Music with a homey touch

By Kristen Peterson

Thursday, Nov. 9, 2006 | 7:08 a.m.

Jeri and Rick Crawford moved into a sprawling house in March with giant windows and references to the design style of Frank Lloyd Wright.

They also bought a high-priced Steinway Concert Grand for an amount one could spend on a new Mercedes SL500.

There was nothing willy-nilly about the purchase. Accompanied by Hal Weller, music director of the Las Vegas Philharmonic, the Crawfords waited while a handful of pianos were played by professional pianists, each landing on the piano that is now in the Crawfords' living room.

It's a smashing centerpiece for a home that Jeri Crawford said at the time of purchase would be "perfect for concerts."

They've since hosted a private recital for young Las Vegas pianist Corbin Bisner, raising more than $10,000 to send Bisner to a competition in Barcelona, Spain. They've had a recording session for the artist in their home. In January, a piano, oboe and bassoon trio will perform in the Crawfords' sunken living room while more than 125 guests (strangers, even) lounge in the elongated space encased in wide marble hallways and decorative cinder block pillars.

The soiree is part of the Las Vegas Philharmonic's "Connoisseur Series," which is designed to bring in new patrons, educate listeners and help underwrite free educational programs in the Clark County School District.

The intimate performances allow patrons to mingle with the artists. For a musical connoisseur, it's quite an opportunity. In a nutshell, it's access.

"The greatest challenge for us is just finding a home," says Phil Koslow, executive director of the Philharmonic. He asks, "How big is your home?"

When large homes with voluminous living rooms aren't available, the soirees move into the Red Rock Country Club or the Stirling Club at Turnberry Place. Concerts bring in $45,000 in revenue and sponsorship, which is about 3 percent of the Philharmonic's $1.6 million budget.

But it's not only about money. Weller calls the soirees "friend raisers" and says that they create a nucleus of supporters, some of whom have become board members .

"The intimacy appeals to lots of people," Weller says. "The separation of audience and stage is removed. You're sitting, perhaps, right next to the keyboard. The audience feels a connection. It really does demystify the virtuoso artist and humanizes him."

Also, Weller says, "Some enjoy getting a peek at a particular home."

Living-room concerts might evoke images of 19th-century parlor performances, only with professional rather than amateur artists, but they're not common.

"It's not uncommon to have a private event, but it's a new twist to have it as a public event," says Julia Kirchhausen, vice president of communications for American Symphony Orchestra League in New York.

When an orchestra does this, it's usually a fundraiser and not open to the public, she says.

The concerts, which are short and musically varied, cost $125 per person and $400 for the four-part series. Because of demand and home size, the concerts are limited to a small number of listeners. Wednesday's sold-out soiree in the home of Paul and Maryanne Steelman brings solo bassist Gary Karr, an internationally acclaimed virtuoso bass player, accompanied by Philharmonic concertmaster DeeAnne Letourneau and pianist Harmon Lewis.

The first soiree was in February 2000 after Weller attended a similar function in Vail, Colo. "There were events in homes, but we thought the best kind of social events are music-centered, so that it's not just chicken dinner," he says.

But throwing this kind of party requires one to be the consummate host, who's willing to open her home and pay for a piano tuning, a catering company and valet service.

Not a problem, Jeri Crawford says.

"It's just a matter of people showing up."