Jon Silpayamanant - โจนาทาน ศิลปยามานันท์ Anti-Colonial, Arts Education, Cross-Cultural criticism, Culture, Decolonialism, Diversity, Global Music, History, Music, Music Discourse, Music Education, Nationalism, Orchestras, pedagogy, Post-Colonialism, Race, Racism, Research, World Music

Slave Orchestras: Classical Gabfest Interview Transcript

Here's an edited transcript of The Classical Gabfest Podcast (Episode 10) where I was interviewed about Slave Orchestras from November 2020. I've linked relevant content/sources within the text and the podcast link for the episode has other related links listed. The interview is the third segment and starts at about minute 00:34:12 and ends at … Continue reading Slave Orchestras: Classical Gabfest Interview Transcript

Jon Silpayamanant - โจนาทาน ศิลปยามานันท์ American Classical Music History, Arts Funding, Blogging, Classical Music Crisis Crisis, Cross-Cultural criticism, Culture, Decolonialism, Education, History, Music, Music Education, Orchestra Reform, Orchestras, Organization, pedagogy, Post-Colonialism, Projects, Research

US Orchestras and Large Ensembles

The Orchestra as an institution is constantly evolving and taking many different forms all around the world, but like the White Male Classical Music Canon, we tend to only see canonical ensemble types and treat them, like the repertoire canon, as universal and neutral.

Jon Silpayamanant - โจนาทาน ศิลปยามานันท์ American Classical Music History, Arts Education, Bibliography, Classical Music Crisis Crisis, Cross-Cultural criticism, Culture, Decolonialism, Diversity, Education, History, Intersectionality, Music, Music Education, Orientalism, Post-Colonialism, Race, Racism

Colonialism, White Supremacy, and the Logic of Exclusion of Colored Bodies in Classical Music

As I'm working on this bibliography of white supremacy and colonialism in classical music, I've come to a few things that has helped me understand the logic of exclusion of colored bodies in the field. Here are a few main takeaways. 1) Sources for information about Slave Orchestras are in formerly colonized countries or mémoires … Continue reading Colonialism, White Supremacy, and the Logic of Exclusion of Colored Bodies in Classical Music

Jon Silpayamanant - โจนาทาน ศิลปยามานันท์ American Classical Music History, Arts Education, Ballet, Classical Music Crisis Crisis, Cross-Cultural criticism, Decolonialism, Economics, Education, Global Music, History, Music, Musicians, Nationalism, Operas, Orchestras, Orientalism, pedagogy, Performance Ethics, Post-Colonialism, Race, Racism, World Music

Classical Music and its Slave Orchestras

It was just five years ago that Dr. David Hunter revealed his discovery that Handel repeatedly invested in the Royal African Company, a slave trading company in Britain. A year later, Musicologist Hannah Templeton wrote that some of Leopold Mozart's patrons were likely slavers or heavily invested in plantations in the West Indies. In that … Continue reading Classical Music and its Slave Orchestras

Jon Silpayamanant - โจนาทาน ศิลปยามานันท์ American Classical Music History, Arts Education, Cello, children, Cross-Cultural criticism, Culture, Decolonialism, Diversity, Education, Local Culture, Louisville, Music, Music Education, New Albany, Post-Colonialism, Psychology, Racism, String Playing Careers

Made in Thailand: Composed in America

Last week on Monday I was over at mae's1 house helping her clean out her kitchen while we were listening to the late Suthep Wongkamhaeng2 (สุเทพ วงศ์กำแหง), one of mae's favorites. As I was drying dishes, a song came up in the playlist and mae said she used to sing it to me as a … Continue reading Made in Thailand: Composed in America

Jon Silpayamanant - โจนาทาน ศิลปยามานันท์ American Classical Music History, Arts Education, children, Cross-Cultural criticism, Culture, Decolonialism, Diversity, Education, Feminism, History, Literature, Music, Music Education, Musicians, Operas, Post-Colonialism, Race, Racism, Teaching, Women's Studies, World Music

Diversity, Inclusive Programming, and Music Education (part 3): Assimilation

This is the third of a seven part series about Diversity, Inclusive Programming, and Music Education. Many of the ideas and themes here build on past pieces of this series, so reading them is suggested (for series overview, visit this link. part one: Intro; part 2: Postcolonialism). As this piece follows up on ideas brought … Continue reading Diversity, Inclusive Programming, and Music Education (part 3): Assimilation

Jon Silpayamanant - โจนาทาน ศิลปยามานันท์ Arts Education, children, Cross-Cultural criticism, Decolonialism, Diversity, Education, Global Music, Local Culture, Music, Music Education, Nationalism, Post-Colonialism, Race, Teaching, World Music

Diversity, Inclusive Programming, and Music Education (part 2): Postcolonialism

This is the second of a multi-part series about Diversity, Inclusive Programming, and Music Education (for part one, click here). As this piece follows up on ideas brought up in the previous post it's suggested you read it first. Also, as I mentioned at the conclusion of that piece, it might be useful for you … Continue reading Diversity, Inclusive Programming, and Music Education (part 2): Postcolonialism

Jon Silpayamanant - โจนาทาน ศิลปยามานันท์ Arts Education, children, Cross-Cultural criticism, Decolonialism, Diversity, Education, Global Music, Local Culture, Music, Music Education, Nationalism, Post-Colonialism, Race, Teaching, World Music

Diversity, Inclusive Programming, and Music Education (part 1)

In 2011 Tyler Thompson, a fifteen year old African American sophomore at the Oakland School for the Arts, made some waves in national and international news as a singer of songs in Mandarin. In 2004 he had already made national news for singing in a children's Chinese Opera. Here's an AP Video Piece from '11 … Continue reading Diversity, Inclusive Programming, and Music Education (part 1)

Jon Silpayamanant - โจนาทาน ศิลปยามานันท์ Decolonialism, Local Culture, Music, Post-Colonialism

How Easy is it to Avoid the Art of Monstrous Men?

Actually, it's ridiculously easy. I'll just stick to music, since that's what I usually focus on in this blog. And let me qualify the "ridiculously easy" by stating that I'm referring to the work of folks that may only be scratching the surface of those that remain unaccused--there may very well (and very likely) be … Continue reading How Easy is it to Avoid the Art of Monstrous Men?

Jon Silpayamanant - โจนาทาน ศิลปยามานันท์ Business, Economics, Improvisation, Music

Low Maintenance Gigging

I once asked a colleague I often work with if they'd be interested in being part of a project I was involved in at the request of another colleague.  My colleague declined stating they were not interested and only really wanted to take low maintenance gigs. This colleague gigs as often as, if not more … Continue reading Low Maintenance Gigging

Jon Silpayamanant - โจนาทาน ศิลปยามานันท์ belly dance, Bellydance, Dance, Music, String Playing Careers

On being a dance musician

As I cross over the 150 show mark this year (with three months still to go) and since I've had a couple of slow weeks I've been reflecting on how I'm still spending close to half my gigging time playing for dancers as I've been doing over the past decade or so. As I prep … Continue reading On being a dance musician

Jon Silpayamanant - โจนาทาน ศิลปยามานันท์ Audiences, Classical Music Crisis Crisis, Culture, Economics, Live Entertainment, Local Culture, Music, Pop, Post-Pop

What’s it like playing Pop Music when you’re not a Pop Superstar?

Some time ago one of my friends and one of the owners of a local record shop/venue, Modern Cult Records, posed a question (friends only post, unfortunately) on Facebook: Why do so many bands tour directly around Louisville? How can we change this frustrating f**king trend? Do I need to open my own damn venue? … Continue reading What’s it like playing Pop Music when you’re not a Pop Superstar?

Jon Silpayamanant - โจนาทาน ศิลปยามานันท์ Audiences, Classical Music Crisis Crisis, Fragmentation, Music

What’s it like playing for 50,000 people?

Over the years I've performed to an audience of none (some of my Performance Art and Experimental Music performances took place in very odd settings) up to audiences of tens of thousands (stadium concerts) and while I'm tempted to say each performing situation is different, really, it's not. I mean, in the end, you just … Continue reading What’s it like playing for 50,000 people?

Jon Silpayamanant - โจนาทาน ศิลปยามานันท์ American Classical Music History, Arts Education, Education, Local Culture, Music, Music Literacy, New Albany

Discovering your Band or Orchestra’s Roots

One of the local research projects I've been working on is charting the evolution of Classical Music in Kentuckiana (i.e. the Louisville-Jefferson County, KY-IN MSA). Being one of the MSA's which lies over two states, this makes some of the data gathering a little trickier, but lately I've decided to focus very specifically on New … Continue reading Discovering your Band or Orchestra’s Roots

Jon Silpayamanant - โจนาทาน ศิลปยามานันท์ Arts Funding, Business, Classical Music Crisis Crisis, Economics, Education, Music

[Music] entrepreneurship will favor the very few and marginalize the vast majority

The title of this post is from a recent piece (EDIT: 8/5/22 See this archived version with comments that are mentioned in this post) by Andy Lee taking to task some things that Claire Chase (Artistic Director and CEO of the International Contemporary Ensemble) said at a convocation address at Bienen School of Music at … Continue reading [Music] entrepreneurship will favor the very few and marginalize the vast majority

Jon Silpayamanant - โจนาทาน ศิลปยามานันท์ Aesthetics, Arts Education, Business, Classical Music Crisis Crisis, Culture, Economics, Education, Music, Post-Pop, Psychology

Jim Carrey, Steve Martin, Classical Music, and why you might not want to follow your passion…

I'm sure most of you have seen the recent Jim Carrey commencement speech (or at least the shortened clickbait version).  If not, here's the short one: Archived Video link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajMpfPYlHi4 While it is inspirational and uplifting if we put aside some of the issues of privilege in Carrey's situation which I've been having discussions about … Continue reading Jim Carrey, Steve Martin, Classical Music, and why you might not want to follow your passion…

Jon Silpayamanant - โจนาทาน ศิลปยามานันท์ Aesthetics, Art, Dance, Experimental Cellos and Cellists, klingon music, Music, Operas

Opera: “I’m not dead!”

With all the talk about San Diego Opera, the Met Opera, and a bit further back, the closure of New York City Opera we might be quick to say that Opera is a dying art form in the US. Indeed, a recent NAI report shows that Opera attendance is steadily declining from a recent high … Continue reading Opera: “I’m not dead!”

Jon Silpayamanant - โจนาทาน ศิลปยามานันท์ Live Entertainment, Local Culture, Local Louisville Linkblogging, Louisville, Music

New New Music Groups in Louisville

As I mentioned in my previous post, at least five groups have been formed in the past couple of years which focus significantly or exclusively on new music in the Louisville area.  This is not to say that this exhausts the list of new and experimental groups in the area. For a mosre complete (but … Continue reading New New Music Groups in Louisville