Article By: Jacquelyn Herbert
Photographs Courtesy of: Muriel Hahn Jordan

Chris Rountree enthusiastically spins his fingers upwards as he attempts to tell me the philosophy of wild Up.  The group, which he acts as art director and conductor for, is much more than just a chamber orchestra.  Started in January 2010 by a bunch of post-graduate students looking for a way to fill what they saw as a void in the music scene; wild Up seeks to bring a new and enlivened audience to classical music and orchestral concerts.  “We can do pop music, classical music, street noises, avant-garde music, fluxes music, [and] we can do carrot,” lists off Chris, “When it comes to music, any music is fair game.”  And, they stand by that statement.  Their first performance this past February ran the spectrum of Bach to Stravinsky to Radiohead.

Attempting to break the more traditional view of orchestral music, Chris says, “The classical way of going into the text and bringing out the essence, while it’s good in a lot of ways, causes this kind of robot thing.  Like you’re goal is to sound like a recording, to be perfect and not necessarily engaging.  And we want to be perfect, but we’re gonna’ be engaging too, and we’ll get more from it.”

And to get more from it, the group has opted for a more informal experience, such as performing in unconventional spaces and relaxing the typical concert etiquette allowing the audience to interact more fully with the musicians.  “Music is about connecting with people and what better way for them to do that than to go nuts when they enjoy it, or to be close enough to see our reactions to the music,” says Chris.

Enthusiastically Chris explains that their reinvented format comes with both obstacles and rewards.  “It’s really great for some of these musicians who have been playing about 20 years with no immediate gratification to hear people just go nuts right after a movement,” explains Chris. “Performing in a conventional orchestra you just don’t see that.”  And while it enlivens the performers, it also creates problems as they struggle to hear and stay focused over the cheering and applause, but he acknowledges that that’s just something that comes with their experimenting.

“There was no expectation of the way it would be, so I’ve been open to what it will be and what it is,” says Chris.  And in terms of what it will be Chris says, “Anything goes.  I mean, you can’t sit with the musicians, at least not yet.”  As wild Up plans for their fall season, they hope to take over more unconventional spaces, possibly turning up at Downtown ArtWalk, The Getty, and other venues so keep your eyes open or check out their webpage at: http://wildUp.la.

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Spec Sheet:

Name/Nickname: Christopher Rountree

Birthplace: Anaheim, CA

Favorite things to do: “Go to the beach, people watch, read, spend time with my friends, write and make music.

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Connect with wild Up:

Website