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Warmest holiday wishes

December 26, 2012 by
rafa xmas

To all my readers, whom I value so much — warmest wishes for the holidays, and for 2013. The best thing, for me, in the past year, was what you see in the photo. Our little Rafa, two months old last Xmas, but now 14 months old, and a real participant. A kid who smiles and laughs, and makes up games to play with us. 2012 looked like a troubling year for classical music, with so many orchestras in peril. But built into this trouble is hope. As things get worse, more people see that change has to come. And more change does come. As I look … [Read more...]

12/26/12 4:40 PM | filed under: personal |

Final mavericks: Jade Simmons and a Go-Go symphony

December 21, 2012 by
jade blog

Well, final only for now. Because, as I said in my last post — where I finished the list of readers' nominations — I'll be continuing this in the new year. So the name to conjure with, maverick-wise — the maverick of the year, if I had to name one — would be Jade Simmons. One look at her website (follow the link) tells you she's different. "Cyber Digs of Multifaceted Pianist Jade Simmons," it says. "Take off your shoes & stay awhile!" I don't know anyone in classical music who's so much at home in our outside culture, who does … [Read more...]

12/21/12 11:56 AM | filed under: changes, entrepreneurship, finding a new audience, Preparing for the future, Uncategorized |

A lot of mavericks

December 20, 2012 by
from readers blog

  Finishing — for now — with the many, many suggestions I've gotten from readers. If I missed anyone (maybe a Facebook comment, or something on Twitter, or whatever else might have escaped my dragnet, forgive me! This isn't over. We'll resume in the new year. And then keep doing this! Because what we've done here is something badly needed. We're compiling a list of classical music alternatives — of the many new things that people have done, to change the face of this art form, and give it a new birth. From Andrew Lyon:  I am … [Read more...]

12/20/12 10:03 PM | filed under: breaking the mold, changes, from readers, Preparing for the future, Uncategorized |

“We personalize what music is”

December 20, 2012 by
ROCO blog

Another maverick, one I've known about for years: The 40-musician River Oaks Chamber Orchestra, in Houston, founded in 2005. This has to be one of the most stunning entrepreneurial triumphs in classical music, since its founder, Alecia Lawyer, created it from nothing, using social contacts at her church and in Houston generally to lay a foundation. And then finding the best musicians she could, from Houston and elsewhere. And then building a large, stable audience. And then making an impact on the city. She was (as I just learned from … [Read more...]

12/20/12 1:59 PM | filed under: changes, entrepreneurship, finding a new audience, Preparing for the future |

Mavericks — continuing

December 19, 2012 by
from readers blog

More classical music mavericks, as submitted by readers: From Geoffrey Jones: The Artists in Residence program at Strathmore [a major concert hall, between Washington, DC and Baltimore], some of them are breaking molds and have huge talents. Three suggestions from Brett Amacher: I think this is a great example of how to "reach outside the classical music bubble": 'The Speedbumps at the Canton Symphony' did that very well, imo (details on the blog post below). http://www.callumndad.com/?p=361 Tonhalle Orchester Zurich's "tonhalleLATE"... … [Read more...]

12/19/12 12:51 PM | filed under: changes, entrepreneurship, finding a new audience, Preparing for the future, Uncategorized |

Path-breaking piano curriculum

December 18, 2012 by
from readers blog

Add this to the mavericks list. I'll continue with nominations from readers very shortly, but thought I'd add one of my own. This is an email from Heather Dawn Taves, a pianist and composer who teaches at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Canada (an hour outside Toronto). Heather describes the piano program at the school, which more than lives up to its billing — in her email — as "the most innovative of the high-end performance undergrad programs in Canada." Or, I'd think, anywhere.  I wouldn't even know where to start in … [Read more...]

12/18/12 1:55 PM | filed under: changes, entrepreneurship, Preparing for the future |

More mavericks

December 13, 2012 by
from readers blog

More suggestions from the many I've gotten, after I asked who in classical music is doing things in new ways. I'll post all the suggestions I get, though not all at once. The suggestion I posted: Ad Hoc, a chamber ensemble in Rochester. (I'll have more) One thought, before going further. Many people mention performances in clubs. Nothing wrong with that. Classical musicians have been playing in clubs for more than a decade, and clearly they're bringing classical music closer to everyday life. But because this has been going on for so … [Read more...]

12/13/12 10:58 PM | filed under: entrepreneurship, finding a new audience, from readers, Preparing for the future, Uncategorized |

Maverick nominations

December 12, 2012 by
from readers blog

Many suggestions for maverick classical music people and groups — which I asked for in a recent post  —  have come in, via blog comments, email, Facebook, and Twitter. I asked for "nominations," actually, which now I regret. Did I really think I was going to vet all suggestions, and then pick some of them? No way! I'll just pass on all suggestions. And I'll have some of my own, like Ad Hoc, the Rochester chamber ensemble I blogged about, or Jade Simmons, or the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra (ROCO) in Houston, or… (more to … [Read more...]

12/12/12 9:00 PM | filed under: breaking the mold, entrepreneurship, Preparing for the future, Uncategorized |

Breaking the mold

December 7, 2012 by
ad hoc blog

I want to talk about people in classical music who break the mold. Leave the classical music business far behind, and do things in new ways. New ways that work! Here's my first nomination: Ad Hoc, in Rochester, NY, which on its website calls itself "an ephemeral chamber ensemble." Though after more than a dozen performances, they've got some staying power. Here's how they describe themselves: You enter a beautiful hall -- acoustically perfect -- where musicians are getting ready to rehearse. You hear the noise of individual warm-ups for … [Read more...]

12/7/12 2:03 PM | filed under: breaking the mold, entrepreneurship, finding a new audience |

Looking for mavericks

December 6, 2012 by
wieden lobby blog

This was the first in what turned out to be a long series of posts, in which I and many readers highlighted people, groups, and institutions making new departures in classical music, doing things in new ways. This wasn't even close to a complete list, but it was an exhilarating start, especially because this information simply isn't available. Classical music has been changing at an almost explosive pace, and yet most of the changes happen just below the radar, maybe talked about in the media here and there, but never catalogued, so there's … [Read more...]

12/6/12 11:55 AM | filed under: entrepreneurship, Preparing for the future |
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