Neo Classical

Virtual War

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There’s a battle raging along the front lines of classical music over the use of recorded and synthesized music to replace live musicians, particularly those who perform for ballets and musicals. Of course, the war itself is very old; musicians have long fought against technological advancements which threatened their livelihood. At the early part of the 20th century, it was radio and phonographs which began to displace live musicians and even today, recorded music continues to be used in that capacity. However, the most recent participants in the war are “virtual orchestra” … Continue Reading

Eine Kleine Nacht Verwirrung

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Across the country, the Labor Day weekend traditionally signals the beginning of orchestra season and they are all in full blown promotion mode selling subscriptions as they push their 05-06 programming. Recent years have produced a sort of dichotomy when it comes to programming; orchestras facing a rapid decline in ticket sales are programming more standard fare in hopes of retaining core listeners and to create a “safe” environment for newcomers while others are pushing contemporary works with the goal of creating increased interest and preventing listener burn out. Nevertheless, one thing … Continue Reading

The Future Of Classical Music Is In Venezuela

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The final installment will examine the remaining question regarding whether or not the Fundacion del Estado para el Sistema Nacional de las Orquestras Juveniles e Infantiles (Foundation of the State for the National System of the Orchestras Youth and Children) program, commonly referred to FESNOJIV, could be successful if implemented outside of Venezuela. This final question is of particular interest to Boston’s New England Conservatory, who helped sponsor their Youth Philharmonic Orchestra tour through Venezuela and Brazil. At the conclusion of Part 3, the small ensembles of the Sinfonica de la Juventud … Continue Reading

The Future Of Classical Music Is In Venezuela

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This installment will examine one of the two remaining questions regarding the astonishing Fundacion del Estado para el Sistema Nacional de las Orquestras Juveniles e Infantiles (Foundation of the State for the National System of the Orchestras Youth and Children) program which is commonly referred to in Venezuela as FESNOJIV. Part 1 introduced the program while Part 2 examined how the FESNOJIV began 30 years ago and how far it’s evolved since that time. Although I had come to understand that the FESNOJIV program has accomplished an immeasurable amount of social good … Continue Reading

The Future Of Classical Music Is In Venezuela

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To reiterate where things left off in Part 1, I recently had an opportunity to examine the Fundacion del Estado para el Sistema Nacional de las Orquestras Juveniles e Infantiles (Foundation of the State for the National System of the Orchestras Youth and Children), which is commonly referred to in Venezuela as FESNOJIV. After my first day’s interaction with some of the musicians and a few of the program’s leaders, I had the following questions: How has this seemingly amazing program developed the way it has over the past 30 years and … Continue Reading