What’s Open, and How To Experience Live Musical Performance in Southern Delaware
“I know that the most joy in my life has come to me from my violin.” – Albert Einstein
If a genius who’s left his mark upon the world with scientific discoveries is quoted touting his violin, then I think we are on to something. Classical music throughout centuries has been equated with everything from being a learning tool for mathematics, and a surefire way to lull your newborn to sleep with a Brahms lullaby.
But what about the rest of us who simply enjoy live performance? Closing our eyes, relaxing and experiencing enthrall while listening to skilled musicians work their magic?
Enter Delaware’s impressive availability of classical music performance, jazz festivals and operatic phenoms on stage. You might have to drive an hour north for certain opry experiences on the big stage in Wilmington, but if you pay attention, you can catch live performances in everything from an atmospheric bar room to venues fit for large orchestras. Across Southern Delaware are artists who will take away your breath. The new Freeman Arts Pavilion in Selbyville for example is taking the outdoor musical experience to a new level. Who needs to drive to Philly or D.C. when such a beautiful venue is in our own backyard?
A thriving audience lives near or travels to Rehoboth Beach every year in the fall when talented musicians descend upon the beach town for a three-day celebration of classical music’s stepbrother, jazz.
Touted as one of the best jazz festival destinations rivaling Newport, Rhode Island, Rehoboth Beach Jazz Festival will knock the socks off any fan. Options range from smooth jazz to the more complicated ode to classical music involving a combination of discipline and free-for-all jamming. With venues ranging from outdoor parking lots to more intimate stages, the 2021-22 season boasts a variety of musicians – everything from 1970s favorite, Blood Sweat and Tears or the legendary Boney James, to up and coming virtuosos.
And the show shall go on. On the classical side, the Delaware Symphony Orchestra based in Wilmington is keeping its bows rosined while we wait for normalcy as an audience. Meanwhile, they offer both virtual concerts (at a reduced ticket price and the ability to watch the performance for one week following its live performance) and limited seating at the Grand Opera House, downtown Wilmington.
For those who may have a bit of trepidation about returning to theaters and closed in spaces, fear not. With the long spring, summer and fall’s favorable weather, there are plenty of locations to enjoy classical music outdoors.
A terrific source of information about concerts and other performances that bring you outdoors and out of that space inside your head craving live music, check out Delaware Scene, the best clearinghouse for all things musical. Here, you can search for concerts, updates on conditions such as weather, and sign up for alerts about upcoming events.
Music is a language we all understand without the need to follow a libretto. Enjoy the music scene that Delaware has to offer. The choices are endless, and the menu is sure to please everyone’s appetite.
Hans Christian Anderson, brilliantly said it this way: “Where words fail, music speaks.”
Go out and enjoy the gift of music!