KillingClassicalMusic

As regular readers of this blog have begun to realize, the idea of taking classical music out of the concert hall is an idea I support.  I’m not fully convinced that it “works,” but I want to encourage experimentation.  And, of course, it’s hard to see how performing some chamber music in a bar to the clinking of beer glasses really hurts all that much.

This story from Joshua Smith’s Soloflute? blog brings up a slightly different perspective on this growing phenomenon that I find particularly interesting: Taking classical music into more intimate and personal venues creates an opportunity for people to be more engaged in the process of classical music and not merely consumers of the product of classical music.  Here’s how Smith puts it:

Here’s what’s exciting for me: I think that people are more than ever eager to be engaged in process, not just product. Just think about the popularity of reality shows focused on behind-the-scenes, from Top Chef to Top Model. Or the ramping up of the slow food movement, which fosters an interest in where our food comes from- how it’s grown, cared for, transported to us- and which, in turn, celebrates the experience of eating.
I love sharing what I do with people. And I love that I can do this in many ways. The concert hall experience is wonderful, and our orchestra is one of the best in the world. But bringing intimacy, connection, and, especially, awareness of how spontaneous and vital and alive classical music can be off the stage and into places where people least expect to engage with it might serve to draw people into the experience in a different way.

Let’s all raise a glass this evening to bringing intimacy, connection, and an awareness of the wonderful vitality of classical music.
Read it all here.

If you liked this post, please subscribe to the RSS feed here.  You can also follow me on Twitter here, or like KillingClassicalMusic on Facebook here.