User:Monetherese

This user is a participant in WikiProject Classical music.

Background

I am a second-year masters student studying violin performance at the Longy School of Music with Laura Bossert. I received my B.M. in violin performance and music business at DePaul University.

Outreach and The Future of Classical Music

I am a participant in the Future of Classical Music FAll 2007 class, in which we are attempting to bring some insight to this very vast and complex topic. This user page fulfills a requirement for the class. My focus will be on outreach as a key component to the future of classical music.

Overview

In the US, outreach has become a vital and required component of a non-profit classical music ensembles' mission, whether it be in addition to its primary activities or the foundation of their activities. This term outreach encompasses a broad range of applications. Each group brings its own unique talents and creative ideas defining outreach in many diverse ways, from reinventing the traditional concert setting and providing educational experiences, to performing in unusal venues. Outreach allows classical musicians the flexibility to bring classical music into modern settings, as opposed to the very orderly traditional performance that evolved in the 20th-century. Outreach is critical in developing audiences for classical music, educating new audiences and making a new generation excited about classical music. Classical musicians are now required to think outside the concert hall box for the art of classical music to thrive and have a place in the future of society.

Outreach Within the Traditional Concert Setting

The International Chamber Artists is a chamber music ensemble based in Chicago, IL. They present a concert series for which the ticket price is Suggested Donation only. A percentage of the proceeds are donated to a local music school serving underpriviledged children. A student from the school is given the opportunity to rehearse with an ensemble member and then performs on the concert, giving the audience a first-hand view of what their choice to attend a concert does for the life of a child.

Rush Hour Concerts, based in Chicago, is an innovative series tailored to busy lifestyles. With drinks at 5:15pm and a one-hour concert starting at 5:45pm, this series provides free classcal music at a most convenient time.

Outreach in Non-Traditional Venues

Bach With Verse supports the work of musician and story teller Richard "Dobbs" Hartshorne. He has devoted his career to performing in prisons throughout the US and performing in war torn countries such as Palestine and Afghanistan.

The Chiara String Quartet has has embraced the current trend (or need) to reach audiences in unconventional venues. There is an article about their journey.

Cellist Matt Hamovitz A Renowned Classical Musician Hits the Rock Circuit

A New York Times article by Anne Midgette, For Downtown Clubs, the Uptown Classical, talks about classical music moving away from the recital/concert hall.

Edcational Outreach

Michael Tilson Thomas, Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony, developed Keeping Score, a multi-year program designed to make classical music more accessible to people of all ages and musical backgrounds.

Young Audiences is a unique nonprofit that connects artists to schools and communities throughout the US through a network of 32 chapters/affiliates. Young Audiences programs take place in schools (programs meet state and local standards), libraries, community centers, hospitals, camps and parks, reaching children with special needs and children at risk. Schools and community centers can "order" programs that enhance their ciriculum/activities from a catalog of professional artists and arts-in-education specialists.