John Tenezaca
ENG 1101
Project 4
Take Me to the East River: Bargemusic
Down by the East River, next to the Brooklyn Bridge, lies the home of Brooklyn’s very own chamber music venue: Bargemusic. Brooklyn has known to be the home of bands of more modern music and some of the common genres you would find in a warehouse studio would be indie, pop, electronica and maybe rock. But have you ever heard a group of musicians play pieces from Bach, Mozart, Hayden or Beethoven? Chances are you have but most probably in some giant hall like Carnegie Hall or Lincoln Center. What makes Bargemusic quite unique from all the rest, is that this venue floats on the water. The whole idea seemed a bit peculiar but founder Olga Bloom thought otherwise. Although the initial start was quite a task, Bargemusic is now known as a culture icon of Brooklyn.
According to an article in the New York Times published in 1999, Ms. Bloomed stated herself that starting Bargemusic was a “formidable undertaking”. She was an amateur violinist who would offer violin classes. She soon realized that her violin career was not going to take off so she decided to work on an idea that would give back to her community. Eventually the idea of a “floating concert hall” came to mind. She had own two barges before settling down with the current one. The definition of barge,according to Merriam-Webster, is “a roomy usually flat-bottomed boat used chiefly for the transport of goods on inland waterways and usually propelled by towing”. The first one was massive but later learned that it was uninsurable because it was made out of wood. This meant that holding concerts in it was prohibited. She had purchased the second barge back in the early 1970s for $10,000 and unlike the first one, this one had a steel hull. From an interview done by WNYC in 2009, she states that when she first saw this barge, she knew it had perfect acoustics on the inside. Now, the sound quality really depends on the acoustics of the environment. Wood is known to carry sound much better than steel. Knowing this, Ms. Bloom started renovating the inside of this barge with cherry wood she found from a discarded ferry nearby. With the help of her family, she was able to fully refurbish the barge and turn it from an old dingy barge to a well-crafted musical environment. In a WQXR blog post, published in 2011, Olga Bloom also recounted the early days of Bargemusic. She first had put on shows with very little budget and most of the performers were students from music conservatories. She would raise money by renting out the barge for weddings and other parties of that matter through private donation. As the budget grew, she was able to put on shows with more professional musicians. In time, Bargemusic began gaining attention and soon became a popular venue to enjoy classical music.
Anthony Tommasini from the New York Times stated that Bargemusic is “place where music lovers can experience the intimacy of chamber music as it was in the days of Mozart and Mendelssohn and as it should still be today”. According to Roger Kamien’s Music: An Appreciation, “Chamber music is classical music designed for the intimate setting of a room, rather than for a public concert hall” (176). Bargemusic offers concerts year-round that ranges from jazz quartets to string quartets. The programs are usually a mix of different composers from the ages and they include but are not limited to Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Hayden, Vivaldi and more. Ms. Bloom’s mission was to “to create at least one small place where people can come together, audiences and musicians, and realize that they have shared values” (New York Times, 1999). She believes that in this day and age music is losing its luster. The modern day technology is making music more profitable than enjoyable. Thus, people don’t appreciate the hard word that goes it genuinely crafted music. Mark Peskanov, who is the president and artistic director of Bargemusic, recalls the warm hospitality that he got from Olga Bloom when he first preformed there. According to Peskanov, in a 2010 interview on BlogCritics.com, Ms. Bloom welcomed him with her unique and charismatic personality. “It was an intimate arrangement; people were sitting close to the performers. One could feel the dedication to the music in the space, and that gave it a special atmosphere” (BlogCritics.com, 2009). Since then, Mr. Peskanov and Ms. Bloom have grown to appreciate each other’s passions and later, Ms. Bloom appointed him Mr. Peskanov as president and artistic director of Bargemusic. Peskanov works closely with in the artists that perform there and stated in the interview: “Our artists are of a certain level, and we do want to make them happy. It is the personal approach that is really special. I work closely with the artists, and often perform together with them.”( BlogCritics.com, 2009). Because of the great hospitality the performers receive at Bargemusic, many of them are proud to play again and this how Bargemusic spread and became a mecca of chamber music.
Bargemusic’s past may have seemed doubtful but now it’s become a prosperous concert venue. From Olga Blooms challenges on renovating an old steel barge and owning one of today’s most popular attraction for chamber music, these two stories have certain similarities and differences. In the first account, it was only Ms. Bloom’s goal and mindset to build a floating concert hall. That idea seemed too farfetched this there already were famous concert halls in the city. It was her passion for music that drove her to pursue her dream of building Bargemusic. It was only Ms. Bloom who thought of such an idea. There was no one else who seemed to share her dream. Later on, once Bargemusic started operating, people took interest in her work. Now, Mark Peskanov shares her passion for Bargemusic as she once did before. Ms. Bloom had to build Bargemusic by herself but now she has a whole team that works with her to expand notion of Bargemusic. Mr. Peskanov and the rest of his team are carrying the torch that Ms. Bloom lit with her passion.
Olga Bloom passed away at the age of 92 back on Thanksgiving Day of 2011. Her legacy and spirit stayed in Bargemusic and it still continues to attract more listeners every week. She was an innovator and giver. She wanted to give back to music because she felt it was the only right thing to do. Bargemusic receives most of its donation from very generous people and some philanthropist. It goes to show that being passionate about your dreams could end up having great a great influences on others.
Works Cited
“Barge.” Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/barge>.
Garland, Anne. “About Bargemusic.” Bargemusic. Bargemusic, n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. <http://www.bargemusic.org/about.html>.
Kamien, Roger. “The Classical Period.” Music: An Appreciation. 5th brief ed., student ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2006. 176. Print.
Oltuski, Ilona. “Meeting Mark Peskanov of Bargemusic.” Blogcritics. Blog Critics, 11 Oct. 2010. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. <http://blogcritics.org/meeting-mark-peskanov-of-bargemusic/>.
Sound Check. Schaefer, John. WNYC Radio. 2 Apr. 2009. Radio.
Tommasini, Anthony. “Chamber Music as It Was.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 25 June 1999. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/1999/06/25/movies/chamber-music-as-it-was.html?src=pm>.
Wise, Brian. “Olga Bloom, Founder of Bargemusic, Dies at 92 – WQXR.” WQXR Blog. WQXR, 25 Nov. 2011. Web. 27 Nov. 2013. <http://www.wqxr.org/story/172485-olga-bloom-founder-bargemusic-dies-92/>.
