The program aims to increase visitor turnout and add greater depth to the artistic experience
The University of Missouri’s Museum of Art and Archaeology will be continuing its Midday Music series on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, from noon to 1 p.m. The free event will feature a performance from cellist and School of Music admissions coordinator, Natalie Parker.
While the series does not include formal concerts, it provides an opportunity for casual listening and greater reflection on the art. Once a month, for an hour, the sound of live music carries through the galleries and displays of the museum, adding to visitors’ experience.
“Maybe they have a little moment of inspiration, or joy, or happiness, or wonder, because they’re walking through here and hear some beautiful music,” said museum Deputy Director Marie Hunter.
After a four-year closure caused by COVID-19 and a relocation process, most museum programming had come to an end. When the museum finally reopened in April 2024, members of the museum’s leadership team began discussing potential program opportunities. After looking into existing programs hosted by other museums and reflecting on their long-standing relationship with the School of Music, the Midday Music series was created.
The series consists of a variety of student musicians and staff from the School of Music. These performers are found through the university’s Hire-a-Musician program, which allows students, alumni and staff musicians to be hired for various events. They are also paid for their time using funds that the museum receives through their Missouri Arts Council grant.
“There’s something to be said of going in silence and kind of internalizing your thoughts, externalizing them sometimes,” said Parker, November’s musician. “But music can help with that,”
Parker plans to perform Johann Sebastian Bach’s cello suites as well as a variety of etudes at the upcoming event.
“The goal is not to be too loud, and just to be able to be there and enhance,” Parker said.
Apart from the Midday Music series, staff are still working to create new forms of effective programming.
“We want people to come to the museum, so we are just testing ways to try to get people interested and to make the viewing experience unique,” Hunter said. “So a lot of this is just kind of a leap of faith.”
These potential plans include a collaboration between the Midday Music series and the Missouri Folk Arts Program in December, expanded tours in conjunction with Columbia Public Schools and more events throughout the spring.
For now, Hunter said the Midday Music series attracts visitors and is “a way to learn and be inspired and find beauty or meaning,” she said.
Edited by Eric Hughes | ehughes@themaneater.com
Copyedited by Amelia Schaefer and Natalie Kientzy | nkientzy@themaneater.com
Edited by Annie Goodykoontz | agoodykoontz@themaneater.com