From a musician in a mid-sized orchestra, at a meeting I was at today:
I was taught that the art is everything, but that’s a fallacy. I’ve come to think of classical music as an advocacy profession, like being a lawyer, and working as a public defender. You’ll have to explain why you do what you do.
Many younger musicians feel this way. Another way I’ve heard them put it is that careers aren’t in any sense automatic, even for musicians who are really good. To some extent, you’ll have to make your own way — and an important part of your job may be to explain classical music to people who don’t know much about it.


Recent Comments
Greg Sandow on Good news from Toronto
Thanks! It's wonderful to have this corroboration. I'm sure Peter Oundjian is a crucial part of the Symphony's success.Greg Sandow on Philharmonic clarification
Christina, when the Philharmonic played in Lewisohn Stadium, they didn't have any marketing department. Or any corporate sponsors. Those things...D Shapiro on Good news from Toronto
As a subscriber, and a parent of a 29-year-old, I can provide a little insight. My daughter is fairly typical...Christina Jensen on Philharmonic clarification
If that is true, it's unlikely any publicists were involved, but rather marketing departments and corporate sponsorship folks. http://nyphil.org/support/corporate_benefits.cfmJon Silpayamanant on Good news from Toronto
Some classical music institutions attract a young audience by lowering ticket prices, but then they need funding to offset the...