A story one of my students told me, a few years ago.
I might not remember every detail. But as I recall, a family member was visiting this student. Someone who’d never been in New York. And fell in love with the variety of people on the street. As anyone might! The dynamic, varied, ever-changing life of a major US city is something to see.
After a couple of days, my student took his relative to a classical concert at Lincoln Center. They walk into whichever hall it was, and the family member says, “Where is everyone?” Bewildered and disappointed.
Some people like classical music because to them it’s a refuge from the wider world. But for others…
Thank you for your quick response to my comment on your post two days ago, entitled ” Unacceptable”. ! We might never agree but maybe we will part-way or at least we’ll all learn something new ; so I look forward to following up with you and your other readers. But : Is there some ” trick” to posting a reply ? I am not having luck either parking a draft to edit, or hitting send on a reply to you a few months back, Many thanks –
I really like what you said! We may never agree, and that’s fine. People think differently, and that’s a good thing. We can all learn from each other. And I hope we do. The day I stop being open to new ideas, the day I stop learning will be a sad day for me.
As for your question, the process seems simply enough. Every comment, and every reply to a comment (including my replies) has the word “Reply” at the bottom left. When you click that word, a window opens in which you can write a reply. Below that window is a big black POST COMMENT button, which you click to post your reply when you’re finished writing it.
If that didn’t work for you, or you had some other problem, please let me know! And I’ll try to figure it out.
Thanks so much for your courteous and thoughtful comment now. Nothing like a good conversation!
That is a vivid story. Why does our culture, despite all the posturing, take so darned long to change?
I hosted a bassoon day at the university of toronto in 2015 (their very first one), featuring a superb black speaker and soloist (Lecolion Washington) along with the many other excellent artists in town…. the day was a success, many people heard the bassoon and a few non-white students began studying… I wanted to feature women bassoonists the next year, again, in the company of many others. However, the university felt it was too expensive even I had paid for half of the event (will not do that again!) and that we needed to focus solely on recruiting. I walked away from that meagre-spirited contract position because I don’t think it is valuable to recruit for a school that is dedicated to such a shallow culture. I will probably be ruefully bitter about it until I am an old old old lady though I try to fulfill my ideals regardless of institutional lack-of-interest.
Hope you are well, I truly enjoy reading your posts.
Hey! Good to hear from you! It’s funny about classical music culture. Changing in some ways, a lot of new things being done. And then also stuck in the same place. One thing (I should blog this) about diversity — it really isn’t about coloring in (so to speak) some of the faces among musicians, audience, board, staff, whatever. It’s about engaging with cultures outside classical music. Which should bring some new artistic energy!
But then that’s scary for people. “You mean we won’t just be playing Brahms with some black violinists joining in? We’ll be playing Brahms, gasp, a different way??? Or playing something we don’t even know about right now??????”
I do sympathize. These are people with much love of classical music, educated in a tradition they’re attached to. Can’t blame them for that. It’s hard to adjust when realities change. And nobody ever told these musicians that they’d have to do that.
I love your spirit, Nadina. I’d guess that whatever regret you might feel for leaving that job could be balanced by joy you find in doing other things. I hope so, anyway!
Yes, you make an excellent point that diversity is also about opinion and ideas! My life has not been defined by institutional teaching and I continue to cultivate students along with my main work of making art and performing. Yet since resources for classical musicians are scant, is troubling that university-level teaching, at least for instrumentalists in Canada, is a side gig with the inherent problem of no open hiring process. Positions are filled by appointments from white male directors, so “diversity” of thought , speech or appearance are not a priority, though courteous compliance is appreciated in all forms. Open debate, in the classical training centres of the great white north, is seen as subversive, which I suppose might be accurate!
Transcending matters of gender, race and class, we must avoid promulgating conformity in music creativity, and only supporting sameness in aesthetics. What is the gain if only those from all genders, races and classes who devoutly echo “the party line” are encouraged? This lies at the heart of the question asked: “Where is everyone?”
In 1995, the City of Pasadena had me give music presentations for underprivileged children, most of whom were Latino and African American, and while it had not been anticipated, they began dancing joyously along to my music right there in their classrooms even though most would categorize it as computer music or avant-garde music inaccessible to Western classical audiences, including confounding those who don’t know what to make of it. These children were not intimidated by my use of Indian ragas and unusual instrumental timbres, including taking jazz influences in a different direction; they simply loved the fresh rhythms and colors, and the intellectual properties, too, stimulating their open minds with something unexpected and exciting.
How many such programs for elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, and universities would be paid for with the over $500,ooo given to first chair players in our orchestras? We remain essentially stuck in the habit of honoring European classical music of the past over what is here and now in America; a mindset encouraged by our major publications, radio and TV. The internet is a lifeline, of course, but, again, that is largely directed by the aforementioned media. And it has little to do with actual musical aesthetics. Its more about pressure to conform and the decline of intellectual curiosity and diversity.
Important truths in what you wrote! In the end, the point of diversity isn’t to be politically correct, or more flatteringly “woke.” Or to impress funders, or to redress injustice (though that’s important). Ultimately it’s to enlarge our consciousness of what it means to be human, to enrich ourselves personally, professionally, and artistically with the lives and culture of people who aren’t like us. But who live in the world right next to us.
Some years ago, the Berlin Philharmonic and Carnegie Hall teamed up to bring the Rite of Spring to (of course largely black) kids in Harlem. The kids ended up dancing to the music. Which is great!
But I can’t help thinking that the Carnegie Hall staff and Berlin Phil musicians may never have danced to it. Perhaps they have a higher understanding of it, because they can play the piece, or listen with perhaps some sophistication? I wonder how their understanding would change — and how the orchestra’s performance would change — if dancing were an everyday part of their lives.
new.
People in the classical music world were moved to tears by this event. Though I never heard a word about any interest by classical music people — including the Carnegie and Berlin Phil people — in exposing themselves to the music the Harlem kids knew. And dancing to it.
We bring our culture to Them. Which, we might think, changes Them. But we remain safely untouched.
Great story about that Rite of Spring. I suppose that children, lacking our inhibitions, are more likely to express joyfulness with spontaneous dancing. Myself, when I’m occasionally dragged to a club, it usually takes a few drinks for me to loosen up and get with the dancing spirit, and the hangover the next day makes me think twice.
Related to our subject at hand from a different angle: During the summer of 1979, it was intellectually thrilling to attend several conducting classes given by Leonard Bernstein at Tanglewood. What’s more, I met him during an after-concert party, including discussing the music that was playing while dancing alongside him with our respective partners simultaneously. Regretfully, Lenny stopped abruptly, covering his face with his hands in disbelief, and abandoning the dance floor when the current ribald hit, “Push, Push in the Bush” came on.
Getting to the point: Bernstein gave a wondrous performance of the Mahler Ninth with the Boston Symphony Orchestra that summer whereby I was fortunate to sit front row center. My deep appreciation of this great work had been well-honed by myriad listens to the recording by Carlo Maria Giulini and the Chicago Symphony including studying the score.
During the fall after I met Bernstein, I heard the Frankfurt Radio Symphony perform the same Mahler symphony at Carnegie Hall, and I was astounded because this surpassed the Tanglewood performance by miles. Immediately, I sensed the explanation for this: The German orchestra was playing their native music, including the medium their tradition is largely for.
Here in America, I would suggest more focus on the same in terms of both content and medium.