As the St. Louis Symphony revved up to perform the Brahms Requiem on Saturday night, live on St. Louis Public Radio, symphony Vice President and program co-host Adam Crane probably thought he had an uncomplicated evening ahead of him. Instead he wound up narrating a requiem for the martyr of Ferguson, Missouri: Mike Brown.
A group of protesters unfurled a banner in the auditorium for Brown, and began singing the labor song “Which Side Are You On?”
“I would imagine this is Ferguson-related,” Crane told his radio listeners. As the demonstrators peacefully filed out of the auditorium, he noted someone, presumably an audience member, say “Now for some real music.”
“But I think that was also some real music we heard, from passionate people in the audience,” Crane added.