Culture

Want A Mini Symphony In Your Living Room? There's An App For That

Groupmuse brings classic music to your living room with on-demand musicians.

Want A Mini Symphony In Your Living Room? There's An App For That
Newsy / Ben Schamisso
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This app lets you ditch the DJ and score some strings for your next shindig.

"I've never been to a house party that had classical music. Maybe at my grandparents'," explained party host Mehdi Lazrak.

Groupmuse is like Uber but for classical music. The app is changing house parties by using on-demand musicians. For a small donation to the artist, you can get a front row seat to a not-so-stuffy symphony and meet new people. Oh, and BYOB.

SEE MORE: Google Made A Machine That Can Compose Its Own Music

"My friend said, 'Hey, let's go to a stranger's apartment for an orchestra event.' And I was like, 'That sounds perfect,'" said first-time Groupmuse participant Rachel Miller.

Anyone can host, and anyone can attend. For Lazrak, it's been a modern way to make new friends since recently moving to Chicago.

"The goal is really to make it as accessible and as casual as possible," Lazrak said. "We want to spread the love of classical music. It's a unique opportunity to be close to the musician. If you go to the symphony, you are miles away from the musician."

For a classical musician like Hannah Christiansen, it gives her the opportunity to practice her craft the way composers intended.

"The cool thing about this chamber music is this is exactly the type of setting it was supposed to be performed in," Christiansen explained. "So one of the Mozart duets was meant to be played while you're sitting around after dinner, like at a table, so we're just kind of taking it back to the setting it was supposed to be in."