some were stunned and paralyzed.
Not everybody lives in a liberal Utopia. Obviously St Louis is not one.
But this IS progress....