She has dedicated her life to the symphony, especially early pieces using period instruments. Laurence Equilbey founded and conducts the Paris-based Insula Orchestra. She received rave reviews recently for her interpretation of Haydn's "The Creation." There is no question, however, that she also received more than a few puzzled looks and arched eyebrows during her performance.
Equilbey is a sophisticated storyteller. The ability and willingness to tell stories effectively is a major leadership asset, and we can certainly learn something here from this gifted conductor, arranger, pianist, flutist and inventor. The confused looks from some audience members may have owed to Equilbey's mixing of a traditional, 200-year old piece using period instruments with a futuristic venue like La Seine Musicale joined by compelling special effects and technological wizardry. Apparently, according to reports, these were not gimmicks. The old and the new are reported to have worked together well in this context, elevating and not compromising the music and experience. A commitment to appreciative inquiry has me want to believe that this was true.
Here's where Maestro Equilbey nonetheless shows us that successful storytelling must start with seizing your audience's interest, vaulting over their indifference and commanding (and sustaining) their attention. There is a thin line between success and failure here, for sure, since gimmickry, inauthenticity and ineffective dissonance hardly work well. However, the intelligent use of contrast and paradox - such as period instruments playing amidst modern architecture and dramatic, contemporary lighting - can break through the clutter and make the intended point. Boring stories and storytelling almost always fail. To make the story effective, it's the leader's responsibility to make it interesting.
Equilbey is a sophisticated storyteller. The ability and willingness to tell stories effectively is a major leadership asset, and we can certainly learn something here from this gifted conductor, arranger, pianist, flutist and inventor. The confused looks from some audience members may have owed to Equilbey's mixing of a traditional, 200-year old piece using period instruments with a futuristic venue like La Seine Musicale joined by compelling special effects and technological wizardry. Apparently, according to reports, these were not gimmicks. The old and the new are reported to have worked together well in this context, elevating and not compromising the music and experience. A commitment to appreciative inquiry has me want to believe that this was true.
Here's where Maestro Equilbey nonetheless shows us that successful storytelling must start with seizing your audience's interest, vaulting over their indifference and commanding (and sustaining) their attention. There is a thin line between success and failure here, for sure, since gimmickry, inauthenticity and ineffective dissonance hardly work well. However, the intelligent use of contrast and paradox - such as period instruments playing amidst modern architecture and dramatic, contemporary lighting - can break through the clutter and make the intended point. Boring stories and storytelling almost always fail. To make the story effective, it's the leader's responsibility to make it interesting.
Image courtesy of Insula Orchestra.