Getting Cultured 

This week's issue of Seven Days had an interview with Abigail Washburn of the Sparrow Quartet under the headline "Culture Club," which is a particularly apt headline for St. Michael's students, thanks to our Flynn Center Cultural Pass program.

I know I've spent a fair bit of time on this blog and elsewhere registering my various complaints with my college, but the Cultural Pass is a really awesome idea and a great perk for SMC students. Essentially, students who wish to purchase one just pay a fee of $30 for the academic year, and then get to attend any performance of the 2008-09 Flynn Season. So, for less than the price of a normal ticket to one show at the Flynn, St. Mike's students can attend as many Flynn events as they like during the year. This year I'm going to get to see Abigail Washburn, Cecil Taylor, and Chick Corea and John McLaughlin, all for $30. That's $10 per legend. Brilliant.

Of course these things are what I'm interested in given that I'm a music dork, but it's not just the musical performances that apply. Broadway shows, theater productions, and dance performances are all included in the Cultural Pass too. There's something for just about everyone.

I apologize if I sound like a Flynn sales rep here, but this really is one of the coolest things we've got. Of course Higher Ground and Nectar's (and Tick Tick!) do a fantastic job bringing a wide array of musical talent to town, but concerts at the Flynn are very different experiences that you can't get anywhere else in Vermont. Sweaty, dancey rock club shows are fun, but seeing a jazz legend in a beautiful theater is pretty amazing too. It's really cool that the Flynn Center and St. Michael's work together to make these world-class performances (which are WAY out of the pricing range of the average college student) accessible to us.