Paavo's thoughts on Music Hall

Janelle Gelfand at the Cincinnati Enquirer has just blogged about last night's meeting of the Society for the Preservation of Music Hall. Here are Paavo's thoughts:

"Every time I approach this hall, whether driving to work or stepping onstage, I feel a tremendous sense of history. We read in the news every day about the creation of new venues, all over the U.S. and Europe. My thoughts are, you cannnot build an old hall. ... We have sometimes been less than thoughtful about history. Our downtown is an example of how we're not taking care of our treasures.

"But our hall is magnificent. But then comes the question: How do we take care of it and what of our role and responsibility? Cleveland and Chicago (concert halls) are examples of what can happen when an old hall is preserved with a future in mind. You feel the fantastic history and realize the historic integrity that is completely intact. At the same time, modern needs are addressed.

"One of the great hopes of mine is to do something here similar, to create a modern environment where everyone feels at home. I'd like it to be the living room of Cincinnati -- a comfortable place to a modern concert goer.

"It's important to see the other tenants, the opera and the May Festival comfortable, as well.

"This hall makes me feel very small, because I know that real giants have walked on that stage, such as Stravinsky, Rachmaninoff. It takes work and continuous dedication to be worthy of the people we are following."