These are the busiest of times for Michael Orlove and Michelle Collopy.
Their pagers are beeping wildly, the voice mail on their phones is jammed; their heads are filled with enough flight times, phone numbers and names to short-circuit a computer.
It is no small chore bringing the world to Chicago, and that is what these two-program director and program associate, respectively, of the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs-are doing. The World Music Festival starts Thursday.
“The first year was pretty insane,” says Orlove. “I feel more organized now.”
But imagine the details and logistics involved in producing 10 days of musical performances by 65 acts of various size coming in from all over the planet to play at dozens of locations around town.
This is the third year of the festival and the first two were, on any level, grandly successful.
“The biggest change Michelle and I feel is that we aren’t speaking a foreign language,” Orlove says. “It’s been an uphill battle, but now audiences and venue owners don’t think of the festival as something exotic and are more receptive.”
Still, it’s unlikely that most of you have ever heard of the performers Black Umfolosi (from Zimbabwe), Kila (Ireland), Rup Tung Cack (Vietnam). Or even some of the countries that will be represented: Benin (with a group called the Gangbe Brass Band) or Tuva (Yat-Kha). (Benin is in western Africa and the Republic of Tuva, formerly part of the USSR, sits atop Mongolia).
Beyond introducing audiences to new sounds, the festival also brings people to new clubs and cultural institutions since it is not held in one spot but spreads itself, and its acts, generously around the area.
“Our aim is to see a connection between the performers and the audiences. We don’t want any opportunities wasted,” says Orlove.
During October, he and Collopy will take it easy. Then, the phones will start ringing, tapes will begin to pile on their desks, pagers will hum. And Orlove will have to find time to take care of another matter.
On May 25, he will marry Rebeca Rodriguez Alonso. They met two years ago at the Green Mill. She is from Granada, which is in Spain, wouldn’t you know it.
