Music and Meditation to Move the Audience

Classical and jazz pianist Antonio Artese had a straightforward reason for creating the Music & Meditation Santa Barbara series last December. The Italian-born musician is looking for a better breed of audience.

“We need to develop a more mindful listening approach to music,” he said. “It’s been on my mind for many, many years, seeing how the people who come to concerts behave.”

Artese explained that as a musician, he brings a level of listening carefully to what is being performed whenever he’s in the audience. 

“But sometimes you’re surrounded by people who are not as attentive as you are. They’re shuffling the programs, checking their phones, looking around the room, and sometimes they’re even compelled to say something to the neighbors. Now at some venues, you can even bring your drinks with the clinking ice cubes that are to your seat. … What the hell is going on here?”

The issue, he said, is that it takes 20 minutes minimum to settle into a listening mode so that you are really concentrating to be able to actually pay attention to the music. 

The solution was to actually build the adjustment period into the beginning of the performance. That idea was sparked by his own experiences at Qi Gong classes taught by Carpinteria-based Jessica Kolbe.

“The first part of her routine is really listening to be aware of the environment and your body and then you focus on your breath,” he said. “It’s about increasing the capacity of being relaxed fully and attentively, but also with a quiet mind as a prelude to the gentle movements and balance. I started applying a little bit of these breathing techniques before I started playing a concert. Something suddenly clicked for me. I thought, this may be a way of getting people into the kind of mode of deep, attentive listening that will benefit everyone, both the audience and the performer.” 

Thus was born the Music & Meditation Santa Barbara series, which introduces a performance by Artese and a guest musician with a 15-minute meditation led by Kolbe. Where to stage the event was a no-brainer for Artese, as the pianist has maintained a studio at the Music Academy of the West for several years, where he can take advantage of the facility’s all-Steinway instruments and practice and experiment without having to worry about being interrupted or bothering neighbors.

After a successful pilot last December at the Academy’s Weinman Hall, the sessions returned for a full four-event series in the winter-spring. The second season of monthly events launches this Friday, September 11.

“It’s really a beautiful opportunity for both the audience and the musicians, who of course have to be in deep listening mode to play chamber music with each other,” Artese said. “When people actually are in the mode of deep listening, the emotions can get connected to the music and then the music is lifted by the audience.”

The concept is to bring the audience up to the level of presence and attentive listening as the musicians already have. 

“When you’re on the same wavelength, then you can have that exchange of energy and intention,” Artese said. “It’s a kind of incredible channel that transmits from one spot to another and people are clearing up their minds, entering receiving mode and letting the music in. Sometimes the connection and the emotions are so strong, you see people crying in the audience.”

Also paramount is finding like-minded musical partners to join him in the performance portion. 

“It’s important that they appreciate this kind of programming and that they’re aligned with what we are doing in approaching the music making with our audience,” Artese said. 

As with the first series, the fall season has a different instrument featured at each concert, and also alternates between Santa Barbara-based musicians and those from outside the immediate area. 

“We wanted to explore different sounds and repertoire to provide a fresh approach with each event,” Artese explained. 

Artese collaborates with the guest artist to devise the repertoire, which aims to both be in flow as well as challenge listeners with things they may not have heard before.

Friday’s event features Robert deMaine, the principal cellist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, with a program of works by Bach, Chopin, Fauré and Arvo Pärt. Clarinetist Nancy Mathison, co-founder and principal clarinet of the Santa Barbara Chamber Players, joins Artese on October 23. November 13 brings Savannah Jo Lack –who transitioned from orchestral violin to film scoring, chamber music and electronic experimentation — before the series closes on December 11 with violist Kate Vincent, a member of the Los Angeles Opera company.

Several factors went into the choice for Artese to present the Music & Meditation events in a one-hour format – a five-minute welcome and introduction, a 15-minute meditation, a 35-minute performance, and five minutes of closing reflections – held once a month on Fridays at 2 pm.

“Nowadays, nobody seems to have time for something longer,” he said. “Which is also why they’re in the afternoon, to accommodate both older people who may not want to drive at night as well as people who are working, so they can fit in into a reasonable break.” 

The concept seems to be working, Artese said.

“With the intention and attention energy, the time goes by in a second. People come up to me afterward and tell me it felt like they just closed their eyes and it was over.” 

For those with a looser schedule, there’s also a reception with the artists on the patio outside Weinman Hall after each performance for people to ask questions or offer feedback, and to connect with each other.

“You can have a cup of tea and exchange ideas,” Artese said. “Jessica always asks that you try to meet every time with a different person that you don’t already know. It’s generated a real community.”

The pianist, who first came to Santa Barbara as an exchange student at UCSB and soon made the area his part-time home, was able to develop the series now that he’s living in town for nine months of the year, while still spending summers teaching at Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Italy. Artese is also working toward expanding the Music & Meditation concept to other concert situations around town.

“We need a more attentive audience for all of the cultural offerings here, which are incredible for the size of the area,” he said. “And we need those who are curious and interested in exploring more, especially the younger generations, those of college age. That’s very true of opera and classical music in general. Now that we have this umbrella, including fiscal sponsorship from the Santa Barbara Foundation, we’d love to bring it to UCSB or City College, and devote a parallel program to the schools. We’ve had some talks with the Symphony about a joint program that might benefit everyone, because the format is really remarkable and powerful.”

For more information and tickets visit https://musicandmeditationsb.com.