Relevancy in a World Burning
What a week for the classical arts. We all know about Timothee Chalamet’s comments this week about opera and ballet and promise this is not going to be a dressing down of Chalamet because honestly, the internet has succeeded in that enough, however, what I will say is that not just opera and ballet are at risk of dying and Chalamet’s comments brought to light something we are all facing, but opera and ballet, just like always, gets to be the punching back. Sure you can say opera and ballet are dying but so is theatre, so is Broadway, so is Hollywood, so are movie theaters. Yes, opera and ballet have their challenges that other art forms do not face and it is not lost on my ears. I created Salon Avec Moi because of all the problems in the opera world and what I had experienced within the industry– wanting something better for myself and my colleagues. There are certainly glaring problems when it comes to their diversity and progressiveness, needing a lot of catching up to do on and offstage with stories, casts, leadership, boards, and more, but art “dying” is what you get in late stage capitalism where no one who wants to attend the arts has money to do so because billionaires are siphoning all of the money they can off of you for the yacht in their bunkers so they can recreate what it's like to have water, and oceans, and seas when they destroy the planet. Maybe not a yacht, but I’ll let my mind go to the wild things since we now know just how many pedophiles are running our world.
Everyone is overwhelmed by everything needing your attention. In the United States alone trans people are facing a genocide, people are being murdered on the streets by ICE agents available for you to witness in the palm of your hand, another day is another mass shooting and that’s something deemed as regular business when you’re living here. Bombings in Iran, Israel continues its genocide in Gaza despite a “ceasefire,” of course people are overwhelmed and frozen. When your workday is done you want to stay home and turn on Netflix to something that is familiar or an easier barrier to get across because your brain is exhausted and for many, you’re in flight or fight mode.
So how the hell do we make classical art relevant while the world burns? We cannot fix the problems just on our own but we can certainly help move the needle to a better place and help you get a little more unfrozen and to be a little more present. In the best way we know how, we create a space for passion, for levity, for support, for breadth, for expression, for conversation, for joy, or for whatever you want to feel in that moment. You want to come and hoot and holler at the violinist at our salons? We’ve got you. If an opera singer moves you to tears? We are right there with you. Join in on the passionate discussion of whether opera and ballet are dying? Your joy of Peter Gelb leaving The Met Opera and thank god because of all the damage he has done? Release it. Get it out.
This month we have two salons–tomorrow Sunday, March 8th as our first open stage with some spots opened back up for performances for free or with a small donation for attendees and our next themed salon March 16th Persephone with sliding scale tickets, showcasing the art from violinist Shaleah Feinstein, poet, comedian, and writer for Gaydar Brooke Finegold, and opera singer Kira Dills-DeSurra, with pianist Matt Everingham. As in Salon Avec Moi fashion, we will be holding a raffle during Persephone salon to help raise funds for the Trans Continental Pipeline, a non-profit helping trans people move to Colorado by providing resources, financial support and a community of people to help with relocation and escape unsafe environments. The raffle item is always something I put my own money down to encourage raffle donations and gifts I would personally get for myself. I’m jealous of every winner and dare I say, I have exquisite taste. This raffle item is a delectable 50ml bottle of Disfruta with notes of passionfruit pulp, white cedarwood, agave nectar, ice melting down glass, and mezcal magic from the new fragrance brand Lore.
The theme of Persephone seems to unintentionally be timely for that week brings upon the Spring Equinox where in the Greek myth Persephone returns to the surface from the Underworld, sprouting rebirth and growth once more after a period of stagnation and darkness. Are you ready for rebirth and to shine your light to be rid of the darkness? Not to mention I think Persephone would want you to dance, feel joy, and look hot while doing it but maybe that’s just me.
Classical arts aren’t dying, but I know fascists and bigots certainly will.
Karlye Whitt
Salon Avec Moi Founder & Editor-in-Chief
