#BRISTOLPROMS: The Anticipation, by Dave Yapp

Prom Ambassador Dave Yapp shares with us his thoughts on the build up to #BRISTOLPROMS:

I generally find live music concerts exciting.

I eagerly look forward to the next one with the same excitement and anticipation as that of my children looking forward to their birthday.

Of course, I realise that not everyone feels the same way.

Some people need encouragement and persuasion to even think about coming to a concert, let alone a classical music one. This, I feel has been part of my life's work. If i can convey to people the excitement that I feel about experiencing incredible music live, then they'll want to come too. The excitement of seeing the musician actually performing what they've worked so hard to perfect. Of witnessing a band or ensemble work together as one. The thrill of seeing a soloist bare their soul on stage. To feel them connecting with every member of the audience. To sit (or stand) as part of that audience. To feel that other people there are feeling what i'm feeling or that some of them are getting something completely different from it.

If they can get that, they WILL come.

Sometimes it's hard to convince people that it will be an amazing experience. This time, it's not.

Listening to the Fitzhardinge Consort in pitch-black darkness will give you a new spatial awareness of the performance. Watching Jan Lisiecki's fingers in detail allows you a new understanding of the precision and technical dexterity of his playing (if you're not a world-class pianist). Seeing the visualisations of the physics of sound and energy while Nicola Benedetti performs metres away from you will give you an awareness of how and why music affects us as it does. Witnessing the story of The Messiah brought to life in front of you will possible change the way that you hear it forever. And that's just a few of the concerts lined up. You don't need me to tell you that you should come.
The concerts ARE exciting. And that's on top of the excitement I feel about concerts generally. Can you imagine how excited I am? If you're going, I'll be the one with his head exploding.

To find out more about #BRISTOLPROMS, click here.

Dave Yapp is a composer and sound designer at Films@59 http://www.filmsat59.com/