Music Mover and Shaker: Grant Meachum, Director, Live at Orchestra Hall, Minnesota Orchestra
Thursday, June 9, 2022 at 2:16PMArticle by Becky Fillinger
Grant Meachum Photo:Scott StrebleGrant Meachum is the Director of Live at Orchestra Hall - innovative programming that combines symphony orchestra with - well, many different artists and art forms. We talked to him about how he plans his collaborations, what’s on tap for the summer and his wish list for the perfect collaboration.
Q: What do you have planned for the Live at Orchestra Hall during the outdoor summer season?
A: The summer season is particularly exciting in that it really defies the question of what is “Live at Orchestra Hall” and what is “Classical.” I’ve worked alongside our programming team – including the Orchestra’s Artistic Advisory Committee and our Creative Partner for Summer Programs Jon Kimura Parker – to create programs that engage musically and visually. Some of the most exciting projects are collaborations between the Orchestra and In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre and BRKFST Dance Company. Both organizations are offering a new visual and movement-based work to accompany music from the classical repertoire. There is so much great art being created in the Twin Cities, and it’s so gratifying to find ways for the Orchestra to work with these artists.
Q: You've been Director, Live at Orchestra Hall, for over seven years. What changes have you witnessed in your tenure?
Dessa with the OrchestraA: The biggest change has been the broadening of the idea of what kind of music a symphony orchestra can and should offer. I’ll use the Orchestra’s ongoing collaboration with Dessa as an example. Ten years ago, the idea of an Orchestra performing with a hip hop artist would have been viewed as an anomaly by some and sacrilegious by others.
Having an artistic partner like Sarah Hicks (principal conductor of Live at Orchestra Hall) and an open-minded and nimble orchestra like the Minnesota Orchestra has allowed us to explore new ideas like this. As long as music is well written and performed in a way that highlights the virtuosity of the Minnesota Orchestra, then the sky is truly the limit as to what kind of guest artist you might see at an orchestral Pops show in the future.
Q: Your collaborative programming is outstanding, including guests such as Dessa, as you mentioned, Cloud Cult, Dan Wilson, Charles Lazarus and The Steeles. Do you have free reign to program collaborations with your 'wish list' of guests?
A: Sarah Hicks and I definitely have a wish list of guest artists (*cough* Lizzo *cough cough*) A big part of our programming process at the Minnesota Orchestra involves discussions of new ideas with internal stakeholders – notably the musicians and my colleagues in marketing. We are so fortunate to work with an open-minded orchestra like this – if we can make a compelling case as to why someone would be a worthwhile collaboration, we usually get enthusiastic support in pursuing this wish list.
Q: So many people are envious of your job. How did you train for such an interesting position?
A: Like many people working in artistic administration, my path to this job is anything but linear. My employment history has included positions with the Yale School of Music, Boston Lyric Opera, Hartford (CT) Symphony Orchestra, and Dispeker Artists (managing opera singers – my very favorite kind of musician to befriend). I gained important skills at all of these jobs, but writ large the one thread that has tied everything together in leading me here is the recognition that the relationship between artist and administrator goes both ways. Talented musicians sharing their art is the reason that my job exists, and I consider it a personal calling to find avenues and resources to lift up the art and artists whose work I believe in.
Salsa del Soul will be one of the performances during the July 16 A Day to Celebrate Music event.
Q: What is on the drawing board for the rest of the year?
A: The summer season is a very “hands on” time of year. The Minnesota Orchestra’s International Day of Music is on July 16, and it’s a day that will find me bouncing between four stages over a course of 12 hours to assist our guest artists, staff, and volunteers in welcoming thousands of guests to Orchestra Hall. But I will also make sure there is time to step back and plan out how I can approach those projects on our “wish list” as we look to programming future seasons.
Q: Thank you so much for providing innovative musical programming to our community. How may we follow your news?
A: Check out the Minnesota Orchestra on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. You can read about all of the exiting things the Minnesota Orchestra is working on!
