With the holiday season upon us, what may help to introduce people to classical music is to be aware of their local orchestras seasonal pops concerts. Many major orchestras, as well as community orchestras, perform many holiday concerts, in which they perform many of the cherished sacred pieces from eras past. Master pieces such as Handel's Messiah, and contemporary favorites like Mannheim Steamroller's many spectacular christmas hits.
This Christmas, go out on the town after your shopping and take some time to enjoy the music of the season.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Sunday, November 28, 2010
YouTube Symphony Orchestra
Wow! What an amazing thing! A symphony orchestra comprised of musicians around the world selected through video auditions posted on YouTube!
This is an absolutely wonderful thing! Our youth today spend countless hours online, and many of those hours are spent watching YouTube videos. While the ensemble itself is a fantastic group, just the fact that the process of audition and selection are now visible to the entire world. Now anyone can see the work that dedicated musicians put into making their passion enjoyable for the entire world and their dreams come true. The countless hours spent in the practice room now can be seen by today's youth through video auditions, instead of inferred by the aging audience of our major orchestras.
This orchestra can undoubtedly help to reintroduce classical music to youth of today, and show the world just how much a musician cares.
This is an absolutely wonderful thing! Our youth today spend countless hours online, and many of those hours are spent watching YouTube videos. While the ensemble itself is a fantastic group, just the fact that the process of audition and selection are now visible to the entire world. Now anyone can see the work that dedicated musicians put into making their passion enjoyable for the entire world and their dreams come true. The countless hours spent in the practice room now can be seen by today's youth through video auditions, instead of inferred by the aging audience of our major orchestras.
This orchestra can undoubtedly help to reintroduce classical music to youth of today, and show the world just how much a musician cares.
Public Schools
I feel that the underfunding of music in the public schools is detrimental to the survival of classical music in the world. Many school music programs fall every year to budget cuts, seemingly because many educators don't recognize that music is an immense part of our society and that it is just as important to the education of the nations children as math, science, and literature. Literature itself is an art form, no?
Perhaps the underfunding of the arts in public schools is just another side effect of the current deplorable state of our public school system. Public schools must be defended, as well as the appreciation of the arts which should be fostered within their walls.
Perhaps the underfunding of the arts in public schools is just another side effect of the current deplorable state of our public school system. Public schools must be defended, as well as the appreciation of the arts which should be fostered within their walls.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Sincerity
In addition to the previous post, this immersion of community orchestras into the massive masterpieces once thought to be reserved for only the major orchestras restores a sense of sincerity to this struggling art form.
Now that one can go to a concert just a block from ones house and watch their neighbor play a masterpiece that normally one would have to will help to bring this music back into the spotlight and may help reverse the major orchestras ticket sales woes. This is a fantastic thing to emerge from this terrible slump in the industry. It may not be long before the symphony is one of the hottest concerts in town.
Now that one can go to a concert just a block from ones house and watch their neighbor play a masterpiece that normally one would have to will help to bring this music back into the spotlight and may help reverse the major orchestras ticket sales woes. This is a fantastic thing to emerge from this terrible slump in the industry. It may not be long before the symphony is one of the hottest concerts in town.
The Burden
This past Thursday I was in rehearsal for a performance of Mahler's epic 5th Symphony. Prior to beginning rehearsal, the maestro commended us for how well we were learning the piece. He also spoke to us in regard to the magnitude of what responsibility we had assumed.
Responsibility? Interesting.
This is a community orchestra, not a massive major orchestra that is seen by many thousands of people throughout the world. However, with the industry in such a slump (Cleveland Orchestra strike in 2008, the near-death experience of the Columbus Symphony, and the recent Detroit Symphony strike), many of these orchestras cannot afford to perform the massive and beloved masterworks like Mahler's 5th, Mahler's 2nd, Wagner's Operas, and the many other works we know and love. The burden of performing these works and continually introducing the public to these fantastic works falls on the shoulders of the community orchestras and may continue to fall on their shoulders.
This is quite interesting. We may now see many more of these community orchestra playing massive works to the community and exposing more people to the magnificent masterpieces that they not get to see played by major orchestras in the next few years.
Responsibility? Interesting.
This is a community orchestra, not a massive major orchestra that is seen by many thousands of people throughout the world. However, with the industry in such a slump (Cleveland Orchestra strike in 2008, the near-death experience of the Columbus Symphony, and the recent Detroit Symphony strike), many of these orchestras cannot afford to perform the massive and beloved masterworks like Mahler's 5th, Mahler's 2nd, Wagner's Operas, and the many other works we know and love. The burden of performing these works and continually introducing the public to these fantastic works falls on the shoulders of the community orchestras and may continue to fall on their shoulders.
This is quite interesting. We may now see many more of these community orchestra playing massive works to the community and exposing more people to the magnificent masterpieces that they not get to see played by major orchestras in the next few years.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Video Game Music
Found an interesting article earlier today:
http://classicalmusic.about.com/od/classicalmusictips/a/videogamemusic2.htm
From the article, I learned that much of the music I have stockpiled on my iPod may be the future of classical music and may very well be what helps to introduce to the younger generations of today and the future the masterworks of generations and eras past.
This genre of music, video game music, has evolved into full orchestral scores and pieces as exciting and dynamic as the epic works of composers long past. It is proposed in this article that this music may appear in performances alongside works of Mozart, Beethoven, and Verdi, thereby exposing the presumably young audience members to the best of classical music.
I am a fan of this music and would love to see this new music become mainstream pieces performed by our beloved orchestras.
http://classicalmusic.about.com/od/classicalmusictips/a/videogamemusic2.htm
From the article, I learned that much of the music I have stockpiled on my iPod may be the future of classical music and may very well be what helps to introduce to the younger generations of today and the future the masterworks of generations and eras past.
This genre of music, video game music, has evolved into full orchestral scores and pieces as exciting and dynamic as the epic works of composers long past. It is proposed in this article that this music may appear in performances alongside works of Mozart, Beethoven, and Verdi, thereby exposing the presumably young audience members to the best of classical music.
I am a fan of this music and would love to see this new music become mainstream pieces performed by our beloved orchestras.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
RE: Youth
To compliment my previous post, the youth in classical music is most definitely laying the foundation for a prosperous future in classical music.
In the dress rehearsal prior to this afternoons concert, many of the pieces seemed to be lack energy, precision, and clarity. The ensemble trudged through the rehearsal knowing that the performance was less than an hour away. We predicted a mediocre performance for the afternoon, but were pleasantly surprised.
These young people took the stage and delivered a wonderful concert and displayed professionalism. The group focused its energy on the music and produced fantastic music, well worth the $8 admission. It is with youth like this and performances like this that make me, at least, feel much more at ease about the future of classical music.
In the dress rehearsal prior to this afternoons concert, many of the pieces seemed to be lack energy, precision, and clarity. The ensemble trudged through the rehearsal knowing that the performance was less than an hour away. We predicted a mediocre performance for the afternoon, but were pleasantly surprised.
These young people took the stage and delivered a wonderful concert and displayed professionalism. The group focused its energy on the music and produced fantastic music, well worth the $8 admission. It is with youth like this and performances like this that make me, at least, feel much more at ease about the future of classical music.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Youth
Its make me quite happy to say that it seems that while the present state of classical music and classical orchestras may look bleak, the future of classical music looks bright and is getting brighter everyday. Many of these struggling orchestras manage to maintain strong youth orchestras as well as community outreach programs which bring this music to the communities and the youth within them.
Our local orchestra, the Columbus Symphony, also maintains a youth and community outreach program, through the Columbus Symphony Youth Orchestra, which I am a member of, Cadet Orchestra, Chamber Strings Orchestra, Junior Strings Orchestra, and the All-City Orchestra. These programs are going strong and are growing stronger everyday.
On Sunday, October 17th at 3pm at the Capital Theater at the Riffe Center, the Youth Orchestra shall be performing a number of pieces, including The Freischutz Overture by Carl Maria Von Weber, Daphnis and Chloe by Maurice Ravel, Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saens, and Ruckert-Lieder by Gustav Mahler. Anyone who wants to experience the future of classical music shall join us and enjoy!
Our local orchestra, the Columbus Symphony, also maintains a youth and community outreach program, through the Columbus Symphony Youth Orchestra, which I am a member of, Cadet Orchestra, Chamber Strings Orchestra, Junior Strings Orchestra, and the All-City Orchestra. These programs are going strong and are growing stronger everyday.
On Sunday, October 17th at 3pm at the Capital Theater at the Riffe Center, the Youth Orchestra shall be performing a number of pieces, including The Freischutz Overture by Carl Maria Von Weber, Daphnis and Chloe by Maurice Ravel, Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saens, and Ruckert-Lieder by Gustav Mahler. Anyone who wants to experience the future of classical music shall join us and enjoy!
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Why?
Classical music seems to be on the back burner of today's musical world. The once powerful form of music is now an afterthought that, sadly, seems to be taken for granted. Many of our orchestras are suffering financial deficits which threaten their very existence. These financial deficits are the results of poor patron attendance, an unfortunate reality for many of our major orchestras.
In Columbus, the local symphony nearly vanished beneath the green waves of debt and deficit due to poor attendance resulting in vastly reduced ticket sales during the 2007-2008 season. This deficit had been building over several years and it was only when the orchestra was doomed to sink, the community seemed to take notice. At the notion of losing this staple of Columbus, people from around the world worked to aid the musicians of the orchestra and the organization. Through editorials, blogs, and word of mouth, the symphony was given another breath ($500,000 donation from one of the Symphony's board members) and was allowed to finish its 2007-2008 season.
Just this year the Cleveland Orchestra, what many people consider to be the finest orchestra in the world, struck over similar salary issues. Although the issue was resolved quickly, it still struck an ominous chord amongst the patrons of the Cleveland Orchestra and the classical musical world. This was a shocking occurrence to the musical community and it shed more light on this growing issue.
Why do our orchestras struggle to bring in the money and the patrons to stay afloat and remain a part in our culture and our society? Some may point to the tough economy, but I believe there is something else, something bigger, going on.
In Columbus, the local symphony nearly vanished beneath the green waves of debt and deficit due to poor attendance resulting in vastly reduced ticket sales during the 2007-2008 season. This deficit had been building over several years and it was only when the orchestra was doomed to sink, the community seemed to take notice. At the notion of losing this staple of Columbus, people from around the world worked to aid the musicians of the orchestra and the organization. Through editorials, blogs, and word of mouth, the symphony was given another breath ($500,000 donation from one of the Symphony's board members) and was allowed to finish its 2007-2008 season.
Just this year the Cleveland Orchestra, what many people consider to be the finest orchestra in the world, struck over similar salary issues. Although the issue was resolved quickly, it still struck an ominous chord amongst the patrons of the Cleveland Orchestra and the classical musical world. This was a shocking occurrence to the musical community and it shed more light on this growing issue.
Why do our orchestras struggle to bring in the money and the patrons to stay afloat and remain a part in our culture and our society? Some may point to the tough economy, but I believe there is something else, something bigger, going on.
Introduction
My name is Aidan. I am a young professional bassist in the Central Ohio region. I perform in both the classical and jazz genres. Through watching the news on the topic closely as well as my professional experience I understand that classical orchestras are suffering in the current economic climate, as are many organizations. However, I believe that there may be another underlying cause for many of the hardships orchestras are facing in the modern world.
Through my blog, The Manuscript, I hope to find and explore reasons for the struggles of classical orchestras and classical music as a whole. Understanding some of these reasons will leave me better informed on my art form from a professional standpoint and help in choosing a college major and career and hopefully anyone who reads my blog will becomes more informed on the matter.
Some facts about me:
1) Gustav Mahler, Camille Saint-Saëns, and Ludwig Van Beethoven are among my favorite composers.
2) I am an OSU Buckeyes fanatic.
3) I. LOVE. DONUTS.
International Society of Bassists
Through my blog, The Manuscript, I hope to find and explore reasons for the struggles of classical orchestras and classical music as a whole. Understanding some of these reasons will leave me better informed on my art form from a professional standpoint and help in choosing a college major and career and hopefully anyone who reads my blog will becomes more informed on the matter.
Some facts about me:
1) Gustav Mahler, Camille Saint-Saëns, and Ludwig Van Beethoven are among my favorite composers.
2) I am an OSU Buckeyes fanatic.
3) I. LOVE. DONUTS.
International Society of Bassists
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