Could this be the year with seemingly inevitable economic woes painting a bleak picture for individual, corporate and foundation support and most importantly ticket sales, that while strategizing we collectively all ask the question……well what does the audience want? It’s not so much that we need to hit the reset button, but we do need to realize that it’s the audience that has the power to unlock our growth in these times…..
Aud.Connect
Audience Connection Final – part 2
The final two dream big Arts organizations from the Audience Connection final (here is part 1). Also, as part of their final I wanted them to take a genre of music and redefine it into more clearly understood sub-genres i.e funk, techno funk. I have included clips from two that were very well thought out and presented. For the Holidays, at the end of the post I have included audio from a rehearsal of Franz Biebl’s extraordinary Ave Maria with yours truly conducting Choirs from Evangel University and the College of the Ozarks….
The Audience Connection Final – Part 1
The Audience Connections Class you have been hearing clips from since August had their final on December 10, so here they are this week for the last time. Below is the main part of their final, which was a challenge…….
Not that there’s anything wrong with that!
What is it all coming to? The recession is forcing even major arts organizations to …..gulp……actually program what the audiences want to hear and see! Now what’s that I hear, the big 3 automakers need to build cars that people want to drive! I guess newspapers need to start writing what people want to read! In the immortal words of R.E.M:
It’s the end of the world as we know it…..
Let’s hope so, at least for the arts world!….
Fear Factor(y)!….
We are not going to admit it are we? Why is it that writers constantly try to put a positive spin on the negative by proclaiming it’s simply an emotional response that prevents people from attending a Symphony concert or an arts event, basically saying it’s their fault. This time it’s fear, yes people are fearful, scardey cats, wobbly need at the thought of an audience member shooting them a dirty look if you applaud inthe wrong place. Give me a break, if 98% of a city is not into you, it can’t be just fear. I mean it is not as if they are being asked to bungee jump (although you should see how high the balcony is in our hall)…..
Future Shock…
This is the first in a series of postings about one musician’s desire to bring Classical Music back to the People, by whatever means necessary…
Are you depressed yet? It seems like every time you turn around there is another article about this orchestra cutting costs, that orchestra cutting concerts, the other orchestra in the red, etc. It’s pretty depressing, not least of which because there are a lot of musicians out there who are trying to make a living, and their main source of income is threatened. Let us hope that these institutions make it through these trying times. But here’s the question: how is the classical music business like the economy in general, and what can we do for the future?
It’s Official – We are the #1 Orchestra in all of….
Springfield Missouri! I don’t know how Gramophone Magazine missed us, obviously they are biased by not mentioning us in their top 20 orchestras of the world issue! PLEASE, what is the point of doing this except to p@#% off people? The truth is, the arguments wont rage, and no one is relocating from the city with the #2 orchestra to the city with the #1 orchestra (although it is in Amsterdam and there are some benefits)…..are they?….
A Flat Brew…..
My class is winding up soon, I will miss this group. The students bring articles and blog posts to discuss each class and Amanda brought one about the Night Shift Series put on by the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment which takes place late at night, where drinking beer is allowed and encouraged (musicians don’t get too excited)….if you’re in the audience……