Pittance Chamber Music Rises From the Pit

The Pittance Chamber Music performances lift musicians out from the pit and onto the main stage. – Photo courtesy of Pittance Chamber Music

By Nathaniel Cayanan

Last week, at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music, Pittance Chamber Music ushered in their 2016/17 season with a showcase of their Grammy winning members of the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra. Featured were a variety of works that ranged from classical to modern, performed by singers, instrumentalists and even a dancer, putting on display a fine-tuned mastery and genuine passion for the art of music.

The group was formed by Lisa Sutton, artistic director of Pittance Chamber and assistant concertmaster of the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra. The idea was that the musicians of Los Angeles Opera, often invisible during performances, be picked from the pit and placed on the stage to give a small offering of music to the audience, hence the name “pittance.”

In the tradition of chamber music, pieces are performed by small groups, allowing us an intimate show, in which we experience instruments and voices at their fullest, as we watch in awe the incredible skills of these accomplished musicians.

Such a show results not just from the fact that these performers are accomplished, nor because of financial incentive. As Sutton says, “We don’t get paid very much for chamber music … ever. We do it because we love it and enjoy it, and we have much more control over the performance.”

This control she refers to is a shared collaboration among the artists of the group of up to 65, an untraditional approach for an artistic director, especially in programming a concert such the Pasadena showcase. “I just thought, what would happen if I just put out an invitation and said, ‘okay guys, I want to put on this event and you tell me what you want to do,’” she says with laughter, “It was sort of an experiment.”

But, such an approach to programming was not just for the benefit of the musicians. A violinist herself, she explains, “I don’t know as much about the woodwind repertoire or vocal repertoire in detail, so when I put out a broad invitation and get feedback, I go ‘Great! That’s something I may not have thought of.’”

Sutton also explains that much of the compatibility among the artists stems from their close camaraderie. “We’re kind of a close family,” she says. “All of us play together. Our kids grow up together. It just seemed like a natural fit.” In fact, during a tango piece at the showcase, a woman performed a surprise dance number, to the delight of the crowd. Sutton explains, “The dancer is actually one of the daughters of one of our musicians. She comes to our performances at the opera. I saw her, and I said, ‘Ya’ know we’re doing this tango, would you be interested in dancing?’ and she said, ‘Sure. That sounds like fun.’”

Whether or not there will be dancing in future concerts, it is certain that showing these invisible artists is what makes these shows unique. As Sutton puts it, “When you add the visual aspect, and take these people who’re playing their hearts out, but they’re invisible, and you put them on a stage, there’s a connection that’s made after the fact. Audiences realize that these are the people they’ve been listening to for all these years. It’s almost like a homecoming.”

Tickets for Pittance Chamber Music’s concerts range from $10 to $35 for each performance or $90 for a season subscription. The concerts will be performed in venues throughout the Los Angeles area. For more information, visit http://pittancechambermusic.org.

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