Actually only ONE thing needs to change about Classical Music Concerts

Baldur Brönnimann made waves with his 10 things he would change about concerts post, but he didn’t bring up the most important thing! So in October Baldur’s blog post went viral and not that this discussion shouldn’t take place, or that several of his ideas aren’t valid, however his list is mostly about current tastes and aesthetics and not structural change.  I will give my brief take on his 10 Things and then introduce my ONE thing that I believe really will make a difference.  It has very little to do with … Continue Reading

Moneyball meets the Mellonball!

So a hot blow in Miami meets a cold blast in Denver as two completely different orchestras try out two models for attracting audiences.  There are huge differences between the future plans for the New World Symphony and the Colorado Symphony, not the least of which is the fact that in Miami they are using someone else’s money and are not taking any risks, whereas in Colorado they are risking it all!….

Continue Reading

Terry Teachout and how we go from Zero to Hero! – plus a mini tribute

Ernest Fleischmann passed and I had one treasured experience with him that I want to share, but first to Terry Teachout.  Terry I say thank you for your article raising the question of eliminating regional orchestras, yes thank you!  He opened an even bigger debate than in my Context/Urtext post (it is somewhat related) which is: what is the definition of the word “artistic”?…..

Continue Reading

Quick Takes: The Gold Medal for the greatest Orchestra goes to…..

Another attempt to pit Orchestras against each other in an unofficial “Olympics” at Carnegie is a real head scratcher.  What is the prize, who actually cares and what is the point?  Thankfully Alex Ross provides some sanity but what is interesting is how Orchestras making the Carnegie pilgrimage seem to think it is a magic bullet to spur ticket sales back at home……

Continue Reading