Lansing Symphony: Up-Close, Personal and Online

 

How can a symphony orchestra survive if there are no audiences to listen to their concerts?

Lansing Symphony Orchestra conductor and music director Timothy Muffitt has given much thought to pondering an answer to that difficult question.

The most obvious answer is digital video.  A quick scan of You Tube and you will find hundreds of orchestras trying various ways of keeping classical performances alive and their subscribers happy.

Muffitt says, “I’ve spent a lot of time viewing videos of orchestras giving performances with empty concert halls.  That didn’t seem right to me. I kept on thinking; how can we turn liabilities into assets?”

Lansing's Queen of Theater, Dead

 

On January 30^th, Lansing lost its queen of local theater. Carmen Decker died at age 97 after years of lingering bad health.

She was only 5 foot tall, painfully shy and had a high raspy voice, but when the petite blonde stepped on the stage she became a powerhouse of the theater.

Carmen Decker was hailed by both her peers and her fans as the first lady of Lansing theater.

Whether she played in a classic drama like “The Lion in Winter”, an emotional human story like “The Gin Game” or a raucous comedy like “Sister Mary Ignatius Explains it All For You”, Decker won over the audience with applause and awards.

All of us who have loved Lansing theater over the decades have reveled in Carmen’s heartfelt and brilliant performances.  Beginning with the Lansing Civic Players in the 1950s, she later became a key member of the Boarshead Theater and delighted audiences with dozens of plays that paired her with John Peakes, the theater’s founder. 

The chemistry they displayed on stage was a rare and beautiful thing to behold.