1. Do America’s Orchestras Serve All People in Our Communities?

    In this guest post, Jesse Rosen, President and CEO of the League of American Orchestras and panelist at our October event, responds to a recent report from the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) and reflects on the question of orchestras and community. The NCRP report examines foundation giving and the organization’s press release featured this stark headline: “Arts Philanthropy Not Doing Enough to Reach Poor and Minority Populations.” Read the full report.

    Since participating in our panel on the question of orchestras and community, I have been giving some thought to a new report from the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy that challenges the extent to which orchestras serve their communities and suggested that small organizations might be a better outlet for support.

    Among the several blog posts I have seen and conversations I have had about the contents of the report, no one has questioned the need for greater philanthropic support of smaller, culturally specific arts groups and of art that promotes greater equity. In fact, art itself is a vital means of advancing justice and understanding in a democratic society. While there is no question that symphony orchestras are rooted in close associations with wealth and an elitist understanding of value and purpose, a lot has changed in recent years. It is important to set the record straight and recognize the enormous strides orchestras have made to become more far-reaching cultural citizens who support the arts education of our children and define audience to include all segments of communities. (more…)

    Topic: Audience, Community | Tags: ,
    November 10, 2011 by Beth Hondl | Comments (1)

  2. You had me at the album art, “Greatest Video Game Music Ever”

    Video game music. Full disclosure—I don’t know much about it. I don’t play video games. I can’t hum the tune from Angry Birds.

    That said, I find the coverage of the new London Philharmonic Orchestra recording “The Greatest Video Game Music Ever” quite fascinating. When was the last time TechCrunch—a top technology blog—had an article about orchestras? Much less one with this enthusiasm for the form?

    The comments include a spirited discussion of composers/music that should/should not have made it on to the disc. (“Spy Hunter? Hello?”)

    Video game concerts have been making the orchestral rounds over the last few years, usually relegated to summer or Pops fare. What would happen if this passion was channeled into some of our “regularly scheduled programming”?

    Topic: Audience, Creativity
    November 9, 2011 by Beth Hondl | Comments (0)

  3. The New York Philharmonic’s Alan Gilbert on Community: “It’s very conscious for us.”

    Alan Gilbert, Music Director of the New York Philharmonic, took some time out from his rehearsal schedule in San Francisco last month to chat with us about community. He says the true importance of being the first New Yorker to lead the New York Philharmonic is that he understands what the orchestra means to the community and to the audience that comes to the concerts, whether it’s a performance at Lincoln Center or a concert in the park. “We are trying to be New York’s orchestra, not just an orchestra in New York.”

    Alan Gilbert will join us for our free live event “Talking About Audiences” next May.

    Topic: Community | Tags: ,
    November 8, 2011 by Beth Hondl | Comments (0)

  4. Thoughts on “Talking About Community”

    In this post, Neil Harris reflects on the American Orchestra Forum: Talking About Community event that took place on October 23.

    Now, almost two weeks after participating in the panels at Davies Hall, some reflections on that experience. First, it was exhilarating to see so many people interested in the health of the American orchestra, brimming with insightful observations. I wish there had been more time for the audience members on Sunday to have posed more questions or made additional comments, but the larger conversation was certainly encouraging, on a sunny Sunday afternoon. (more…)

    Topic: Community | Tags: ,
    November 4, 2011 by Beth Hondl | Comments (0)

  5. Event video: Roundtable discussion and audience Q&A

    One last video from our October 23rd event in San Francisco is now available for viewing — the roundtable discussion and Q&A featuring our six Spotlight Conversation participants.

    From left to right that’s Steven Winn, San Francisco arts journalist and critic; Amos Yang, Assistant Principal Cellist, San Francisco Symphony, and alumnus, San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra; Neil Harris, Professor of History and Art History, University of Chicago; Jesse Rosen, President/CEO, League of American Orchestras; Afa Sadykhly Dworkin, VP/Artistic Director, Sphinx Organization; Mark Clague, Professor of Music, University of Michigan.

    One of my favorite moments is near the end, when a woman prefaces her question by saying she has attended symphonic concerts for 75 years. The audience bursts into applause but then gasps as she continues on to her question saying, “If you’d permit me to opine about music… sound without melody is noise.” In regards to programming, “where does the person who buys the ticket get to have a say?” I really hope she comes back for our next event Talking About Creativity.

    Topic: Community | Tags: , , , , , ,
    November 3, 2011 by Beth Hondl | Comments (0)

  6. Some Mozart to go with your dish towels?

    Random Acts of Culture is an intriguing program that takes classical music out of the concert hall and into… well, shopping malls, farmers markets, trains and basically any place there’s a captive audience. Here is a recent video from the Mall of America, featuring musicians from the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. How would you like some Mozart to go with your dish towels? (They appear to be in the home section of Macy’s.)

    (more…)

    Topic: Audience, Community | Tags: , ,
    November 2, 2011 by Beth Hondl | Comments (3)

  7. Video: Gustavo Dudamel – Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic – on Community

    In his keynote at our first live event, Gustavo Dudamel, Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, talked about Community and the powerful impact of El Sistema, Venezuela’s publicly-funded music education program.

    Topic: Community | Tags: , ,
    November 1, 2011 by Beth Hondl | Comments (0)

  8. Making an Entrance

    Steven Winn, co-moderator of our live events in San Francisco, examines one particular part of the classical music concert ritual — the entrance. Who exactly should we be applauding for?

    I knew there was something I liked about the Mariinsky Orchestra filing onstage together at Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall, where the ensemble played three knockout Tchaikovsky programs last month. But it took eavesdropping on the couple behind me one night to pin down what the appeal was.

    It’s just good theater, I’ve always thought. Good showmanship. Leave the stage empty, bring down the lights, then start the stage-filling parade to a steady rumble of applause. The tactic seems much sharper than the casual gathering of forces most American orchestras employ. (more…)

    Topic: Audience, Community | Tags: ,
    November 1, 2011 by Beth Hondl | Comments (1)

  9. Getting in on the Act

    WolfBrown Getting in on the Act study

    One of the interesting topics that came up during the Q&A session at Sunday’s event was how arts organizations can engage communities through participatory experiences. Rather than sit and passively watch a concert, people seem to increasingly prefer doing the playing and singing themselves. Certainly the eye-popping success of the YouTube Symphony shows there’s an appetite for hands-on participation in the orchestral world. Does the role of the orchestra in its community need to change accordingly?

    (more…)

    Topic: Community | Tags: , , , , , , ,
    October 28, 2011 by Beth Hondl | Comments (1)

  10. Event video: Spotlight Conversation #2

    Another video from our live “Talking About Community” event on Sunday: Afa Sadykhly Dworkin, VP/Artistic Director of the Sphinx Organization and Amos Yang, Assistant Principal Cellist, San Francisco Symphony, and alumnus, San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra, in conversation with Steven Winn, San Francisco arts journalist and critic. It’s an interesting dialogue about some of the societal pressures that encourage kids to participate, or not participate, in classical music.

    Topic: Community | Tags: , , ,
    October 26, 2011 by Beth Hondl | Comments (0)

Older Entries
Newer Entries