I'm grateful to everyone who joined in our recent discussion, about ways that classical music isn't connected to our present world. And that includes people who disagree with me, who are always welcome here, and who often teach me a lot. Soon enough I'll post my own revised list of ways in which classical music doesn't connect. But first, here's a disconnect from the past! I recently read a novel by Balzac, called Ferragus, which is dedicated to Berlioz. (It's part of a trilogy, and the second installment, The Duchesse De Lange, is dedicated to … [Read more...]

"Whether through discussion circles, on-line forums, or post-event coffee hours, the larger idea for arts organizations is that their job is to build community around content, rather than just generating content."-- from my fellow-blogger Andrew Taylor's post, "Enabling and rewarding your critics." … [Read more...]

I'm sure we've all read about this -- the YouTube initiative, which big-time orchestras have joined, to allow musicians anywhere to audition for orchestra projects online. ArtsJournal linked to the New York Times story, though you'll forgive me if I think my wife's piece in the Washington Post was more incisive. Now, I think this is a good thing, maybe a wonderful thing. But someone highly placed in the biz gave me a critique this morning -- the project didn't do anything to help orchestras or other classical music institutions develop an … [Read more...]