Ray Bayles:
>The Tucson Symphony started something important several years before
>other orchestras. You didn't have to dress up. So you go to the
>symphone... some people are in black tie, while others are in Jeans.
>Nobody cares, but it took the phoniness out of the evening.
After I left college, I never dressed up for a concert. The conservatory
insisted that males wear a coat and tie to attend concerts (this is about
forty years ago) "as a mark of respect to the performer." My argument
was always, "My wearing a coat and tie doesn't mean I respect you." Since
then, I wear whatever I happen to have dressed in for the day. So it
amazes me that these inhibitions and shibboleths still linger.
Steve Schwartz