Boston Businesses Open Doors To Artists For Rehearsal
BOSTON (CBS) - On the surface it may seem like an odd partnership, businesses and musicians.
Well, Friday in Boston that collaboration began to make perfect sense with an innovative program that brings the unlikely pair together for the better.
It was a first of its kind moment when the AT&T store on Boylston Street started providing rehearsal space to a group called "Castle Of Our Skins," that celebrates Black history, and to the "Equilibrium Ensemble," dedicated to contemporary classical music.
"Often times artists will say that the biggest thing they don't have is a place to be able to practice and play," says Boston Mayor Marty Walsh.
That's why the city is working with businesses to provide artists that much needed place.
"This is something unique. It's something different and the potential opportunity here is exciting," adds Walsh.
AT&T is the first, turning over an upstairs area to the two music groups. "There's nothing more powerful than the arts as a unifying force to connect people and to bring people together across the city, and that's really important to us," says Patricia Jacobs, the president of AT&T New England.
And it's a great opportunity for the musicians. "This means a huge amount for us. Apart from increased visibility, it also means we can have longevity," says Ashleigh Gordon from Castle Of Our Skins.
And customers will be able to eavesdrop on the proceedings. "And that's something we're really excited about. The idea that somebody might be shopping, hear some interesting music, come upstairs and maybe make it to a concert," says Mischa Salkind-Pearl of the Equilibrium Ensemble.
This is all part of the Boston Creates program. Two other places have agreed to provide rehearsal space to local musicians, and they couldn't be more different: the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and Plumbers Local 12.
Music is for everyone.
CLICK HERE for more information about the program.
