You hear it all the time these days, “Classical music ensembles are playing better now than ever before.”
I don’t think this is an unreasonable statement and I would wholeheartedly agree that orchestras and opera companies which were barley more than civic groups 15 years ago are now full of talented, professional musicians delivering a string of excellent concerts.
But what exactly has that increase in artistic quality accomplished? Are professional ensembles located in the proverbial artistic outskirts being noticed? Do they have as much impact as their elder cousins in New York, Boston, and Chicago? Do they have enough clout to make the cultural consciousness wake up and notice a new vehicle for delivering classical music?