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.
Classical Music, Aging Audiences, and the Emerging Demographic Racial Gap
I had come across an old (May 17, 2007) New York Times piece by Sam Roberts yesterday while doing some searches for the Aging Audience of Classical Music issue. The piece, titled "New Demographic Racial Gap" is outlining the age gap between the dominant majority in the US and the [still growing] ethnic minorities. To … Continue reading Classical Music, Aging Audiences, and the Emerging Demographic Racial Gap
Share this:
The death of the cinematic industry…
So the last movie I went to, Thor, I was intrigued to see a table with fliers for a couple of upcoming "special events." The two fliers were slick promos for upcoming (one now past) live HD cast performances by the Metropolitan Opera and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Look at that blurb in the top … Continue reading The death of the cinematic industry…
Share this:
“66,000 opera companies across America”
A lively discussion is happening at Tony Woodcock's blog, but what's intriguing me a bit are some of the things a poster with the username of Digoweli is saying. In particular, this excerpt from the post linked: What has happened to us from 1900 when there were 66,000 opera companies across America with 1,300 Opera … Continue reading “66,000 opera companies across America”
Share this:
Changing US Demographics and Classical Music
Re-posting Ramon Ricker's blog about Changing US Demographics and Classical Music in full, just because it can never be said enough! Posted on November 9, 2009 at 5:00 am by Ramon Ricker in General Tags: concerts, opinion, orchestras Here’s a personal observation and some thoughts. When my wife and I visited the Netherlands a couple … Continue reading Changing US Demographics and Classical Music
Share this:
Too Many Notes, too few orchestras
While reading the comments to a post by Drew McManus that I mentioned in my previous post, I came across a reference to a post that drew had written about the issue of having too many groups offering the same thing in a metropolitan area. While Drew disagrees than in general there may be too … Continue reading Too Many Notes, too few orchestras
Share this:
Too many (classical) musicians?
Eric wrote a probing and insightful post questioning the often mentioned mantra (by the Classical Music doomsayers camp) that there are just far too many musicians being pumped out by the University system (at least in the states) to be sustained by the shrinking classical music job market. I know that in the past I've … Continue reading Too many (classical) musicians?
Share this:
Is there really a Classical Music Crisis?
I've been trying to catch up on my blogroll, mainly because (and maybe this is ironic) I've been so busy gigging that I haven't really had much time to dig into my subscriptions. This weekend will be no different as I'll have 5 shows to play plus the two on Monday. This despite Greg Sandow … Continue reading Is there really a Classical Music Crisis?
Share this:
“Three Strikes and you’re OUT!”
An interesting blog in the NYT by David Lang (one of the founders of Bang on a Can) making an analogy to Baseball and Classical music. I posted a response at the cello chat forums, but thought I'd include it here for those interested. Response below: A nice piece--and for the record, I've always loved … Continue reading “Three Strikes and you’re OUT!”
Share this:
“…he has no European blood in his veins to make sense of our European repertoire…”
The quote in the title is from a comment made by a poster to a recent article in Slate about the Boston Symphony Orchestra's current search for a new conductor now that maestro James Levine will be leaving. The full quote is: A few years ago the Boston Globe wrote an article about a whispering … Continue reading “…he has no European blood in his veins to make sense of our European repertoire…”
Share this:
“How Can the Orchestra Be More Like Gamelan?”
I read this piece by composer Daniel Goode a few weeks back, but am coming back to it now, especially in light of the piece about the history of the Cello in Britain and how it describes the communal aspect of including "not so professional" musicians making music with the "elite musicians." He opens the … Continue reading “How Can the Orchestra Be More Like Gamelan?”
Share this:
Covers vs. Originals
This isn't a topic I thought I would be revisiting in relation to Greg Sandow's "rebirth of Classical Music" ideas but it's such a perennial discussion amongst local pop musicians as to warrant mention. I posted a response in the Greg Sandow's blog post I mentioned previously to the most recent response. I'm posting it … Continue reading Covers vs. Originals
Mae Mai 