More food for thought: Marketing Contemporary Music (article by Greg Sandow in the New York TImes; click link to view entire article).
The article's final paragraph seems to summarize the author's thesis:
Should we be trying to educate the classical music audience...? Why talk as if there's something wrong with it [contemporary classical music], as if it has a disease that needs curing? Instead, let's arouse it, excite it and draw new people to new kinds of artistic musical events. That way, even large institutions might renew themselves and heal the split between contemporary classical music and the rest of the arts.
What do you think?
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If you like Mr. Sandow's writing, please check out some of the many links to his other articles on his home page.
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I really think that there should be more attention and education devoted to contemporary classical music.
I do think that part of the problem is directed at concert halls who program shows and seasons with only the same ol' pieces that everyone is used to and has grown to love. It totally makes sense why venues do this of course. They need an audience to pay for funding and whatnot, and to ensure a good audience, there needs to be music that is pleasing and will draw a profitable crowd.
But there should be more chances taken and more opportunities for audiences to learn to accept and love works but new and current composers. There are some outstanding works being composer, and have been composed in the last century, but it is often dusted under the rug, and assumptions are made that people just won't like it.
If symphony's continue to just play works by Beethoven and Mahler, then what is the point of even composing in the first place? That is an absurd question, and it really gets me going to even think about it, but it is a sad truth.
If more people are educated, and learn the newly developing techniques and practices of modern music, they will quickly develop a liking towards it.
Hopefully in the future, there will be a bigger drive for contemporary music, especially because there is always a rising number of promising and talented composers come into the scene.
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