Original post from jewishhaz.com
“Thirty years into performing music and to suddenly be performing less than I was when I was two was quite a shock to the system,” said Chris, who plays jazz, ragtime, classical and other styles with his brother on the piano and cello.
But things are looking up. The Rice Brothers will perform July 25 at the Arizona Jewish Historical Society — the society’s first in-person event since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
AZJHS has had a busy year with online programming, but virtual events just don’t have the same “personal touch,” said Lawrence Bell, AZJHS’ executive director. “I miss seeing all of our friends and members.”
Bell said a musical concert was the best choice for the society’s first in-person program because those have been the most negatively impacted by the move to online.
“For people that appreciate music, you really want to appreciate the sound and it doesn’t always translate online,” Bell said.
The Rice Brothers gave a few virtual performances during the pandemic. It was an odd feeling to perform for people all over the world while also performing for a quiet, largely empty room, Chris said.
“For me, music really is about connection between people and the ability to communicate and have this shared experience of an elevating art form,” he said, and emphasized that virtual concerts make that a challenge.
Johnny said it will be “wonderful to play music for a live audience again,” and that the concert will almost feel like a celebration of a return to “a degree of normalcy.”
