In a post last week about the CBC controversy, I asked how classical stations in the U.S. might work to enrich the classical scenes in their communities. And lo, the heavens responded (well, really, Google did).
One article in the Rochester (Minn.) Post-Bulletin points out that an area station set aside airtime for the Rochester Symphony Orchestra and Chorale to raise money for the orchestra’s general budget. The orchestra even got some help from a local partner, the Rochester Honkers—a baseball team. (I wonder how the brass section feels about that arrangement.) “Sports don’t have to be divorced from classical music,” said the orchestra’s music director. “People just have to get over the hump. Once you’ve experience classical music live, you’re hooked.” And the radio station is actually an easy listening station. A novel three-way partnership that makes me wonder why Minnesota Public Radio’s local classical station, which actually carries the format, isn’t involved.
And in Austin, Texas, public classical station KMFA is asking listeners to contribute toward a commission fee for a new work of classical music. The piece will be performed by the Austin Symphony Orchestra, and the composer is Dan Welcher, who hosts a weekly program on KMFA. Donations go to the Austin Community Foundation, which is seeking to raise $50,000 for the commission. I’ve never heard of this sort of undertaking before. It’s fascinating, and a real example of a station moving beyond just playing works of music and taking part in the creation of one.
A footnote: Greg Sandow notes that he’s speaking today at New York’s WNYC to a group music directors from public radio stations. I caught wind of this meeting, which is being supported by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a few weeks back—sounds like it should be an interesting brainstorming session about classical music on public radio, and led by a station that’s certainly taking a distinct approach to the genre. I’ll be following up with WNYC and attendees to see what comes of it.
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Don’t be too hard on MPR. I think it’s difficult for public stations to be involved with fundraising for local arts organizations. First, the FCC doesn’t allow public radio to directly fundraise for other non-profits – so they couldn’t do an on-air campaign. Secondly, if you help out one group, how do you say no to the next? Especially if your station has long-standing relationships with multiple classical groups. It’s a slippery slope.
Mike,
Actually, commissions by broadcasting
entities have occurred before in this country.
NBC had a composition contest in 1931-32 in
which 573 manuscripts were submitted. The jury
consisted of Walter Damrosch, Leopold
Stokowski, Frederick Stock, Tullio Serafin and
Nikolai Sokoloff. Five works were finalists, and were heard on an NBC broadcast of
May 1st, 1931. From there, 150 selected listeners submitted their choices
by telegraph, and the winning
composition was played on May 8th, 1932.
The piece was “Station WGZBX” by
Philip James.
The first performance “in a concert
hall” was in Boston with Koussevitzky
conducting, Friday afternoon January 20th, 1933.
The most recent US radio commission of an orchestral piece I know
of was in 1991, when Ned Rorem’s
Swords and Plowshares was written on
a commission by WCRB, in celebration
of the stations 40th anniversary.
Hugh Wolff conducted the Boston Symphony,
November 1991, and the soloists included
Cynthia Haymon, Katherine Ciesinski,
Gran Wilson, and Andrew Wentzel.
Then we should mention, “Masterprize”
which was sponsored by NPR, Classic FM UK,
EMI and the London Symphony Orchestra.
Several interesting works came out of that
contest, including Theofanidis’ Rainbow
Body. I don’t know if Masterprize has
been conducted since 2003, but
I believe it was done on more than one
occasion.
So this is not an unprecedented event
taking place. Its happened before….