Getting to Know Pique Collective
In this “Getting to Know You” blog post, we have an interview between Alexi Caruso and Pique Collective’s Stephanie Ray.
Pique Collective’s website can be reached at https://www.piquecollective.org/
By: Alexi Caruso in conjunction with Anna Smith
We began the interview discussing some of the past shows and characteristics that Pique Collective is especially proud of. We then transitioned to talking about what may be in the cards for Pique Collective’s future.
Can you give us an example of a performance from Pique Collective that you thought was particularly meaningful? Why do you think it resonated with you and/or your audience that way?
“Back in 2018 we presented “Today I Welcome You, Tomorrow I Welcome You” which was a particularly meaningful project because of the collaborations and relevant theme based around the journey made by immigrants in our community. Our guitarist Jeremy Lyons composed a 45 minute piece based off of the text by African poet Lucas Chib whose poems deal with the realities faced by immigrants and refugees. Before the concert, attendees could enjoy food courtesy of Mera Kitchen Collective — an organization that empowers female immigrants through food entrepreneurship — and view a series of photos from Brazilian artist Camila Franco Ribeiro Gomide whose work aims to humanize each person and demonstrate how similar we all are.”
If you could describe Pique Collective’s atmosphere in one word, what would it be and why?
“Intriguing — we’re always seeking to pique the interest of our audience through captivating programs that activate and engage sensory experiences in inviting and homey atmospheres.”
What is one of Pique Collective’s longest standing goals?
“Our ensemble makeup is very unique which means that there is not a lot of repertoire written for instrumentation. One of our long standing goals is to continue collaborating with local and living composers to build our base of repertoire as well as encouraging opportunities within our ensemble for original compositions.”
Pique Collective has clearly developed such a loyal following for their concerts. In which ways are you excited to see their work grow this year?
“We’ve been experimenting and building out different series over the years and are excited to continue to grow and develop those further. Our Detach Mode series has been a fan favorite. During these musical mindfulness events, we put together 90 minutes of uninterrupted music that is presented in full darkness with the audience members often laying down for the duration of the experience. We encourage attendees to bring mats,
blankets, pillows, etc — whatever they need to feel cozy and come to a place of uninterrupted listening. We’ve started programming these on Daylight Saving Time as a way for us to offer a place to rest and reset for our community since these days are very disruptive to our natural circadian rhythms. A newer series we’ve been working on are these MasterPique Theater events which are presented in partnership with Black Cherry
Puppet Theater. These shows have allowed us produce more theatrical spectacles that involve heightened storytelling, acting, lighting design, and yes, puppet collaborations!”
Next, we spoke about the relationship between Live Music Project and Pique Collective.
We’re really passionate at LMP about a culture of resource sharing to help uplift entire music communities. Are there any benefits Pique Collective has experienced by sharing their concerts on the LMP Concert Calendar?
“We very much appreciate the work that LMP does to uplift local music communities and we value the opportunity to share our concerts with a wider audience. It’s empowering to see our programs listed alongside projects happening with larger cultural institutions like the Kennedy Center and National Symphony Orchestra.”
LMP’s Concert Calendar for the Baltimore area can be found at https://www.livemusicproject.org/events/?include=&near=baltimore-md
What are some of the ways that you’d like to see your music scene in Baltimore grow?
“The Baltimore music scene is very special. It’s a community that is very open and receptive to experimentation, new ideas, and unlikely collaborations. We’d like to see our City agencies and cultural organizations better support local artists, especially those who are independent artists or smaller sized organizations. The larger cultural institutions tend to dominate the philanthropic network and horde public resources. It would be great to see these institutions embrace the wealth of talent that is here through meaningful partnerships and sharing of resources. There has been positive movement within our State Arts Council and arts advocacy groups like Maryland Citizens for the Arts to make funding processes and opportunities more equitable and even movement towards basic
income programs for independent artists. There needs to be much more effort from our representatives to support these initiatives and keep Baltimore a place that is accessible and sustainable for all creative pursuits, not just those who have financial means to do so. We tend to lose artists to larger cities that can offer more resources for artists and as development grows in our city, there is concern about rising costs for housing and living
expenses that would drive talent out.”
