Think a bar is a pretty casual venue for a classical music performance? Well, how about this for a concert venue: your living room. The London-based company Sofar Sounds exists to present artists of all music genres - from indie to opera - in pop-up concerts in people's homes, in what The Guardian has reported to be a trend on the London music scene. Those wishing to attend a "secret concert" can ask to be put on the guest list. Those wishing to host an artist can offer up their homes as concert venues to emerging artists whose fees are still affordable to members of smaller audiences.  And as for the artists themselves, a string quartet might perform sitting around your dinging table, or a rising opera star might sing arias with her accompanist at your piano. Speaking personally, I rather like the idea of classical music pop-up concerts. We've seen an ongoing desire for classical music concerts at traditional venues to loosen up and go just a wee bit casual - musicians dressing slightly less formally now and then, audience members enjoying drinks during performances and post-concert meet-ups with the artists. And we've seen classical music performances move into bars, dance clubs and other venues beyond the concert hall, all in the name of putting live classical music in places where people can hear it easily and comfortably. In an age that seeks community everywhere, this trend makes sense: people want to experience not just glorious and inspiring music at a live concert; they want to have a warm experience with a community of listeners. But community is a tricky business. If a community is too small, it becomes insular and loses is broader relevance to individuals and to society. If it's too large, it ceases to be a community and reverts to a crowd.
How better to foster an experience among a community of classical music concertgoers than through private pop-up concerts in the intimate setting of someone's home and for a micro-audience of, say, 75 people?
So, central Ohio, what do you think? Would you hold a classical music pop-up concert in your home? Or would you go to one at someone else's place? Read more:Â Secret Gigs Place the Next Big Thing Right into Your Front Room (Guardian)
