Groupmuse Saves Humanity

Have you used the site Couchsurfer before?  One abode offers up their couch for some traveling stranger to sleep on, for free.  It is basically online dating for desperate housing situations.  I  have never dabbled, but I know many who swear by it.  Apparently now there is a similar sight for classical music performances. 

Say you are a wind chamber group, or a cellist, or a medieval chanter of some sort, and try as you might, you cannot find a venue to perform in.  Performers need to perform!  Groupmuse will hook you up with a venue, a very casual venue at that, most likely someone's small living room, where there is an appreciative 20-something audience, crammed cross-legged on a shag rug in an Allston apartment.  It sounds like I am making fun, but in actuality, I live for these type of gatherings.  Who doesn’t want to hear beautiful live classical music in their own home, with good food, and cheap wine, and their best friends?  

Sam Bodkin, the founder, is a recent Columbia graduate making his wouldn’t-it-be-cool idea, a reality.  He discovered classical music late in his life, and when it took hold of him, he became obsessed.  He did not understand why this type of music was so absent from his social circle and everyday doing and listening.  He set to creating Groupmuse while living with his parents in Newton.  He was able to primarily focus on his dream, and the site took off, it first spread through Boston, then the country, and now there are Groupmuse performances happening internationally.  

Sam tries to attend as many as he can, around Boston of course, and continues to immerse himself in these impromptu classical meet ups, enriching both his life’s goals, and countless musician’s need for performance and particular culture.  I am definitely going to attend a Groupmuse, not just to perform, but to listen, because I believe the same thing Sam does: “Classical music doesn’t need to be saved, this world needs saving. We need to show what classical music can do for the world.” 

More in this article