Neo Classical – Holly Mulcahy on the future of classical music

The Art of Complaining About the Arts

Sun, Sep 4, 2011

by:

Holly Mulcahy

This is a self-test to determine if you have a problem complaining about the arts. The goal is to help musicians in the classical music business think before complaining and consider a more constructive approach rather than complaining for the sake of complaining. [tabs style=”default”] [tab title=”Question 1″][poll id=”2″][/tab] [tab title=”Click to see the correct answer”] [highlight]Correct answer: “look petty.”[/highlight] If you have nothing nice to say…blah, blah, blah, but also you never know who has saved a screen capture and will share later. [/tab] [/tabs] [tabs style=”default”] [tab title=”Question 2″][poll id=”3″][/tab] … Continue Reading

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Getting It Right

Mon, Aug 1, 2011

by:

Holly Mulcahy

“Can music reflect colors and can colors be reflected in music?” That is the question composer Jennifer Higdon poses in her brief program notes for her two movement piano trio. The two movements, titled Pale Yellow and Fiery Red, offer a view of Higdon’s interpretation of two very different colors and moods. What is so interesting and refreshing to me is the simplicity of the program notes I found for this piece. Many times new works can have too much information, almost in a vain attempt to beat a particular idea or … Continue Reading

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The Complete Experience

Wed, Jul 20, 2011

by:

Betty Mulcahy

“You must see the Mahler! It’s fabulous!” Several people told us this as the 2011 season of the Grand Teton Music Festival began. Because both of our children became professional symphony musicians for their careers, our friends assume we are sophisticated, knowledgeable concert-goers. “You know what’s going on,” they’ve said. “You can appreciate what happens in the symphony.” But nothing could be further from the truth. While I dink on the piano, Chuck plays the radio. Neither of us even participated in high school band and orchestra.

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That Slippery Slope

Mon, Jul 4, 2011

by:

Holly Mulcahy

If I had been told in conservatory that part of my job would be sitting next to bitter musicians who complain about their job, never smile or look engaged during performances, and that this behavior is potentially contagious, I would have not believed it. How any musician could have the passion snuffed out and be replaced by an apathetic husk of their former self was beyond me. But the unfortunate reality is musicians do lose their passion.

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Can We Please Have Some Good News?

Mon, Jun 6, 2011

by:

Holly Mulcahy

It seems that there is an unbearable amount of bad news in the classical music world. I’m tired of hearing my friends and colleagues repeat, in a mantra-like fashion, the doomsdays news of various orchestras’ demise and the death of classical music. While so much of it is in fact true and disturbing, there is good news in various forms and sizes out there that is being sidelined for more sensationalized and disturbing news. So I’m starting a list of positive things that I have noticed over the past month, and I … Continue Reading

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