Alex Ross wrote a great article regarding the challenge modern Classical Music faces in being accepted. It is in the middle of the article that he highlights a great point that cannot be overlooked in my view. I believe the hatred he talks about is more directed to those who present new music. As presenters we too like the composers must be creative because it is hardly fair to complain that audiences wont accept something new, when we present it as if it is a premiere happening in 1865!…..
attracting younger audiences
mmmm…that new Conductor smell!
It would be a sadly familiar scenario if 2 major orchestras are looking to their new maestros to seemingly solve all of their problems or even save their orchestras….please our egos are already big enough! We as Music Directors may be the leaders but we lead a team, and to suggest that a conductor can be the fix for major organizational problems would be akin to suggesting that an executive director can fix any major artistic problems……
More ASS in clASSical: The secret to enlightenment….BEER!
How could we have missed it, the answer to what ails Classical Music is in fact…..ale! If all else fails then isn’t alcohol always the answer….hmmm. This according to Louise Jury the “chief arts correspondent” for the London Evening Standard, which I remember as the paper (when I was a student in London) I never needed to buy simply because no one commuting home (it is sold outside tube stations) would ever keep it, so I always had my choice of copies to read! Again here we go with the inane and the ridiculous and the worst of it is that it is not an original idea, and it has already failed before….
Quick Takes: How about thinking INSIDE the box? and request time!
A completely overused statement “thinking outside the box” needs to be reworked and soon. I used to love using it, but now I feel it is a cop out statement as if to say we are going to try something new and different and if it doesn’t work, well at least we tried! Also my new Audience Connections class has begun (16 students!) and like I do every year I am asking for requests of arts related topics and current events for us to discuss in class, and I will post the audio! Bottom left is the Audience Connection tab if you want to listen to podcasts and read related articles…now to the box….
Terry Teachout and how we go from Zero to Hero! – plus a mini tribute
Ernest Fleischmann passed and I had one treasured experience with him that I want to share, but first to Terry Teachout. Terry I say thank you for your article raising the question of eliminating regional orchestras, yes thank you! He opened an even bigger debate than in my Context/Urtext post (it is somewhat related) which is: what is the definition of the word “artistic”?…..
It needs to be about CONTEXT not URTEXT!!!!
At Cliburn last year I kept hearing “it has to be about the music”. I’m sorry MUSIC IS NOT ABOUT MUSIC, it’s about everything else! We spend so much time focusing on trying to get people to fall in love with music and with what we do. This will only happen when we do the opposite first i.e It’s time for us to be into them! Trying to tap into their pulse still puts us on the outside looking in, the goal should be to become part of their bloodstream…..
More ASS in clASSical – Unexplain This!
So I’m late in getting to the widely panned Philly marketing campaign Unexpect Yourself. Now to their credit it has created a lot of buzz in the blogosphere but whether it translates into sales and repeat business….well time will tell. What marketing in general seems to lack is creating a connection to relevancy with this and many other tag lines going for a just try it kind of E Harmony vibe. There is an incredible study out there that marketers should take note of that is not sexy but is relevant and might change the philosophy of sending out the message into sending out the messenger(s)…..
Quick Takes: Putting your mouth where the money is!
We have all heard it word of mouth is the best form of advertising, and who would doubt it? Problem is it is both hard to quantify and to come up with data to prove its effectiveness, or so I thought……