I had the pleasure of covering the Crimson String Quartet on Aug. 17 at the Westminister United Church. Humboldt was very lucky to have such amazing talent perform here.
The Crimson String Quartet is a group of classically trained musicians with finely developed skills. Their passion was evident in each stroke of the bow across their strings.
There is nothing more moving than seeing a passionate person at their craft.
And yet, only 20 people showed up.
We have a conundrum here in Humboldt when it comes to supporting the music scene: the quality is there; the numbers are not.
Growing up, I remember a constant stream of complaints that there was nothing to do in town.
And it is true that, when I was living in Humboldt in 2006-2007, live shows were still rare.
Today, there has been a resurgence of quality artists coming to Humboldt.
But I still hear those same complaints: nothing to do, nothing to do.
Brian Grest is someone who knows a lot about this issue. He lives it on both sides, as a member of 40 Oz. Philosophy and a member of Arts Humboldt.
In the past five years, Grest says, several initiatives have helped bring music to Humboldt: live free shows in the park for Summer Sizzler; Streetfest; an influx of Ontario bands requesting show time; the Arts Humboldt Coffee House Series, which has now been taken over by the Humboldt and District Gallery as its Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Councils concert series and will soon be starting its second year.
There are also plenty of shows in the area surrounding Humboldt that have found their following and found a way to keep on going. These include concerts at the Marysburg Centre of the Arts, Home Routes shows and Maddie’s Jamboree in Annaheim.
There is no shortage of live shows in Humboldt and area.
So where are the audiences?
Humboldt has a population of 5,869, according to the last census. There are another 935 people living in the rural municipality, and more in the surrounding villages and towns, who with a short drive could easily come to see some quality bands and artists.
Grest says they are more than welcome to come into Humboldt to take in a show.
There are many factors involved in improving concert attendance, from the amount of advertising a show puts out there to local businesses stepping up to sponsor shows.
More obviously needs to be done. To keep these concerts coming to town requires making sure people attend.
Make a night of it and try something new. We are gaining a reputation for high quality entertainment, so when you see a poster out around town, there is a good chance that it is going to be a worthwhile experience.
