Re: [Harp-L] Train wreck recovery

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

The best recovery I ever saw from a botched performance was at a male chorus concert I attended about 15 years ago in Falmouth, MA.  

It was the climactic piece of the performance, and the ending somehow went completely astray.  The conductor waited until the sympathetic applause had died down, then said to the chorus, sweetly but loudly enough to be heard throughout the room, "Let's try that again, shall we?"  He counted it off, and they sang it again, perfectly this time.  The applause was thunderous.  I loved it.

In my day gig, I do a lot of presentations, sometimes to audiences numbering in the thousands.  I've learned that audiences are almost always on the side of the performer, and when things go wrong onstage, it's a great opportunity to get them even more firmly on your side.  The way to do it is to acknowledge cheerfully that something went wrong, and take it forward from there.  Something like what that conductor did.

You can't just pretend that nothing happened--everybody knows it did.  You can't get all upset--that just ruins everybody's good time.

So why not smile and tell them you'll get it right on the next song?  That's what they're hoping for, anyway.

Regards, Richard Hunter
hunterharp.com