Archives for 2011

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I'm using the British spelling in honor of my hosts at Cambridge University.And of course I'm talking about what the male participants will be wearing, in the debate I'm taking part in, in Cambridge on Thursday, May 12, under the sponsorship of the Cambridge Union Society. But the content is surely more important than the dress. What we'll debate is the relevance of classical music to young people. I'll be arguing that it isn't relevant -- or, at least, not without extensive changes. Go here for details.But then my loyal readers surely … [Read more...]

Lying behind almost all the difficulties classical music has (and especially orchestras) is growing lack of interest. I'm fascinated to see that I'm not the only one saying this. It's just about become a mantra, when classical music trouble develops. It was cited, for instance, as one cause of the New Mexico Symphony bankruptcy, the end of the Syracuse Symphony, and the drastic decline of freelance work for classical musicians in New York. Or, to use the words people involved with these things used: In New Mexico, the orchestra suffered … [Read more...]

That's what I said -- in my talk at New England Conservatory -- that the graduating students are. It's their generation who'll build that bridge. And, so importantly, can also build a bridge to the world outside classical music. They can do that because they live in that world. In so many ways, they're just like others their age who don't play classical music, or listen to it. They share the same culture. So if they can't build a bridge to the outside world -- and specifically to people their own age -- who can?That's one key part of what … [Read more...]

I've taken my title from Tony Woodcock, the President of New England Conservatory, who used the phrase in his blog, and right at the start of something he wrote for a lively NEC student publication, The Penguin. (So named because the penguin -- because of classical music's white tie and tails -- is NEC's mascot.)And in The Penguin he says the phrase is now his mantra. Remarkable, I think, for the head of a classical music school. He trusts the future of classical music to his students. He knows they'll change the field. And he's helping … [Read more...]

As I noted before, the orchestra cost squeeze is truly a squeeze. Or, in other words, it's not a flat phenomenon, a simple matter of income declining, because ticket sales and donations are falling off. No, it's got another dimension: expenses are rising. And the falling income/rising expense squeeze gets worse over time. Previous posts: the overall situation, declining ticket sales, declining donations. Here's the rising expenses part of the story.Expenses rise, first of all, for all of us -- businesses, nonprofits, … [Read more...]

Some years ago, a major figure in the orchestra world told me a story. Foundations, he said, were losing interest in funding orchestras. So he and a colleague went to an annual foundation gathering, to try to stir up some interest. At this gathering, he said, anyone could invite foundations to a meeting, to discuss funding projects. Normally, he said, 20 to 30 foundations would show up whenever one of those meetings was called.So he and his colleagues invited foundations to talk about funding orchestras. Only five or so came -- a … [Read more...]

I'll be making two trips in the next two weeks.First, on May 4 and 5, Boston, to speak at a graduating students' lunch at New England Conservatory, and also to speak with various people, most definitely including those involved (students, faculty, staff) with the school's impressive program for entrepreneurial musicianship. Then, on May 13, I'll be taking part in a formal (black tie!) debate at Cambridge University in England: "This house believes that classical music is irrelevant to today's youth." This will be presented by the Cambridge … [Read more...]

First: a cost squeeze is more than just a negative balance sheet. It's an ongoing thing, something that develops over time. Your expenses keep rising, and your income keeps shrinking. And you think that's likely to continue.So one part of the orchestra cost squeeze -- which I started writing about in a recent post -- centers on ticket sales. In the past, orchestras sold most of their tickets to subscribers, people who bought several tickets (maybe many tickets), before each season started. And did it year after year. This was very helpful. … [Read more...]

Following my previous post about the unfortunate Philadelphia Orchestra -- and why their bankruptcy could be a tipping point for the entire classical music business -- here are some gloomy details. Sorry for the gloom, but it's important to understand what's going on.Orchestras are caught in a cost squeeze, a spiral of financial distress. Nor are they alone. Our economy is clearly going through what we might politely call a major reorganization. And other cultural organizations feel the pinch. Today ArtsJournal linked to a story about financial … [Read more...]

Yesterday, in class, one of my Juilliard students said he felt discouraged. We'd been talking about the Philadelphia bankruptcy, and what a turning point this is for classical music. So the student said that he found all the bad news depressing. Even though the reading for class yesterday was about some positive steps. (Follow the "class" link above to see what the reading was, and to do it yourself, if you're so inclined.) Why, this student wondered, should he go into a practice room, and keep on working?He wasn't seriously depressed. And … [Read more...]

Two big thoughts for today. First, that the Philadelphia Orchestra bankruptcy opens a new era of classical music distress. And second, that we should treat this as a time of opportunity, a time to foster the rebirth of classical music. Which means that we should devote ourselves to classical music with more passion than ever. The Philadelphia Orchestra bankruptcy is a huge, huge event. I told my Juilliard students yesterday that it's the biggest thing that's happened, related to the future of classical music, since I began teaching my … [Read more...]

If the Philadelphia Orchestra really does declare bankruptcy this weekend, as news stories suggest (here and here) -- that's huge. People in the orchestra world, speaking privately, have been wondering which large orchestra might be the first to crash, with Philadelphia normally mentioned as a likely candidate. And now, maybe, it's happening. This should be a wakeup call for the entire classical music business. Because, yes, the Philadelphia Orchestra has had serious problems, but those problems can't the sole cause of the bankruptcy. … [Read more...]

The lesson here: Classical music needs some new financial models. Big institutions need to survive while selling cheaper tickets to a new young audience. Classical musicians need a way to make money playing in clubs. Classical musicians and composers -- especially alt-classical ones -- need a way to reach a larger, pop-oriented audience. When I last posted, I praised the New York City Opera for its savvy and successful plan to build an audience for its Monodramas. The company willing to accept smaller houses, early on, hoping that the … [Read more...]

In my posts about the new classical music audience in NY, I mentioned the New York City Opera Monodramas production as a key event, one that drew this audience. I'd been to it on opening night, and City Opera was mobbed with the kind of people (younger than usual, for a start) that you don't usually see at the opera. An arts crowd, not a classical music crowd.But was there a problem? Some people thought there was. I started hearing that later performances didn't get as many people as opening night. Which, as I've learned, was true -- until … [Read more...]