A look at the future

I have been following this fascinating blog for more than a year because I, too, am concerned about the future of classical music. This is my first ever comment.

I confess that I have been dismayed by how "gray" the classical music audience is (my usual venues are the NY Philharmonic, the Met, NYCO, and Tanglewood) and yet I'm not sure there really is an easy solution to increasing audience diversity.

It seems to me that in music, as in so many other areas of art, entertainment, and media, today's audiences are highly fragmented. I'm not sure that most people are willing to step outside their musical "comfort zone." I for one am certainly guilty of that.

When I do my annual ticket orders I look closely at the programs and there are certain genres and composers that for me are poison. Perhaps it's because concert and opera tickets are so expensive. When I spend that much money (not to mention the time and expense of just getting there) I want to be certain that I will enjoy the event. For me that means avoiding "film night," "light classics," and most music by highly regarded contemporary composers such as Wuorinen and Carter. And I don't think I would enjoy cross-over works by pop artists either. I was a teenager during the birth of rock and roll but for some reason the entire genre of pop music never held any attraction for me. I suspect that the "old gray heads" that I see at most events wouldn't be pleased with it either. On the other hand I suspect young hipsters would probably be bored to tears with the traditional repertory if it were offered on the same program.

I wish I could be more optimistic about the possibility of expanding the tastes of all audiences (and my own tastes as well) but it seems such an insurmountable task. Nonetheless I realize that our major institutions must continue their efforts at audience building if only to ensure their continued survival.

Thanks, Jay. I'm grateful for your openness, and your honesty. I think you're right about audiences being fragmented. It's been happening in pop for a generation now. And it seems to be a feature of contemporary life. (Cf. the long tail effect, etc.)

That makes problems for big, mainstream classical music institutions. Their audience starts to shrink (much as newspapers have fewer readers, and fewer people watch network TV). And they lose their claim to universality, which could (probably will) affect their funding.
So of course they have to move into other areas. The one I've sketched out seems very promising, both for its artistic interest and becuase it reaches a new audience.

But that doesn't mean you have to like it! You have every right to enjoy the music you love, without straining yourself to move into new territory. Orchestras for the next decade or so, maybe for the foreseeable future, will have to please both their old audience, and new audiences. My only warning would be for you to prepare, quite possibly, for fewer concerts of the kind you like. Orchestras might not be able to afford to do as many of them in the future as they do now.

The orchestra was on retainer for three weeks, monday to saturday, from 3-11pm if I'm not mistaken. From what the guys told me, Stevens learned orchestration on the fly, day to day --- from his lab rats.

Thanks, Nathan. Good information to have.

I think that's a wonderful plan, the arrangement you describe. It's good for the musicians, because they have steady work. And it's good for Stevens, because he learns how to orchestrate. Straightahead classical composers would benefit tremendously from something like this, and nobody should begrudge Stevens the chance to benefit. His previous work shows he deserves it.

Greg, I think the last time I saw you was in the lobby of the BAM for the revival of Einstein on The Beach. I loved that show. I"m sorry I couldn't see this one.

I think smart orchestra managers are beginnning to understand that they can bring in a new audience by doing things such as Lord Of The Rings concerts and video game soundtrack stuff.

Dave, that was a long time ago! But we're still lively.

Orchestras tend to see the Lord of the Rings and video game concerts as low-cost extras -- cash cows. They may also understand that this gives them a greater role in their communities.

I suspect events like Sufjan Stevens are in another category. They're serious artistic creations, designed specifically for the orchestra (or in this case, for BAM). So I suspect there's more mileage, ultimately -- artistic mileage and marketing mileage, both. Orchestras don't need any external event to piggyback on. The downside, of course, is that there's risk (if they commission a piece from Stevens or, maybe, Nick Cave, the piece might fail), and that these projects cost more.

WNYC has posted a video of a closed rehearsal on youtube and embedded it in this page: Sufjan Stevens and his Orchestra ride the BQE (Oct 27 2007).

Thanks. This is the same video I linked to, via Pitchfork. The ensemble seems to be smaller than the full orchestra, and the playing is tentative (understatement). So I don't think it represents the piece quite wonderfully. But at least it gives a taste.