The great concert pianist, Dame Myra Hess, always remained skeptical of recording technologies because she thought that music was an experience that could not be replicated. One had to have been there, she often said. No matter the access, performance was irretrievable.

I thought about that listening to Nick and Julia Blake play their piano and violin. I wanted to know that they had been — or would be — recording so I could hear them again.

At the same time, I felt very lucky and grateful that I had been present with a few other people on the night they had made such magic. No matter how often I’m able to hear them, it won’t be like that again!

And that is the reason Vicksburg should seek out and support such performers and venues. Not just the high-dollar, recognized name or brand, or the accustomed-to satire or song, but an entirely different angle of vision that makes you glad you were there.

In an effort to produce some nightlife for Vicksburg, Shirley Waring helped create something new: theater that wasn’t a play; stories not made into movies; voices that talked more than sang. With only a curtain, a light, and a microphone — and remarkable readers and actors — she brought stories to life; recalled some small and personal history alongside the large that it paralleled; and comforted us with the sound of the voices that used to sit out on the porch.

It was an addition as well as alternative, and one that we all should embrace. That Friday, a few of us saw something new, and most of the rest of us missed it.

So sorry.

Yolande Robbins

Vicksburg