Week 1 of Social Distancing -- A Cultural Daily Guide
By, Katie Gonzalez
For many of us, social distancing means that we will be pulled away from the cultural events that brighten our days and give depth to our lives. Below is a list of recommendations for each day for Saturday March 14 - Saturday March 21 of online activities that are given freely by cultural institutions in solidarity with those who are stuck at home. All of these recommendations are 100% free, though you may need to sign up for the streaming service and create an account.
As I find more resources or as more institutions generously offer their streaming for free, I will add to this list.
Saturday, March 14, 2020 1PM CST
Berlin Philharmonic Digital Concert Hall
https://www.digitalconcerthall.com/en/concert/53219
The Berlin Philharmonic has closed its doors to the public, however, they have decided to still perform their last scheduled concert -- without an audience -- for free to the world on their Digital Concert Hall. In fact, everyone can redeem a free 30 day voucher to their Digital Concert Hall to enjoy archived performances.
Program is Berio’s Sinfonia for 8 Voices and Orchestra and Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra.
If you love modern art as much as I do, you can get your fill with this google tour of all 6 floors of The National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul.
https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/national-museum-of-modern-and-contemporary-art-korea?hl=en
Sunday, March 15, 2020
At 9am CST, enjoy an intimate live performance by Eric Lamb, new music flute virtuoso. He will perform solo works in his Vienna home, hence the early time (it will be 3pm in his time zone). This will be the first of weekly Instagram Live performances. You can follow Eric at @urtextlamb
Tour the Uffizi Gallery of Florence, Italy with the Google Arts & Culture App or on your web browser. Enjoy online galleries and tours of some of the greatest works of the Renaissance.
https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/uffizi-gallery?hl=en
Berlin Philharmonic Digital Concert Hall
I’m going through a Francois Poulenc phase where I listen to his chamber music non-stop. I’m always changing my favorite composer -- it’s the hardest question to ask a musician! -- but I’m feeling all the feels while listening to Poulenc these days. I’m using the free resource of the Digital Concert Hall to enjoy some of his vocal and orchestral works. The link below is the result of my search:
https://www.digitalconcerthall.com/en/concerts/composer_francis%20poulenc
Donald Glover, also known as the rapper Childish Gambino, quietly released new songs today on DonaldGloverPresents.com, only to have the free streaming music removed from the site a few hours later. If you’re like me, you might check on this site every now and then throughout the week when you’re bored to see if more is announced by the incredible artist of “This is America.”
Monday, March 16, 2020
Working from home? Maybe you were looking forward to a lunch break in a restaurant, but all restaurants in Illinois are closing to prevent the spread of COVID-19. I was particularly looking forward to a heaping serving of Pad See Ew from Siam Noodle & Rice in Uptown. But you can still nourish yourself with a PB&J while scrolling through 100,000 images that the Paris Museums released in January to the general public.
6:30 CST: The Met Opera Live in HD, Bizet’s Carmen
The Metropolitan Opera announced that it would stream encore presentations from the award-winning Live in HD series of cinema transmissions on the company website for the duration of the closure. The new offering will begin on Monday, March 16 with the 2010 HD performance of Bizet’s Carmen, conducted by Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin and starring Elīna Garanča in the title role and Roberto Alagna as Don José.
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! 6PM CST The Dropkick Murphys will be performing a free concert live from Boston via streaming on social media. You can watch it on YouTube, Facebook Live, and Instagram. More info here.
For those who find the Dropkick Murphys to be a bit of a sensory overload, below is a link in which Daniel Barenboim performs Beethoven’s 3rd Piano Concerto, and the Berlin Philharmonic performs obscure composer Josef Suk’s Asreal Symphony.
https://www.digitalconcerthall.com/en/concert/52519
6:30 PM:
Live from the Met in HD, Puccini’s La Boheme
A must-see for anyone’s opera education, this is arguably the world’s most famous opera.
Wednesday, March 18, 2020, 6:30 PM
Live from the Met in HD, Verdi’s Il Traviatore
Explore the Getty Museum with online exhibits filled with insights, and hundreds of images of famous artworks.
https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/the-j-paul-getty-museum?hl=en
Thursday, March 19, 2020, 6:30 PM
You guessed it, more opera! Verdi’s La Traviata at the Met Live in HD.
Strauss oboe concerto performed by the Berlin Philharmonic. One of my favorite oboe concertos! This can be watched any time.
https://www.digitalconcerthall.com/en/concert/52533
Friday, March 20, 2020
7:3 PM CST, Third Coast Percussion will perform live on YouTube:https://youtu.be/DU5q20IrgEQ
Beethoven’s 9th Symphony
Mitsuko Uchida performs Mozart Piano Concerto No. 22
There isn’t a more universally loved hymn to humanity than Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy,” the finale to his 9th symphony. This can be watched any time.
https://www.digitalconcerthall.com/en/concert/22497
Watch “So Long Suburbia,” a charming queer independent coming of age film.
Saturday, March 21, 2020
Ticketed Event. 10 AM - 12:00 PM CST DayBreaker will host a live dance party around the world! Known for their mischievous booze-free morning raves, they’re using social distancing as an opportunity to open up their platform and spread whimsical silliness paired with mindful meditation online. While this event isn’t free, I think it’s definitely worth the $15. I’ve attended Daybreaker events in the past, and they’ll fill you with lust for life. Tickets to this event include a yoga class, a live DJ performance, and more.
6:30 PM CST Met Opera Live in HD, Donizetti’s Lucia Di Lamermoor
Before watching opera, you can wander the halls of the Rijskmuseum, Amsterdam, with Google
My husband Sebastian and I just went to this museum the day before we had to fly back due to the Europe Travel Ban. We adored this museum, and we hope you do too.
Berlin Philharmonic Digital Concert Hall, Shostakovich Symphony no 7
https://www.digitalconcerthall.com/en/concert/51862
I’m throwing this in here because this is Sebastian’s favorite symphony, and I happen to love it, too! This video can be watched at any time.
General Links to explore throughout the week
You don’t have to just take my suggestions, you can explore and find what you like as well!
Berlin Philharmonic Digital Concert Hall
The Social Distancing Festival
Kid’s Corner
Multicultural learning videos for kids — these educational videos are made by my amazing friend and former boss Ajanta Chakraborty, founder of Bollywood Groove and Culture Groove.
Download free coloring books from 113 museums around the world
Support Trans Music Artists
It’s great that large performing institutions are giving us these resources for free, but the reality is that the majority of musicians face grim financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Consider purchasing albums in the links below by trans artists. These recommendations come from my friend Alex Temple, a composer and Assistant Professor of Composition at Arizona State University.
Quirky synthpop:
https://heavenpegasus.bandcamp.com/album/heaven-pegasus
spooky electronica:
https://laurenbousfieldanyev3r.bandcamp.com/album/locked-into-phantasy
electronic noise:
https://natalie.bandcamp.com/album/2017
Dark ambient:
https://rocketmermaid.bandcamp.com/album/scenes-from-a-gray-cosmos
Friendly synthwave:
https://felikitty.bandcamp.com/album/the-pink-album
Bingeable Podcasts
The Cold War: What We Saw
Monster: DC Sniper
Down the Hill: The Delphi Murders
Dear Prudence
The Baron of Botox
Chasing Cosby
Uncover -- NXVM
Uncover -- Satanic Panic
Food We Need to Talk
Broken Harts
Good Morning from Hell
WeCrashed
The Shrink Next Door
Unwell
The Dream
Blood Ties
About the Author
Katie Gonzalez resides in a tiny apartment in Chicago with her husband Sebastian and their surly cat Abby. She’s a grant writer by day/oboist by night with a Bachelors in Oboe Performance from DePaul University and a Masters in Orchestral Studies from Roosevelt University. Katie has worked for beloved cultural and educational institutions in Chicago, such as the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras, The People’s Music School, The Chicago Human Rhythm Project, and Bollywood Groove. She has played with the Evanston Symphony Orchestra, Civic Orchestra, Chicago Composer’s Orchestra, and the Lexington Philharmonic.