"News related to the modern world of classical music."
Gilbert
Bridgid
Susan
August
Jeffery
Steven
As classical music struggles to attract a new generation of concertgoers, and as organizations continue to fight for solvency, pundits ceaselessly tout stuffy tradition and prohibitive cost as the reasons many people find classical music unattractive.
While these elements may indeed play a role in public perception of classical music, efforts to make the classical experience less formal ultimately fail to identify the crux of the issue: the music.
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Mark Schwartz is a lawyer who believes The Philadelphia Orchestra’s “plodding” bankruptcy court proceedings don’t bode well for the organization. In an article for philly.com, he compares the orchestra’s situation to that of the Barnes Foundation—a case in which he blames a misguided board of directors for prematurely forcing its organization into court. Barnes is an educational art and horticultural institution that sought court approval to move from a suburb of Philadelphia to a more city-accessible site under the pretense of financial hardship. The move would directly violate the organization’s “indenture of trust,” which stipulates its art holdings are not to be relocated.
Schwartz’s criticism is that Barnes claimed an inability to raise $1.5 million for annual costs, but mustered $150 million once the relocation of the gallery was approved. Fearing the Philly Orchestra may be guilty of something similar, Schwartz points out that bankruptcy court is not somewhere organizations should seek to be. Short of a quick in-and-out to “shed obligations and return to business,” prolonged litigation could threaten the orchestra’s stability as well as its reputation. Players are rumored to be coursing the job market for more stable positions, and subscribers share in the frustration of their orchestra’s turmoil. Who is really benefiting when a near-bankrupt orchestra spends hundreds of thousands on legal fees? View Full Article »
Please welcome our newest writer, Jake DeBacher. Jake is a composer hailing from the Midwest who will be providing The Sound Post with an insider’s view on contemporary music and the people who write it. We look forward to reading more of his work!
In what will hopefully become a trend in the industry, a team of musicians has recently undertaken a project to create a new, free edition of Bach’s Goldberg Variations. The project, called Open Goldberg Variations, hopes to make Bach’s masterwork available to the public by releasing both a score and recording in the public domain—that is, without copyright. The name “Open Goldberg Variations” comes from the “open source” ideology of the tech world. Just as open-source software makes the code for its programs available to the public, Open Goldberg Variations plans to create an edition of the Goldbergs that will be available for anyone to download, view, or edit without the copyright restrictions enforced by conventional publishers.
While creating a copyright-free release of both a score and recording is already exciting, the philosophy behind the project encompasses a bigger issue than simply “free Bach.” It represents a movement away from expensive, designer editions of works which amateur, or even some professional musicians, might be less inclined to purchase. This could potentially curb the frequently discouraging discovery that a desired work is either scarce, unaffordable, or both. However, like many benevolent efforts, the project must first raise enough funds to pay expenses prior to the release. View Full Article »
The 111 year old Philadelphia Orchestra became the first world-class orchestra to file for bankruptcy amid the financial morass currently plaguing American orchestras. However, unlike the Syracuse Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra did not cancel any performances or order an organization-wide shutdown. The season will continue as planned, but the future of the organization will depend on the proceedings in bankruptcy court.
While the move was expected, many feel it was unnecessary. The orchestra has assets, including an endowment, that total $140 million—three times its current liabilities. Management views the endowment as donor-restricted and therefore unusable, which means the orchestra is currently operating with a deficit. An emergency fundraising campaign is projected to reduce the $13 million budget gap to around $5 million, but the board is hoping to shed millions in liabilities during bankruptcy proceedings. View Full Article »
The Detroit Symphony has returned to the stage after six long months of contract negotiation. It marked the achievement with a weekend of free concerts led by music director Leonard Slatkin, featuring symbolic works such as Dvorak’s New World Symphony and Barber’s Adagio for Strings.
While the return of a major American orchestra is decidedly joyous, there were reminders of the struggles the organization faced during the 26 weeks musicians were on strike. Some players did not return to their posts, including the entire percussion section. View Full Article »
Pianists Elizabeth and Sonya Schumann are spearheading a project that will bring engaging musical experiences to children. The project is based at kickstarter.com, a web platform for funding creative projects.
The sisters believe exposing children to high quality classical performances in a relatable context will create a new generation of classical music lovers. So, they created a children’s CD by carefully pairing short works with an exciting narrative about a girl who adventures overnight in a zoo. Their contribution to music education could simultaneously combat declining classical audiences and enrich the lives of a new generation. Watch the video for a more in depth explanation of the project! View Full Article »
A year and a half after Eric Whitacre created a recording of “Lux Aurumque” from videos uploaded to YouTube by 52 separate singers, he and his team set out to create a more massive virtual performance of his work “Sleep.”
Whitacre gave a TED talk in March explaining his vision for these projects, which began when a young woman posted herself singing the soprano line to one of his pieces on YouTube. He posted a video of him conducting Lux Aurumque and invited submissions for the collaboration.
52 uploads later, he created a virtual choir by syncing all the audio tracks together for a unique choral performance. This second effort, however, dwarfs the first project by incorporating the audio and video tracks of 2052 different singers. Read on for the video. View Full Article »
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