Chapter Twenty - Living the Dream
When Daniel and I had our first meeting, we talked about finding a theatre double the size of Zipper Hall, which seats 416. He had done a concert there with Heewon, where a slew of Colburn kids get the chance to play a movement of a concerto with full orchestra. He proposed that I bring in half the house and the Dream Orchestra would bring in the other half. That number was factored into the budget with the remaining dollars to be covered by sponsorship.
The behind the scenes stuff is what makes this interesting, but after writing pages and pages, I deleted most of it, and I will bore you with a very short chapter to just touch on some of the highlights. Because the point here is to inspire creativity.
Although this was a rocky road, this might be the biggest lesson in getting up off the mat and enjoying the process and what you created.
I screwed up in sponsorship. I believed the existing Dream Orchestra patrons would bring in half the house. I raised the target number for additional funds. And because I had so many other things to do like practicing and composing, I stopped raising money. The problem became when the largest sponsor pulled out at the last minute, and Dream was unable to deliver on their half of the audience.
My family came through and bailed me out, loaning me money.
After hearing a couple earlier concerts of the Dream Orchestra, it was determined by Daniel that most of the musicians needed to be replaced. I agreed. They sounded like a junior high school band, and I could not in good conscience go ask sponsors for money. Daniel hired a new contractor who successfully replaced all but seven of the musicians with studio pros, but also created her own set of drama.
At midnight three nights before the performance, the contractor threatened to pull the orchestra. This also happened two days before and the night of dress
rehearsal. She herself also decided to quit the day of performance because she had some spat with Daniel who rightly wasn’t responding well to the turmoil she was stirring up. I had to talk her into showing up as she was both managing the orchestra and serving as parts librarian. During dress rehearsal, she felt she was slighted by one of the musicians she hired and was in tears in my dressing room during intermission. I had to spend my break consoling her. (Probably why I ran late for the second half.)
Daniel and I are professional performers. I got up on the morning of the concert and just promised myself to have a good day. The show itself went off extremely well, and no one had a clue of any of the issues. So just get up and enjoy the journey. Live the stress and the downs, because finding ways to overcome are what make you a creative success.
The truth is, of course, I would absolutely work with Daniel again, despite his promised inability to fill half the house. Financially and organizationally, we would handle things differently. But it goes without saying that musically speaking, he is great to perform with.
There were also some stellar people working to make this concert a success as well. Because no productions happen by yourself.
When you do a show at the Aratani Theatre in Little Tokyo, theatre manager Carol Onaga is like no other. Most facility people are only looking out for the venue. Carol functioned as a producer, protecting the interests of the orchestra and the show as best she could while still representing the theatre.
She accommodated every request left and right and did everything from beginning to end to make sure the Aratani was the best venue we could have rented. That lifted a lot of the load. I will always be grateful to Carol and the JACCC and will work with her again in a heartbeat.
(Side funny note: In July 2024, I think I interviewed for her job. They were on two or three people since she had gone, as no one can replace her.)
Dave Tolley at dbt Creative handled video. I walked around with him dazed during a break at dress rehearsal. He was telling me about the multiple camera positions and where he was placing GoPro’s. All I can remember is asking him if he wanted to go to Starbucks. (We did.) Despite my not paying attention, he got amazing shots and did a stellar job editing.
For once, I have a professional recording of one of my concerts. Whenever you need video production services, Dave Tolley is the guy. So much so that he has joined the Inception Board for a term.
The Sister and her neighbor, Andrea, manned the will call desk. The Mom and The Dad folded all the programs and hung out with Kai before the concert.
Honestly, though, this performance does not happen without my family... often unsung heroes when I tell the story aloud. In the end, it is your family who financially and emotionally allows you to create, even if they challenge you. And it is your family you are most proud to be successful in front of.
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