Interchanging Idioms

Why New Classical Music is Important

2013-04-25T09:03:00.002-07:00

And why we need to change the preception of new classical music

A hundred years ago classical music was going through growing pains. It had been in a 'Romantic' style of music since Beethoven premiered his 3rd symphony in 1805. Composers of the early 20th century were looking for something new, to make a change from the previous hundred years. Society was also going through changes from the industrial age to the age of steel. New inventions for the home and for the battle field were flooding Patent Offices - a new world was dawning. Some of these changes lead to two world wars and the invention of nuclear weapons which many still consider the ultimate deterrent. Now, in the 21st century, we are discovering a new kind of warfare - terrorism.

While the 20th century saw drastic changes in the way we wage war, it also brought changes to the music industry. Early on the invention of the phonograph brought music into the homes of people who couldn't play an instrument - music became readily accessible. After World War I, composers sought to change the way we think - the universal brotherhood or lush romantic emotions were believed to be causes for the Great War. It was time for a change.

In the late 20th century society moved from having information fed to you through radio, television and newspapers to the advent to the internet where people get to pick and choose what they want to read. Music is much the same way. Listeners have hundreds of download sites, thousands of Indy bands to choose from and millions of new songs to choose from. We are becoming a society of choice. Unfortunately, some people are choose acts of terror and destruction. Innocent lives are lost in senseless acts of violence.

Art is one way we have of reaching out - to think of new ways to deal with issue. I believe it is important for musicians to set the trend of coming together, crossing cultures and becoming one humanity, rather than separate cultures struggling over what should be common goals - to live in peace.

You've heard me speak a lot about TwtrSymphony, the music we're creating and the innovations in how music is made. But something I haven't talked about and really should, is how TwtrSymphony is bring musicians and cultures together.

I follow a feed of the various musicians in TwtrSymphony and am thrilled at how supportive the musicians are of each other. Musicians who have never met in person are becoming friends, sharing stories of their lives beyond their music - they are truly a community even though there are thousands of miles separating us.

THIS is the future I want to work toward. This is what music can do, what music should do. This is what TwtrSymphony is trying to do with our Kickstarter project. It's about bringing new music to new people - but it's also about bring people from all around the world together. Please be part of that. We need your donations to help our project succeed.

Believe in new music, believe in the power of music, step up and make a change in what the world will be in the future. Become part of TwtrSymphony.

Congrats to Marin Alsop, who not only continues to thrill audiences around the world, but is paving the way for other women conductors

2013-04-18T19:14:00.001-07:00

It shouldn't matter the sex of the person on the podium, but it's nice to see some 'traditions' are being broken.

I remember seeing Marin Alsop conduct the Colorado Symphony way back when she was still the Music Director. I remember the headlines when she moves from Colorado to Baltimore to become the first female conductor of a major US orchestra. I started following her career watching what she did with the Cabrillo New Music Festival in California, and reading about her exploits in Europe and Asia. She was quickly becoming the woman to watch on the podium.

Several years later I was treated to a brief conversation with her about new music and her advocacy for composers and the performance of new music. As a composer, her support was trilling. She continues to thrill audiences around the world proving it isn't the sex of the person on the podium, but their passion for the music that makes the difference. Over the past 15 years, I have been blessed to see many of the greatest conductors alive today and rank Marin easily in the top ten. She is just that good!

In 2008 Marin Alsop was chosen as Musical America’s Conductor,. She was inducted into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame in 2010 and the only classical musician to be included in The Guardian’s “Top 100 women." In 2012 Alsop was presented with Honorary Membership (HonRAM) of the Royal Academy of Music, London. Her credits are many, and she's still on the rise.

She is breaking another barrier, conducting the finale of the 2013 BBC Proms, becoming the first female to do so.

from Reuters: US conductor becomes first woman to lead UK's Proms finale

Congrats Marin!

On another note: Eimear Noone, another female conductor, is conducting the Pacific Symphony tonight, premiering the "Leah" theme from the award winning music from the video game Diablo III which Eimear conducted with the Pacific Symphony. I watched her in rehearsal today. Where Marin is paving the way, there appears to be another conductor interested in catching up.

Evening the Odds for Men & Women in the Music Industry

2013-04-12T14:45:00.001-07:00

My response to the NewMusicBox blogpost: Why Women Aren’t Equals In New Music Leadership and Innovation

Women are not treated on equal footing in either the corporate or music world and much of this is outlined in the article above. Social stigmas go a long way to treating women unfavorably for exhibiting the same behavior as men - while men get favorable treatment for the same behavior (see #1 from the Sandberg research). Many of the other elements discussed in the research can be put up to cultural stereo types and environmental learning we foist on our young men and women as they grow up, putting women at a further disadvantage. One key to getting out of this hole we have dug for ourselves, at least in the music industry, is finding a way to give musicians a chance at success without regard to anything but their performance.

TwtrSymphony holds auditions for musicians. There is no discussion as to sex, race, religion or other aspects of the musician. All we require are two things:

1) Ability to create a quality recording for the music they are given

2) A willingness to be active on social media to promote themselves and the orchestra

and this last one is a bit nebulous as to what we really mean by active.

We also held a Call for Scores from December to March in which we had over 130 submissions. Again, the only consideration was their music.

The point is, we don't discriminate. Two of our musicians are blind. I only know this because they require some additional tweaking of their parts. Otherwise, they do fine work getting their recordings in. I know many of the musicians personally (although we've never met) because we chat on Twitter and occasionally exchange emails. When I was reading the above article, I wondered how many women we have playing with TwtrSymphony, and honestly, I couldn't answer that question. I would have to go through our list person by person to determine who fits into which category. I just don't care. For what we do, this is irrelevant information. If we have more male musicians or more male composers it's because that's the result of the music created.

We are trying to do things differently—to think of making music in ways that have never been done before. I am happy to say one side benefit is we are also proving to be shed of any stereo-types getting in the way of making good music.

Please support us and our Kickstarter - to raise funds for a new music CD. Thanks for your support.

The Music Industry is Moving in a New Direction. How will Classical Music Follow Suit?

2013-04-01T14:13:00.000-07:00

The power of social media is driving music in a new direction - people are choosing what they want, rather than being dictated to by major media

Times are changing and with it the way new music finds an audience. Change in inevitable. The real question: who will follow the trend and catch the wave of this new way of thinking?

Over 1800 years ago a man wrote down his thoughts about his relationship with God. St Augustine is considered the first person to write about having a personal relationship with God. His writings eventually became the seeds for the reformation (almost a thousand years later). There were lots of reasons for the strife surrounding the Reformation, but a key element was the quest for people to have a direct communion with God, rather than have to seek it through an intermediary (or priest). People began seeing their relationship with God as personal, something they could determine what works for them as an individual.

The printing press also had a great deal to do with the explosion of ideas about the bible, as the wealthy could now read it for themselves. It's still the most popular book of all time. This innovative idea of printing also created a world where pamphlets and broadsheets became popular. Not only were more people able to read as the cost of books dropped dramatically, other's saw the vision of mass influence via propaganda in this new, cheap form of mass communication. People began thinking for themselves, or at least, making their minds up based on new information. In England, the struggle between the crown and the commonwealth was largely fueled (and won) by massive propaganda. It is the blending of an individuals quest for a personal identity and the ability for mass communication that set the stage for hundreds of years of war ravaging Europe.

These ideas didn't always reek havoc. The printing of music became a prime source of income for composers of Renaissance England. William Byrd saw the future and quickly grasped the crowns exclusive right to print music adding more to his coffers than any other of his other pursuits. Beethoven made a good portion of his living selling music, rather than performing it (or having a patron). Composers were finding freedom to compose what they wanted (as long as what they wrote was what people wanted to buy).

Closer to our own time, the advent of the radio drastically affected the behavior of people. Their access to news, music and entertainment of all sorts was broadened dramatically. Rather than printed music, record companies erupted with sales of records far surpassing their revenue from sheet music. Now composers weren't just selling music to musicians, but musicians were selling their music to everyone.

Even with the introduction of music videos, it was still the media companies driving the style of music they wanted people to listen to, to buy. The creation of numerous "studio" groups, brought together not for their musical qualities, but for the marketability (their looks), is a prime example as to how media companies drove the market in the directions they wanted to do.

With the internet, YouTube, massive numbers of download sites (legitimate or otherwise), the course of music is changing. People are no longer forced to just wait and hear what the media companies feed them. If they don't like what they hear, people can quickly find something else. Indy bands are more popular than ever as it is possible to become extremely popular over the internet without having major backing by a major label. What this really means for the consumer is a broader choice to find exactly what they want.

What this means for classical music is it is possible to find fans without having to rely on normal avenues of exposure. Rather than just playing at a concert hall, more and more orchestras are reaching out doing flash mobs, performing in unique spaces, striving to find a way to connect with their audience in new ways. Orchestras like TwtrSymphony are driving music onto the internet, rather than through live performances, so tens of thousands of people can enjoy the music, rather than just a few hundred.

Film and Game music are quickly becoming regular additions to concert seasons, filling concert halls with new fans. New music needed be limited to just film and game music. It's time for an indy orchestra - It's time for TwtrSymphony!

Side Note:

There is a hold over in the classical music world. The concert hall is still a place of reverence, a place where many feel you need to dress appropriately, know when to clap and how to behave. This arcane way of behaving is unlike any other performance medium out there. If the audience likes a solo at a jazz club, they applaud. If the music is moving at a rock concert, they get up and dance, even at opera performances the audience applauds when the soloist does something spectacular. It's only in the concert hall where people feel stifled, forced to conform. In an age of freedom of choice, why are orchestras still demanding this attitude? Don't they realize, the modern audience can pick and choose what they want. If we make it uncomfortable for new comers, they don't come back. Why should they. They can find thousands of other forms of musical entertainment without having to come to the concert hall.

There is still no replacement for live music. If you've ever been to a live performance, you understand the power transcends anything you can experience in recorded media. But, in a world filled with easy access to choices, it doesn't serve to drive away potential new fans. They will too quickly find somewhere else to go.

MEDIA ALERT: St. Louis Symphony Performs The Matrix

2013-04-01T07:55:00.000-07:00

Composer Don Davis to conduct performances April 5-6

The St. Louis Symphony will once again return Powell Hall to its movie hall roots on Friday, April 5 and Saturday, April 6, when it performs the live score to The Matrix, while the unforgettable futuristic film plays on a big screen above the stage. Bother performances start at 7pm.

Don Davis, who composed the original score for the movie, will conduct both St. Louis Symphony performances, which promise to be fast-paced fusions between movie and music. Members of the St. Louis Symphony Chorus, directed by Amy Kaiser, will also perform on the program.

Prior to each concert there will be a costume contest, so don’t forget to bring your shades and futuristic gear. Tickets are still available and may be purchased on-line at stlsymphony.org or by calling 314-534-1700.

Music is an experience, that goes beyond the music

2013-03-23T10:50:00.002-07:00

TwtrSymphony wants to bring Classical Music back into the forefront of our musical experience.

The other night I was at a hockey game. It was amazing how much a part of the whole experience of the game was the music that played during the breaks. The music was what got the crowd roaring and excited for the event, the music was what peaked emotions during the game and the music was what encouraged the chanting for the victory. Sometimes the music was hard pounding rock, sometimes it was elements of film scores with the sweeping strings driving people to a frenzy. The audience was experiencing music and responding to the music physically. Classical music has this power and (IMHO) more ability to achieve this than any other music form due to its rich complexities and possibilities.

Disneyland has a show, "The World of Color" which features a light and water fountain show set to music from Disney movies. The most enthusiastic moment in the show is when the music of "Pirates of the Caribbean" plays. Like with the hockey game, it's sweeping orchestra music that really digs deep into our emotional centers and stirs us to respond. It's not the film; it's the music that makes people respond. Yes, there are other elements in the performance - but without the music the performance would be pale, lame and uneventful. Disney understands the power of music.

Our Kickstarter is all about bringing classical music back into the forefront of our music world. We want to not only produce a CD of new music, we want to share our music via social media driving it into new arena, introducing new people to the power of exciting, visceral music. Become part of the new way of classical music. Support our quest!

Believe in the power of music

Minnesota Orchestra Cancels Concerts Through April 27

2013-03-20T09:39:00.001-07:00

Four programs cancelled and two are re-scheduled

The Minnesota Orchestral Association announced today that it has cancelled further concert performances through Saturday, April 27, 2013, noting that nearly a year into contract negotiations its musicians have yet to put forward a counterproposal and no contract settlement has been reached. All ticketholders of affected concerts are being contacted and offered a variety of options including the opportunity to exchange tickets for a future concert or receive a full refund. A complete list of affected concerts is available below.

“We will soon mark one full year since the start of our negotiations, and we renew our call to the musicians to issue a counterproposal that helps resolve the Orchestra’s financial challenges. It is confounding that over the last 11 months the Union has neither been willing to suggest a proposal of their own nor accept ours,” said Minnesota Orchestra Board Chair Jon Campbell. “In order to initiate progress earlier this winter, the Board agreed to participate in an independent financial review suggested by the musicians, and we shared all future financial projections the Union had requested. We stand ready to meet with the Union at any time in order to negotiate a settlement and resume concerts, but we can only do so with a willing partner.”

Contract talks, which are overseen by a federal mediator, began last April 12, 2012, between the Orchestral Association and the Musicians’ Union. In January, the Orchestra Board agreed to conduct a joint financial analysis musicians had sought in order to verify the organization’s financial position. The Board has suggested that the review should focus on testing the accuracy of the organization’s Fiscal 2012 results, as well as the forward-looking financial assumptions upon which the organization’s strategic plan is based. Discussions between the Board and Union are ongoing to agree to terms for the analysis.

The contract proposal currently before musicians includes:

• A total package averaging $119,000 per musician, including an average salary of $89,000 with $30,000 in benefits per musician (representing approximately a 30 percent salary reduction from the previous contract);
• Benefits encompassing a guaranteed pension benefit (with no musician contribution required) and a health plan commensurate with that of management and administration;
• A minimum of 10 weeks paid vacation;
• A 21-hour work week;
• A plan to incorporate chamber music and educational outreach opportunities into musician base pay in order to increase the organization’s community outreach.

“We ask the musicians to join us in beginning the back-and-forth bargaining around the details of this proposal that will lead to a settlement. Refusing to accept or address our financial challenges will not make them disappear,” said President and CEO Michael Henson. “As we are forced to cancel further concerts, we offer our deepest apologies to patrons who are eager to attend performances. We sincerely regret the impact of these cancellations and hope our musicians will soon join us at the bargaining table so we do not need to cancel further performances.”

In December, the Orchestral Association made public its annual independent audit, conducted by CliftonLarsonAllen, which revealed an operating deficit of $6 million for Fiscal 2012, the largest in its history.

London Symphony Orchestra and Valery Gergiev Give a Free Concert in Trafalgar Square

2013-03-19T07:07:00.001-07:00

MONDAY 27 MAY 2013 AT 6.30 PM

Following the outstandingly successful first open-air, free concert in May 2012, the London Symphony Orchestra in partnership with BMW and the Mayor of London is returning to Trafalgar Square this year. The next annual BMW LSO Open Air Classics concert, which last year attracted an audience estimated in the press to be up to 10,000 people, will take place in the square on Monday 27 May 2013, Spring Bank Holiday Monday, at 6.30 pm. Principal Conductor of the LSO, Valery Gergiev will conduct an all-Berlioz programme. The aim of BMW LSO Open Air Classics is to bring outstanding music performed in the open air – free for everyone in an informal atmosphere.

Gergiev and the LSO will perform Berlioz’s Overture Le corsaire, and Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique. In a performance of a specially arranged version of Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique by Gareth Glyn 80 young musicians including conservatoire students and LSO On Track young musicians from LSO Discovery, the Orchestra’s award-winning music education and community programme, will play alongside the LSO players. LSO animateur and composer Rachel Leach will present the concert from the stage, guiding the audience through the music. Large screens will be mounted on either side of the stage to allow the audience to witness the concert up close.

Young Londoners who have benefited from the Mayor's Music Fund will be also attending the concert. The charity gives support to young people with musical potential whose families cannot always meet the cost of instrumental tuition, and provides opportunities for them to meet and even play with professionals.

Valery Gergiev has commented:
“I am delighted to return to Trafalgar Square with the London Symphony Orchestra after our outstanding success last year. Performing Berlioz’s brilliant Symphonie fantastique to a vast crowd of every age in one of London’s iconic locations is again a unique opportunity to reach a new audience beyond the concert hall. The inspired partnership of BMW and the LSO has created the experience of the music of a great orchestra free, for everyone – I am thrilled.”

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said:
“It's fantastic to have Valery Gergiev and the LSO returning to Trafalgar Square. I have no doubt the chance to listen to stirring music in this incomparable location will again draw large crowds. It's a terrific opportunity for even more people to experience classical music. I'm especially pleased that some of the Mayor's Music Scholars will get to meet members of the orchestra and hope it will spur them in their ambitions to become great musicians themselves.”

Dr Ian Robertson (HonDSc) Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, has said:
“The tremendous success of the ‘BMW LSO Open Air Classics’ premiere at Trafalgar Square in May 2012 confirms once again our appreciation for this long-term cooperation. With the LSO we have not only a highly valuable partner, but also another first-class orchestra to offer open live concerts in London, alongside those already offered to audiences in Munich and Berlin. We are looking forward to working together over the coming years and to further musical open-air highlights!”

Kathryn McDowell Managing Director of the LSO, has said:
“Playing to over 10,000 people at the BMW LSO Open Air Classics concert in Trafalgar Square was a major highlight of 2012 for the LSO and we are delighted to be returning to the heart of London again this year with Valery Gergiev and the LSO performing Symphonie fantastique in an all Berlioz programme. In BMW we have found a partner who shares our enthusiasm and desire to build on last year’s success and bring the thrill of orchestral music to thousands more people. The LSO is grateful to the Mayor of London for supporting this event and together we look forward to establishing this free open air concert as an annual highlight in London’s cultural diary”.

My take on musicians on strike

2013-03-13T15:23:00.000-07:00

Hard decisions by both management and union organizers affecting classical music

I'm going to make a lot of enemies with this post. I'll probably get told I'm unreasonable and it may even affect my future in terms of orchestra administration, but sometimes it's important to take a stand.

THESE OPINIONS ARE MINE AND MINE ALONE

Composing music is my real passion. So, I'm not sure I really fit with either the administrative camp or the musician camp. When I get paid by an orchestra (not including my day job) it's for a piece of music. It's a one time payment whether it's for a commission or performance rights to an existing work.

However, the musicians are the core to the orchestra. As Music Director for TwtrSymphony, I am certain I spend more time worried about the details of orchestra operation than any of the musicians. I might even go so far as to say I worry about it more than all the musicians put together. But that doesn't change the fact, the music comes out of the musicians. They are who and what you hear. In terms of payroll, they come first.

We just launched a Kickstarter today in hopes to raise money for a CD project - new music for a new audience in a new way. The bulk of the money we raise will go to the musicians. It won't come even close to being the kind of pay the musicians of San Francisco Symphony or Minnesota Symphony Orchestra would expect to receive. Still, the point is, the majority of our budget is for making the music.

Let's move into the future four or five years. Should TwtrSymphony get to the point we have enough interest (read: enough money) to pay musicians full time employment, I am determined the Music Director position of TwtrSymphony will never exceed that of any of the core musicians.

I don't want to get into quibbles over whether musicians in one city are worth as much or more than those in another city. I do think administration (and the boards that oversee them) need to look at who is getting paid what. If you have management that is making more than the musicians, why? Is their role really more important than the people on stage making the music.

TwtrSymphony believes the musicians come first.

When it comes to making new music, what is a good investment?

2013-03-10T14:36:00.002-07:00

What does it mean to invest yourself in music? What is a good investment?

If you had $100 and wanted to invest it, you could put it in a savings account and earn 0.5% interest. You would have access to your money, but it wouldn't earn much interest. If you put your $100 into a certificate of deposit account you might earn 2 to 2.5% but you'd have to leave it there for the long haul. While you might make more money, you have no access to it. You might find a scheme somewhere that would pay 5-6% interest on your money, but there is a much greater risk that you'll lose it all. At the riskiest schemes it would take you twelve years to make $100 on your initial investment. But this isn't an blog post about money.

If you wanted to earn $100 - in California minimum wage is $8/hr -- so it would take you 12.5 hours to make $100. Actually, it would take you a bit longer than that as you'd have taxes taken out. Let's say 15 hours. That's a lot quicker than twelve years! If you working as a lawyer, it might only take 15 minutes to make that kind of money, but you will have invested years of study to go through law school, then studying for the bar. You might have overhead costs of an office and staff. By the time it took you to make the $100 in 15 minutes, you would have already invested thousands of dollars and numerous years of your life.

What is a good investment for a musician to make in their career?

Outliers: The Story of Success by by Malcolm Gladwell suggests it takes about 10,000 hours of dedicated practice to truly master a skill -- playing the violin, computer programming, or skateboarding. He calls this the 10,000 hour rule. If you calculate that out it turns into roughly 3 hours a day (everyday) for 10 years. Most world class musicians will tell you they practice 5-8 hours a day, everyday without fail. Now, they are already world class, so chances are they reached the 10,000 hour mark a while ago. But to stay on top they continue to devote time and effort to maintain their skills.

Let's put this relationship to time (and effort) into musical terms. What is the difference between the original "Clair de lune" by Debussy and one of the many 'student' versions available? The first (obvious) answer is the number of notes. A student version of this wonderful piece has far fewer notes than the original, yet, even when a young student plays their version, the essence of the music is there. We can hear the melody and follow the structure of the piece. However, if Debussy had written the original as simple as these student versions would we likely thrill to it like we do when we hear the original, fully fleshed out with all the right notes in place? Are we as moved when we hear a student play the piece with the occasional wrong notes and halting rhythm as we do when we hear a professional pianist add nuances of expression? The answer to both of these questions is no. The beauty of "Clair de lune" is both in its simplicity and in its complexity. It is beautiful because the core elements are extremely simple, and yet, when all the nuances of the music are in place, the music soars.

Being a musician, a composer and a music director are like Debussy's music. It is important to maintain an awareness of the simplicity of playing music. when playing the trombone, hitting high notes with a solid tone without wavering has more to do with breath control than a world class instrument. Mastery of the simple art of breathing is core to being a good brass player, just a the simple mechanics of finger placement is critical to being a good violinist. Of course, that isn't all it takes to be a world class player, but it is important to remember the simple elements of making music. As a composer, regardless of what technique used to build a piece of music, a solid understanding in the instruments can do is critical. A violin can't play below the G below middle C without changing the tuning of the G string. While it is possible to write double stops (playing two notes at the same time), a violinist can't play both G and B (below middle C) as both of those notes are are the G string. A composer has to understand what he/she is trying to achieve and the role the musician/instrument plays in bringing their music to life.

As Music Director for TwtrSymphony, I often meet people who are amazed at how much time and effort it goes into recording a single track of music. They somehow think I wave a magic wand (or baton) and the music just appears. There are hours of work just getting the music to the musicians. Then, there is the time they spend learning the music to get a good recording. Each recording they do needs to be evaluated, added to the rest of the recording and put together to make a unified final product. There is a reason it takes roughly three months to create one track of music. Over the past year I wouldn't be at all surprised to hear we'd spent 3-4,000 hours doing what we've done. If we go back to the 10,000 hour rule, you might think we only need to continue this pace for another couple of years to achieve success.

Well, yes and no. Success for TwtrSymphony isn't as simple as the 10,000 hour rule. Yes, we need to put in the time and effort, but we also need to make sure what we're doing retains some basic principles: We are making new music for people who don't typically go to the concert hall - a new audience.

We have to make sure the music we record is music that can capture the imagination of people everywhere.
We have to make sure our processes of recording and mixing the music obtain a standard that allows the nuances of the music to be realized.
We have to ensure we spread the news about what we're doing to enough people that people who haven't heard about TwtrSymphony have the chance to come across our music.

What is a good investment when it comes to making new music?

Talk to me in ten years. If we have changed the say musicians collaboration over the internet, if we have brought to the forefront a dozen or so new composers who otherwise wouldn't have been heard, if more people all over the world are listening to new classical music, well then, yes, it will all be worth it.

Women's Day: Quotes worth thinking about

2013-03-08T15:23:00.001-08:00

"For the first time in history, children are growing up whose earliest sexual imprinting derives not from a living human being, or fantasies of their own; since the 1960s pornographic upsurge, the sexuality of children has begun to be shaped in response to cues that are no longer human. Nothing comparable has ever happened in the history of our species; it dislodges Freud. Today's children and young men and women have sexual identities that spiral around paper and celluloid phantoms: from Playboy to music videos to the blank females torsos in women's magazines, features obscured and eyes extinguished, they are being imprinted with a sexuality that is mass-produced, deliberately dehumanizing and inhuman."

— Naomi Wolf (The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty are Used Against Women)

"Although the sexual sell, overt and subliminal, is at a fever pitch throughout all forms of the media, depictions of sex as an important and potentially profound human activity are notably absent. Couples in ads rarely look at each other. Men and women in music videos use each other. It is a cold and oddly passionless sex that surrounds us. A sense of joy is also absent; the people involved often look either hostile or bored. The real obscenity is the reduction of people to objects... Of course, all these sexual images aren't intended to sell our children or us on sex--they are intended to sell us on shopping. This is the intent of the marketers--but an unintended consequence is the effect these images have on real sexual desire and real lives. When sex is a commodity, there is always a better deal."

— Diane Levin & Jean Kilbourne

TwtrSymphony is Breaking the Paradigm

2013-03-07T12:55:00.002-08:00

by Eddie Louise

TwtrSymphony is breaking the paradigm of Classical Music as the art form that just IS - an always present rarely acknowledged facet of the cultural landscape. The symphony as an institution has its place, but new music is not the focus in that reality. TwtrSymphony believes in the power of music to inspire, to excite and to move people. We believe that there is a hunger for new orchestral music. We believe in the magic that is created when musicians devote themselves to the expression of the ideas and emotions which inhabit the music of our time.

Social media is the perfect medium for the exploration of a new musical world. One where new music is embraced and celebrated. Where audiences are acknowledged and encouraged. Where dialogue between musicians, composers and audience create the sparks of new ideas and ignite new passions. In order to take advantage of the opportunities inherent in this landscape, we need to learn to share our passion, to share of ourselves.

Actress Jennifer Lawrence is a perfect example of the type of sharing I am talking about. She has a direct and open quality that communicates well. She speaks with passion of her process and reacts honestly to questions about her work. Videos of her interviews go viral because the audience is drawn in – committed to her, excited by her honesty. But also, these things go viral because the more they are shared, the more people will want to share them. This is the true power of social media. One person says something interesting, gets re-tweeted by two or three of their friends, who in turn are re-tweeted in a ever expanding circle of influence. TwtrSymphony believes classical music can achieve the same kind of viral reach as any other music form; we just need to share the passion we feel with those around us.

When we share our passion for what we are doing, when we speak honestly of the challenges, when we invite commentary and interaction from our audience, we are practicing a form of inclusion that could only happen via social media and the unique process of our orchestra. By letting our beliefs, our passions and even our frustrations become part of the conversation we are enacting the human soul of the orchestra. We are breaking free of the institution. We are envisioning new music in a new way for a new audience.

TwtrSymphony is One Year Old - Thanks to the following people and organizations

2013-03-04T08:36:00.001-08:00

There are SO many people who have helped us this first year.
Here is a short list of those who have made it all possible

TwtrSymphony Musicians

Alexis Del Palazzo, Nikki Warrington, Catherine Coulter-Young, Bobbi Blood, Macy McClain, Lish Lindsey, Jonathan Hunt, Ronnal Ford, Peter Cigleris, Michael Ormond, Scott Harris, Adam Lusk, Garrett McQueen, Stephanie Unverricht, Keri Degg, Rachael Forsyth, William Bard, Tracy Bass, Robert Perlick-Molinari, Aileen Douthwaite, Laurel Roseborrough, Jessica Mullen, Ettore Rivarola, Timothy Breckon, Jeff Freeman, Paul Emmett, Blaine Cunningham, Dave Hutchings, Steve Flory, Shana Norton, Erica Sipes, Craig Stratton, Manoela Wunder, Zane Merritt, Susanne Hehenberger, Anna Rose, Bonnie Gartley, Sarah Richardson, Christian Chinchilla, Elyssa Gilmar, Alison Wrenn, Janet Horvath, Natalie Spehar, Matt Erion, Alvaro Rosso, Stephen Kreuger, Jodi Bortz, Janet Bordeaux, Joss Campbell, Kim Hickey, Andrea Myers, Carla Rees, Anna Promo, Eero Saunamäki, Diljeet Bhachu, Bethani Godin, Miguel García Echeverri, Jeremy Moore, Enya and Cara Widdicombe, Andrew Roseborrough, Alexandra Honigsberg, Ruth Spargo, Glenn James, Michael Scheimer, Corinne Ramey, Siri Smedvig, Michael Hitchcock, Mark Carroll, Mikko Ivars, Melinda Gourlay, Emily Wright, Becky Reiley, Anthony Kershaw, Kyle Owen, Monika Durbin, David Vining, Enrique Reynolds, Marion Harrington, Stuart Estell, Lisa Bartholow, Celine Saout, Stephen P Brown, Michael Gillilan, Molly Hollingsworth, Olivia Ester, Rodolfo Lima, David James, Kirsten Eyerman, William L. Miller, Susannah Hunt, Antonio Lopezrios, Dave Oxley, Michael Golden, Brendan Ball, Jason Price, Marion Maldonado, Edwin Huizinga, Tammy Evans Yonce, Caitlin Rowley, Donna Gross Javel, Andy Lee, Sandra Mogensen, David Thorp, Caroline McCaskey, Christine B. Hansen, Ruth Spargo, Quinton Braswell, Isaac Brinberg, Robert Cody Foster, Scott Clements, Verena Wuesthoff, Thom Norman, Jim Pung

TwtrSymphony Engineers

Garry Boyle, Felipe Gonzalez, Angelina Faulkner

Symphonies and Orchestras

Not sure if this is an apology or just an awakening

2013-02-27T08:19:00.002-08:00

I often rant about the need for more musicians to Tweet and Post about their involvement with the orchestras they play. I may be changing my tune

Post after post I have railed at the musicians who don't talk about what they're doing in terms of orchestra performance. I have gone on and on about how more musicians need to be vocal about classical music, because if we don't who will? And yet, looking back on my own tweets and Facebook posts over the past year I'm not sure I can honestly maintain that diatribe.

For nearly a year I have been the Music Director for TwtrSymphony. The organization was started because of my need for an orchestra and the wealth of musician friends on social media. However, managing an orchestra and the 60+ musicians we have 'on staff' is a great deal of work - so much so, it has impacted my ability to communicate over social media. I have not held conversations with a number of the friends I grew very accustomed to chatting with regularly over Twitter. Many of those people I had become fairly close to seem distant. I watch their streams now and feel out of the loop, out of contact and distant. It's not that I care for them any less, but because I am too busy with other activities that I seem to have fallen off the social media band wagon.

Having said that, I do still tweet and post. I am one of the people tweeting and posting as TwtrSymphony (thank heaven not the only one). I do post on my own timelines, but no where near as prolific as pre-TwtrSymphony. Those posts I do make often have some reference to TwtrSymphony. So, I guess in that regard I am practicing what I preach - spreading the word via social media about the ensemble to which I am affiliated.

One of the precepts of TwtrSymphony is that the musicians are the major portion of the marketing/social media activity for our ensemble. It thrills me to say a large portion of them are very responsive when a call to promote a project come out. Perhaps the best, most recent example is the tweets about Garrett McQueen playing Bassoon with the Detroit Symphony's live broadcast of Beethoven's 9th last Sunday. Leading up to the broadcast I counted at least twelve TwtrSymphony musicians promoting the event. While we were not the only ones talking about it, I couldn't find any Detroit Symphony Orchestra musicians who tweeted about the concert. I did catch tweets by Valerie Sobczak (@valerieclaires), Intern at Detroit Symphony, and Eric Woodhams (@ewoodhams) Digital Media Manager for Detroit Symphony, but couldn't identify any musicians from within the ensemble (other than our own Garrett McQueen who plays for both Detroit Symphony and TwtrSymphony). TwtrSymphony created enough chatter about the event, but prior to and during, it caught the attention of Eric Woodhams (and rightfully so - we can make a lot of noise).

My own reflection on my tweets makes me realize I need to go easier on the musicians working for full time orchestras. Their lives are busy, particularly when faced with an event like Beethoven's 9th. Social media isn't (and shouldn't be) the first thing on their mind. I also need to realize that even within my own organization there are some issues with the notion of musicians tweeting about events. We have over 60 musicians involved with TwtrSymphony and yet only a dozen were actively promoting one of their compatriots. Before I can rant again organizations that don't leverage their musicians for social media, TwtrSymphony needs to improve its own processes.

That said, twenty percent of our musicians tweeting about an event that has virtually nothing to do with TwtrSymphony is better than any other orchestra out there tweeting about its own events. So, while I am willing to step down from my soap box (for now), I do challenge orchestras to better engage their musicians via social media. They are the most passionate people you have in your organization. Get them to share that passion over the internet. The more passionate people tweet about classical music, the more that passion will infect other people, thus building our fan base.

London Symphony Orchestra Celebrates Composing Talent with LSO Futures, Curated by François-Xavier Roth

2013-02-26T07:33:00.000-08:00

LSO Futures celebrates composers at the cutting edge of music today through a week of events at the Barbican

LSO Futures and LSO St Luke’s including two concerts curated by François-Xavier Roth. The LSO has been nurturing the talent of young composers for several years through its Panufnik Young Composers Scheme (set up in memory of composer Andrzej Panufnik), the UBS Sound Adventures Scheme and the recent creation of LSO Soundhub, a laboratory for composers at LSO St Luke’s. LSO Futures throws the doors to these initiatives open, showcasing both the music of today? and the minds behind it. In the words of François-Xavier Roth, it’s a ‘homage to modernity, to new ways, and to creation’, a celebration of music in the 21st-century.

On 9 April at 8pm, composer Tansy Davies presents a UBS Soundscapes: Eclectica concert at LSO St Luke’s which recreates her acclaimed album Troubairitz, putting her own music, with its hints of funk, experimental rock, industrial techno, atonalism and electronica, centre stage. Tansy Davies was the first participant in the LSO’s UBS Sound Adventures scheme for emerging composers. Her work Tilting was given its world premiere by the LSO on the Barbican stage in 2005.

On 11 April at 11.30am, composer Colin Matthews, Composition Director of the Panufnik Young Composers, will take part in a Centre for Orchestra Artist Conversation at LSO St Luke’s, giving an insight into his career and musical inspirations. At 1.30pm at LSO St Luke’s there is a Panufnik Young Composers Workshop with conductor François-Xavier Roth and Colin Matthews, giving the opportunity for the audience to get a glimpse into the creative process and watch as this year’s composers develop their music with the LSO. The workshop features composers Patrick Brennan, Leo Chadburn, David Coonan, Bushra El-Turk, Ryan Latimer and Aaron Parker, plus a special commission from Matthew Kaner.

The first of two concerts masterminded by François-Xavier Roth takes place on 13 April at 5pm in the Barbican Hall. LSO Chamber Ensembles, conducted by Roth, are joined by composer and saxophonist Jason Yarde and pianist Andrew McCormack for a new work by Yarde – Modo Hit Blow for brass and percussion – an alumnus of the Panufnik and UBS Sound Adventures Schemes. The work is set against a backdrop of other 20th-century chamber classics that continue to inspire: Varèse’s Ionisation for Percussion, Stravinsky’s Symphonies of Wind Instruments and John Adams’ Chamber Symphony.

At 7.30pm on 13 April, the full London Symphony Orchestra is conducted by François-Xavier Roth in a second concert which has at its centre the world premiere of Panufnik Variations, a project that brings together graduates from across the Panufnik Scheme’s seven-year history. Its starting-point is a framework constructed by Colin Matthews around a theme from Andrzej Panufnik’s Universal Prayer, with each of the following variations a melting pot of the sounds and styles from nine Panufnik Scheme alumni – Max de Wardener, Evis Sammoutis, Christopher Mayo, Toby Young, Elizabeth Winters, Larry Goves, Raymond Yiu, Anjula Semmens and Edmund Finnis. Also performed will be Webern’s Passacaglia, Boulez’s Notations and Debussy’s La mer.

Before this concert, young composers aged 14-18 will take part in a composition day (10am–7pm, 13 April) inspired by the Colin Matthews & Panufnik Scheme alumni LSO commission – Panufnik Variations. In the morning they will attend the rehearsal for this new work and meet the composers involved in the commission. During the afternoon they will work with animateur Rachel Leach & LSO players to develop their own theme and variations, which will be performed in the Barbican foyer at 6.30pm, between the two evening concerts.

At 8.45pm on 13 April, DJ Richard Lannoy is joined by Soundhub composer-performers and LSO players for Aftershock, an event bringing a mixture of live music and DJ sets to the laid-back setting of the Barbican foyers. Aftershock is presented in association with NONCLASSICAL.

In May 2013, LSO Live releases an album of new works by ten emerging composers. The pieces – originally commissioned as part of the LSO Panufnik Scheme – were recorded at LSO St Luke’s and are now presented on disc, enabling the LSO to share and promote the composers’ music world-wide. François-Xavier Roth conducts the London Symphony Orchestra in Andrew McCormack Incentive; Christian Mason … from bursting suns escaping …; Charlie Piper Flēotan; Eloise Gynn Sakura; Edward Nesbit Parallels; Jason Yarde Rude Awakening!; Martin Suckling Fanfare for a Newborn Child; Christopher Mayo Therma; Elizabeth Winters Sudden Squall, Sudden Shadow; and Vlad Maistorovici Halo.

A new trick for Orchestras to Engage new audiences on Social Media

2013-02-16T10:55:00.001-08:00

Honestly, this isn't a new trick. Several orchestras are already doing this. Other orchestras could learn to leverage this technique to build new audiences via social media

Both Facebook and Twitter are about engagement. However, what most orchestras currently do with their social media is to talk 'at' their audience and not with them. By changing the way they post and tweet, by devoting a bit more time for their social media campaigns, orchestras could find a wealth of new patrons for their concert halls. They will certainly expand their existing fan base. The key to this technique is re-posting/sharing what classical music fans are already posting.

Facebook

It is possible to post on other people's timeline as a person, but not as a page. When someone posts something to an orchestra's page, it doesn't show up in the main feed unless the administrator(s) actually shares the post. If orchestras would encourage their fans and musicians to start posting on their page, anything they find of interest - share what's happening in the community, what's happening with other organizations, or just anything they think the orchestra should be interested in - this will do two things.

1. Give the orchestra an idea as to what their fans are talking about beyond what the orchestra is already posting.

2. Give administrators the chance to post this on their own feed.

Not only will this increase the amount of posts an orchestra is putting on Facebook, it will be more inter-active with their fans. Their fans will get excited about the prospect of being involved with the orchestra. Fans that get their posts shared, will go further by spreading the new and other posts orchestras do even more. Other fans will be encouraged to share as they will feel there is a dialog happening. Fans will feel empowers and part of the orchestra. Fans that are part of the orchestra will not only spread the word, they will be more likely to purchase tickets when the time comes.

If orchestras can get their musicians to post their thoughts on the orchestra page, sharing these thoughts, share who the musicians are as people. Again, fans will feel a greater sense of connection. The more connected the fans, the more likely they are to attend concerts.

Twitter

The same basic process is true with Twitter, but you come about it in a different way. With Twitter, orchestra administrators need to seek out interesting people to re-tweet. Orchestras should re-tweet more orchestra news, not just their own. Find local business you can support by re-tweeting what they're talking about. The flip side is they will be more likely to support your tweets and your concerts in the end. Get your fans talking and mentioning you in their tweets. When they do, re-tweet them. Their tweets may not be directly related to your orchestra, but if orchestras show they are more than just flogging tweets about their performances, followers will more likely engage with what you're doing in all aspects.

Caution

This does require orchestras to devote more time to social media than they are currently doing. It does mean they will need to have one person managing both Facebook and Twitter, to ensure the message on both platforms is consistent, so fans on one can be converted to followers on the other. It will also be important to filter what comes in so the orchestra doesn't just became a spam machine. Yes, this takes time, and at a time when orchestras are tightening their belts it's a hard pill to swallow - particularly considering their is no direct correlation between social media and ticket sales. However, as the current audience dwindles, orchestras need to find new audiences. Social media is a perfect medium for this.

Is Social Media Important to Classical Music? The discussion continues

2013-02-08T23:57:00.000-08:00

Jo Johnson, Digital Marketing Manager for the London Symphony Orchestra, replied to my previous post:

Classical Music continues to lag behind in social media

My reply was too lengthy to put into a comment field.

Jo -
Thank you for you Excellent Reply!

The London Symphony Orchestra, Nashville Symphony and San Francisco Symphony are some of the shinning examples of organizations that are succeeding with out-reach into Social Media. You really are out there engaging.

Yes, orchestra musicians may not be as engaged in social media as their 'pop' counter parts. But we live in a world where people question the value of the arts. Here in the US, orchestras are finding an attitude of "why should we support classical music, when pop music doesn't?" I am not trying to argue the value of classical music (I am very much a member of that choir). However, if those of us involved do not beat our own drum, how can we honestly expect other's to do it for us? A struggling pop band will devote countless hours pushing their music onto anyone who will listen, in the hopes that someday someone of note will notice and give them the break they need.

Traditional music has always been slow to adapt. We mark the shift from Baroque to Classical era music, yet we also know there is a nebulous period when the 'old' music was still in vogue, while the new music was gaining in popularity. We mark Beethoven's "Eroica" as the start of the Romantic era, but it was a much slower process than just the presentation of one piece of music.

We are in the internet age now - an age where styles, attitudes and trends can shift day to day. Anything truly worthwhile will stand the test of time - classical music has proven its value. But currency of a hundred years ago doesn't spend the same today. While we will always have art music, the form that music is in 50 years from now may well depend on how devoted we, who want to see orchestra music thrive, are to its survival. People, like yourself, need to be willing to adapt, to change, to stay ahead, to keep classical music in the forefront. The orchestras I mentioned were not random chance, rather because they are the ones making the changes that need to be made in the media market of today. I applaud you!

Far from giving up, I am calling musicians to stand up and take notice. Calling more musicians to become active, to make their voices heard. You say "Pop is always going to beat classical at the numbers game," but I disagree. Film and game music are one of the fastest growing markets in digital downloads. These are not the pop scores, but orchestral music driving this market. The young(er) generation is interested in a richer music experience, and far more diverse in their tastes than one radio station would lead you to believe. Downloadable music, YouTube and the internet in general gives people the ability to be more discerning, rather than less. They no longer need to just settle for what's playing at the concert hall.

In survey's of recognizable tunes, a far greater percentage of people will recognize a melody by Beethoven or Mozart than any pop artist of the last 100 years. It may not be their first choice of music, but they are more familiar with it than any other type of music. I believe classical music can be more popular than it is - even give pop music a run for its money (literally speaking). But this isn't going to happen if we just sit and play in our concert hall.

Do you remember May 12th, 2012 and the BMW Open Air Concert in Trafalgar Square? There were so many people they had to post barricades to do crowd control. LSO showed (once again) the power of classical music is far more popular than current market statistics lead us to believe.

The LSO has 102k people following on Twitter, 58k following on Facebook. Is that just because London is more cultural than American cities with similar populations? No, it's because YOU engage your audience on social media.

Am I faulting the musicians for a lack of engagement? Yes and no. While I understand why many of them are not engaged, I believe more of them could be. More musicians have Facebook and Twitter accounts than actively participate on their orchestras pages. Some musicians will never make the transition, but others are already using Facebook and Twitter, but surprisingly silent when it comes to their orchestra (at least it's surprising to me).

Hardly a week goes by where some news article reports the fiscal troubles of this orchestra or that. If orchestras really are struggling financially, then it is in the musicians best interests to get involved, to start beating their drums on street corners and on the internet.

The article you replied to, Classical Music continues to lag behind in social media, has been extremely popular. Musicians from all over re-tweeted, shared and reposted the story. This is a GOOD thing. Musicians all over are saying they want to be involved. Continue to say that. Tell your fellow musicians to be involved.

I am a rabid classical music fan. I didn't post the original 'rant' to complain about the LSO's lack of effort, to say how disappointed I am at their lack of concern. You are a shinning example of what's right. More orchestras need to follow your lead. More musicians need to step and get involved. More people need to express how they feel about classical music - to share their thoughts and impression with their friends on the internet. It's not enough to just go to the concert hall. Tell your Facebook friends you're going. Check in with Foursquare and tweet about your experience when you're done.

Minnesota Orchestra Cancels Concerts Through April 7

2013-02-08T09:34:00.002-08:00

Four programs are cancelled and four are rescheduled as negotiations continue

The Minnesota Orchestral Association announced today that it has cancelled or rescheduled its concert performances through Sunday, April 7, 2013, due to the current labor dispute. All ticketholders of affected concerts are being contacted and offered a variety of options including the opportunity to exchange tickets for a future concert or receive a full refund. A complete list of impacted concerts is available on page 2.

In the ongoing contract talks with the Musicians’ Union, the Orchestra Board agreed on
January 2 to conduct the joint financial analysis musicians have sought in order to verify the organization’s financial position. Last week, the Board suggested that the terms of this analysis should focus on testing the accuracy of the organization’s Fiscal 2012 results and the forward-looking financial assumptions upon which the organization’s strategic plan is based. Discussions between the Board and Union are ongoing to agree to terms for the analysis.

“We very much hope that following the independent analysis the musicians will put forward a counterproposal, and we can begin the two-way negotiations that will lead to a settlement and the resumption of concerts,” said Minnesota Orchestra Board Chair Jon Campbell. “Realistically, we are all aware that it will take some time to complete this review, so we regrettably need to cancel further programs in consideration of the needs of our audiences, guest artists and partnering venues. If we are able to come to an agreement within a timeframe that allows us to reinstate some of these concerts, we will make every effort to do so.”

Contract talks between the Orchestral Association and its musicians, who are members of the Twin Cities Musicians’ Union (Local 30-73), began on April 12, 2012 and are currently overseen by a federal mediator. The Orchestral Association’s proposal offers a total package averaging $119,000 per musician, including an average salary of $89,000 with $30,000 in benefits per musician. The proposal also includes 10 weeks of paid vacation and up to 26 weeks of paid sick leave. In December, the Orchestral Association posted an operating deficit of $6 million for Fiscal 2012, the largest in its history.

Concert Detail:
All ticketholders to concerts through April 7 will be contacted directly by the Orchestra to outline ticketing options.

Cancelled Concerts:
• Beethoven’s Eroica, February 27 and 28, March 1 and 2
• The Gershwins’ Here to Stay, March 9 and 10
• Strauss: Four Last Songs, March 14-16
• Josefowicz Plays Stravinsky, March 21-23

Rescheduled Concerts (These programs will be presented during the 2013-14 season.)
• YP: Supersonic Sounds, March 7 and 8 | rescheduled to February 25 and 27, 2014
• Common Chords: Bemidji, April 1-6 | rescheduled to week of September 15, 2014
• Trey McIntyre/Preservation Hall, April 5| rescheduled date to be announced

Concert with a new presenter
• Max Raabe and Palast Orchester, April 7, 2013—This performance will now be presented by the Dakota at its own venue, the Dakota Bar and Grill, on the originally scheduled date. Current ticketholders will receive a full refund and will be notified directly with additional details on how to purchase tickets at the new presenting venue.

The Minnesota Orchestra Box Office will be directly in touch with concertgoers to share the following:

• Ticketholders may keep their tickets until a new contract is in place and performances resume. The Orchestra will bank the value of these tickets in the ticketholder’s account and keep in touch by mail. When a settlement is reached, the Orchestra will contact ticketholders to reactivate the value of their tickets for another concert this season.

• Ticketholders may exchange their cancelled tickets now to a future concert this season. All related fees will be waived.

• Ticketholders may apply the value of their unused tickets toward a gift certificate.

• Ticketholders may consider the full face value of their unused tickets a tax-deductible contribution to the Minnesota Orchestral Association.

• Ticketholders may request a refund for the full value of their tickets including related fees.

• For Rescheduled Concerts -- Ticketholders to rescheduled concerts may choose any of the above options, or they may attend the rescheduled concert presented as part of the Orchestra’s 2013-14 season. Patrons will be seated in the same price section and will not incur price increases or pay additional fees. This option will be honored through the date of the cancelled concert. Patrons with pending reschedule dates will be contacted when a new date is secured.

Minnesota Orchestral Association Ticket Services Representatives will be available to assist with cancelled/rescheduled ticket accommodations via phone at 612-371-5656. To save time, ticketholders are encouraged to conduct ticketing activity online at minnesotaorchestra.org/change.

Why does Classical Music Festival of "Modern Music" call any music written in the last 50 years NOW music?

2013-02-07T07:47:00.001-08:00

Music of Now Marathon Begins Composers Now Series is HARDLY music on NOW.

The above article by Steven Smith starts out, "No concert, however epic in duration, could encompass the entirety of the contemporary classical world, which has grown too broad and variegated to sample in one sitting." Ok, I agree. But then the article goes on to highlight some of the pieces performed

Libby Larsen’s 1991 string quartet “Schoenberg, Schenker, Schillinger”

Bernard Rands "Memo 5" written in 1975

Looking through the rest of the program on composers-now.org, there are pieces from the 70's, 80's, 90's and even a few from the early 21st century. This seems incredibly odd to me for a festival to be promoting itself as music now, when only a small percentage of the pieces are from the last decade.

Composers go through periods of music. Beethoven has his early, middle and later period of music. The style of music he wrote in each one is fairly different from the other periods. Modern composers do the same. Elliott Carter's music pre-2000 is very different from what he wrote in the last 10 years. John Adams music of 20 years ago is remarkably different than what he's writing now. The same can be said for Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Jennifer Higdon - all Pulitzer Prize winners. While there are ways to see and/or hear the connection from one period to the next, the music itself is very different.

If a pop radio station played Michael Jackson's Thriller (1982), or TLC's "Baby Baby Baby" (1992) none of their listeners would consider this 'music of today.' Yes, there are radio stations that play these songs, but their not calling saying they are playing current hits. Playing pieces 20+ years ago and suggesting to the audience they are music of today only suggests to the audience classical music is stagnant. There is already a perception classical music is stuffy and out of touch. Festival's like this only further this attitude. While I'm happy these composers found a place to get their music performed, it's unfortunate the festival couldn't find music more contemporary music to play.

Classical Music continues to lag behind in social media

2013-02-06T08:32:00.001-08:00

While more and more orchestras and classical music artists venture into the social media space, they lag behind other industry artists in leveraging their fan base. This has less to do with use and more with how their fans respond.

If you follow classical music artists on Twitter and Facebook, you'll get the feeling they are keeping up with the times. Numerous orchestras posts daily on Facebook and several times a day on Twitter. Compare that with how often Justin Bieber or Miley Cirus post on either and you'll see classical music artists are far more active. So, why aren't classical music artists getting the millions of fans of their pop counterparts?

It has to do with fan leveraging. Pop music fans tend to share posts, re-tweet and are far more fanatical about spreading the word for their idols. Miley has only three posts on Facebook this past week. But, each post was shared by her fans a minimum of 64 times. One post was shared over 648 times. Justin Bieber is a bit more active on Facebook. His post just an hour ago already has over 500 people who've shared it.

Compare this to the London Symphony Orchestra, which has a very respectable 50k+ fans, posted three times yesterday. Only one post was shared and that one only by two people. San Francisco Symphony has just over 23k fans, three posts in the past week and wound up getting shared a combined 285 times - but they were all referencing the SF 49ers heading to the Superbowl. The Symphony is far more popular on Facebook than the sports teams, but it was the sports posts that got shared. Nashville Symphony has one of the most active social media campaigns of any orchestra I've seen, and they only have 11.5k fans on Facebook. They have posted 15 times in the past week, shared 16 times by only 9 people.

iTunes just published the top 30 classical music charts. Sales of classical music downloads are up and has been steadily climbing for the past four years. Evidence suggests classical music fans, they just aren't vocal about their appreciation. Even musicians are conspicuously absent from comments and shares on orchestra websites. The other day I nominated eight different orchestras for a Shorty Award in classical music. There was no way classical music was going to compete with the thousands of votes pop artists were getting, so I opted to start a new category. Each of these orchestras were notified of their nomination (they were mentioned in a tweet). And yet, not a single one has attempted to leverage their fans. Only one even mentioned it in a tweet (no surprise, Nashville). Each of these orchestras have 80+ musicians. If only half of those musicians were to nominate the orchestra they play in, the chatter about classical music would incredible. None of these orchestras posted anything on Facebook. So, while they have thousands of fans who could potentially vote for them, the orchestras have decided to stay silent.

Why would classical music care about the Shorty Awards? Well, these awards are for outstanding presence in social media. Ostensibly, these are awards for being engaged with the public. While classical music might not win the award for #music, classical music artists ought to care about engaging with the public. If our fans aren't willing to share what we do, how can we expect people who aren't our fans to become our fans? If those of us who are making the music don't engage with the organizations we play with/for, they how can we expect anyone else to engage with these organizations?

Classical music fans are amazingly lack luster in their engagement on social media. Classical music organizations provide more content and yet capture less passion. For a music that prides itself on being "deeper music," there is a surprising lack of depth and emotion by those who follow it on social media. Perhaps classical music fans aren't into the hype of social media. But, as we wonder where our audiences are going (why they aren't coming to the concert hall like they used to), as we read of more and more orchestras struggling to balance their budgets (because both donations and ticket sales are down), perhaps it's time we started to get hyped about classical music. Perhaps it's time we ask our fans on Facebook and Twitter to GET INVOLVED. We asked our musicians to GET INVOLVED.

Getting involved isn't just liking our Facebook page, or following our tweets - but engaging with those posts and tweets. Imagine if EVERY musicians in an orchestra were to share one page a week from something their orchestra posted. That's 80 five to six time more shares than they have now. PLUS, those shares broaden the visibility of those posts exponentially. Beyond all the numbers, if musicians were to show their passion for the music, fans would be encouraged to show their passion. It wouldn't just be 80 more shares, but could result in hundreds more shares each week.

Statistics show a Twitter account with 10k followers has an expected reach of 2-5k people for each tweet. But, if that tweet is re-tweeted just once the expected reach doubles, twice quadrupled. If an orchestra could get 20 musicians re-tweeting every other day, orchestras wouldn't reach hundreds of thousands of people. This isn't rocket science, it's social science. The more people talking about you, the more people will hear about you. It's time classical music started talking about itself more.

Popularity Contests - are Classical Musicians not interested?

2013-01-18T14:02:00.001-08:00

Shorty Awards are given for excellence in Social Media. However, Classical Music seems to be glaringly absent in the #music category

Shorty Awards are for "Honoring the Best in Social Media" - at least according to their website. If you look at the list of people 'nominated' for awards in the music category, you'll see all your favorite pop and 'talent TV' stars prominently listed. What you won't see are classical music artists.

You can 'search' for artists by putting their Twitter name after the opening URL:
http://shortyawards.com/nyphil
but you'll be hard pressed to find anyone with any votes. There are a couple:

TwtrSymphony ranks 55th and Versailees_P_Q ranks 62nd.
Where are the rest of them???

As of writing this post Demetria Lovato has 1,700 votes, Miley Ray Cyrus has 1,697 and Justin Bieber has 719 (shock, he hasn't even broke the 1,000 mark yet). Jonas Brothers has 633 votes in #music but 2281 in #band. Justin Bieber has 2454 votes in #celebrity and #1101 votes in singer. So, obviously these artists are being nominated in more than one category.

Where are the classical music artists?

Even more than that, where is the classical music support??? As Music Director of TwtrSymphony, the moment I heard we were in the running (long shot) for a Shorty Award, I started to notify a number of my colleges about the 'voting.' While we have done well to get to number 55, I'm noticing that many of the people I thought might want to support the quest of TwtrSymphony are oddly absent.

While no other orchestra (that I could find) is listed in the ranking, no other orchestra (other than Pacific Symphony) has offered their support. Few artists have jumped on the band wagon and offered their support either. Going through some of their feeds, the big name artists aren't even voting.

Yes, the Shorty Awards are in part a popularity contest and classical music doesn't fair very well in terms of popularity. But, is that partly because we don't even participate? If everyone who follows TwtrSymphony were to vote for TwtrSymphony They would be way out in the lead. Of course, you could say, if all the fans of the NYPhil would do the same, TwtrSymphony wouldn't even be in the running.

The fans of NYPhil aren't voting. Some of the fans of TwtrSymphony are, but not enough — not enough to get into the top 10 (or even the top 20. If we who love classical music would show some solidarity, we might find we can show the world we do matter. We are important and a voice to be heard. However, if we continue to avoid public forums like this, classical music will continue to drift into obscurity.

Alisa Weilerstein Continues to Get More and More Amazing

2012-12-07T08:02:00.001-08:00

Alisa Weilerstein joined Pacific Symphony for Dvorak's Cello Concerto and stunned the audience

I love going to see a wide variety of classical concerts particularly when I get to see artists like Alisa in a variety of settings, playing a variety of pieces and watch their growth as an artist. It was my pleasure to see Alisa Weilerstein several years ago performing with the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Vail Valley Music Festival (2009) where she played Schelomo, Rhapsody for Cello and Orchestra. She has matured as a cellist over the past few years and she was pretty amazing back then. Where in Vail she inhabited the voice (and face) of Solomon, last night her performance pulled out both the demanding intensity Dvorak lavishly spreads throughout the first movement, while diving into the depth of despair in the second. The third movement frolics a bit, swerves toward the chaotic and then plummets into the pathos even deeper than before. It was an emotional roller-coaster and Ms Weilerstein handled every twist and curve with precision and intensity.

Pacific Symphony had another guest in last night's performance, Conductor Alexander Shelley. He was given a tall order, taking the orchestra from the baroque Royal Fireworks Music by Handel and immediately jumping into impressionistic music of Debussy's La Mer. Yet, each piece captured both the color of the period in which written. Handel's music glistened with glorious trumpet, with sprinklings of light strings, including a harpsichord which is often buried under the orchestra—not so under Shelley's deft conducting. The Debussy was fraught with all the turbulence and color of the ocean, allowing a wide variety of instruments to each crest above the sea of sound. The dual harps, wonderful flute, oboe, horn, solo violin and cello each adding a delicate touch to music so complex.

The only unfortunate aspect of the evening was the number of empty seats. This isn't a "pack the house" kind of program. It should be. Alisa Weilerstein and Alexander Shelley are extremely good at what they do. Where Shelley brought out the best in Pacific Symphony's performance, Weilerstein added the icing on the top.

Dave Brubeck: Thanks for encouraging me to be a composer

2012-12-05T18:00:00.000-08:00

Dave Brubeck dies at 91

A jazz legend died today, at Norwalk Hospital, near his home in Wilton, Connecticut. His famous "Take Five" is one of the great jazz pieces, and ushered in a whole world of different time signatures and irregular rhythms bringing jazz into the main stream. Although early on fellow jazz musicians felt Dave's piano playing didn't swing, he taught the world a new meaning to swing relying on shifting meter and intricate rhythmic play.

Back in the mid 70's I was just coming into my own as a musicians (albeit still in 8th grade). I was first chair trombone in a school jazz band and fell in love with making music. It was this year I first heard "Take Five" and it's been my favorite piece of music every since. If you listen to my music today, you'll heard elements of those initial irregular rhythms that seem to somehow feel regular pervasive throughout.

While I have studied Bach, Beethoven, Mahler, Debussy, Shostakovich, Copland and Bernstein, I believe Dave Brubeck is the most influential composer in my life. Thanks Dave, for encouraging me to be a composer.

Reprinted from Associated Press

You don't have to be a jazz aficionado to recognize "Take Five," the smoky instrumental by the Dave Brubeck Quartet that instantly evokes swinging bachelor pads, hi-fi systems and cool nightclubs of the 1950s and '60s.

"Take Five" was a musical milestone — a deceptively complex jazz composition that managed to crack the Billboard singles chart and introduce a new, adventurous sound to millions of listeners.

In a career that spanned almost all of American jazz since World War II, Brubeck's celebrated quartet combined exotic, challenging tempos with classical influences to create lasting standards.

The pianist and composer behind the group, Brubeck died Wednesday of heart failure at a hospital in Norwalk, Conn. He was a day shy of his 92nd birthday.
Brubeck believed that jazz presented the best face of America to the world.

"Jazz is about freedom within discipline," he said in a 2005 interview with The Associated Press. "Usually a dictatorship like in Russia and Germany will prevent jazz from being played because it just seemed to represent freedom, democracy and the United States.
"Many people don't understand how disciplined you have to be to play jazz. ... And that is really the idea of democracy — freedom within the Constitution or discipline. You don't just get out there and do anything you want."

The common thread that ran through Brubeck's work was breaking down the barriers between musical genres — particularly jazz and classical music. He was inspired by his mother, a classical pianist, and later by his composition teacher, the French composer Darius Milhaud, who encouraged his interest in jazz and advised him to "keep your ears open" as he traveled the world.

"When you hear Bach or Mozart, you hear perfection," Brubeck said in 2005. "Remember that Bach, Mozart and Beethoven were great improvisers. I can hear that in their music."
Brubeck was always fascinated by the rhythms of everyday life. In a discussion with biographer Doug Ramsey, he recalled the rhythms he heard while working as a boy on cattle drives at the northern California ranch managed by his father.

The first time he heard polyrhythms — the use of two rhythms at the same time — was on horseback. "The gait was usually a fast walk, maybe a trot," he said. "And I would sing against that constant gait of the horse. ... There was nothing to do but think, and I'd improvise melodies and rhythms."

Brubeck combined classical influences and his own innovations on the seminal 1959 album "Time Out" by his classic quartet that included alto saxophonist Paul Desmond, drummer Joe Morello and bassist Eugene Wright.

It was the first jazz album to deliberately explore time signatures outside of the standard 4/4 beat or 3/4 waltz time. It was also the first million-selling jazz LP and is still among the best-selling jazz albums of all time.
Columbia executives blocked its release for nearly a year — until label President Goddard Lieberson intervened.

"They said, 'We never put out music that people can't dance to, and they can't dance to these rhythms that you're playing,'" Brubeck recalled in 2010. He also wanted a painting by Joan Miro on the cover, something else the record company had never done.
"I insisted that we go with something new," he said. "And to their surprise, it became the biggest jazz recording they ever made."

The album opens with "Blue Rondo a la Turk," a piece inspired by Turkish street musicians Brubeck heard on a 1958 State Department tour. The piece was in 9/8 time — nine beats to the measure instead of the customary two, three or four beats — and blended folk rhythms with jazz and a Mozart piece.

The album also featured "Take Five," the cool and catchy odd-metered tune that became the Brubeck quartet's theme. The tune was derived from a pattern that Morello liked to play backstage. Brubeck asked Desmond to write a two-part melody over the rhythm, and Brubeck patched the pieces together.

"It was a song that people could relate to, and it influenced the future of the music," said George Wein, a jazz pianist and founder of the Newport Jazz Festival.
Brubeck "proved that a song with five beats in it and one with seven beats in it could become popular," pianist Herbie Hancock said in an email.
The jazz master played a key role in popularizing the first jazz festivals in the 1950s, playing at the Newport festival at least 50 times and helping to found the Monterey Jazz Festival.

He was also the first modern jazz musician pictured on the cover of Time magazine — on Nov. 8, 1954.

Brubeck always felt that his successful jazz career led fans to overlook the second career he launched as a jazz-inspired classical orchestral and choral composer in 1967 after disbanding his original quartet.

His experience in World War II led him to look beyond jazz to compose oratorios, cantatas and other extended works touching on themes involving religion, civil rights and peace.
"I knew I wanted to write on religious themes when I was a GI in World War II," Brubeck said, recalling how he was trapped behind German lines in the Battle of the Bulge and nearly killed. "I saw and experienced so much violence that I thought I could express my outrage best with music."

His interest in classical music was inspired by his mother, Elizabeth Ivey Brubeck, a classical pianist, who was initially disappointed by her youngest son's interest in jazz. She later came to appreciate his music.

Born in Concord, Calif., on Dec. 6. 1920, Brubeck took piano lessons with his mother as a child. Then his father moved the family to a cattle ranch in the foothills of the Sierras.
When he enrolled at the College of the Pacific in 1938, Brubeck had intended to major in veterinary medicine and return to ranching. But while working his way through college by playing piano in nightclubs, he became smitten with jazz and changed his major to music. In 1942, he married Iola Whitlock, a fellow student who became his lifelong partner, librettist, and sometime manager.

Brubeck joined the Army as an infantry man, but ended up leading the semi-official Wolf Pack band attached to Gen. George S. Patton's army. They played popular standards as well as some of his first original jazz tunes, including "We Crossed the Rhine," based on the rhythm of trucks hitting the metal pontoon bridges as they entered Germany.

His band, which was one of the first integrated units in the then-segregated Army, reopened the Opera House in Nuremberg, the site of mass rallies organized by the Nazis, who had banned jazz.

Years later, the addition of Wright to Brubeck's quartet made the group one of the nation's best-known integrated music acts. A longtime champion of civil rights, Brubeck cancelled lucrative gigs at Southern universities and on television's Bell Telephone Hour when the organizers insisted that he replace Wright. He refused to play in South Africa under apartheid.

After his discharge, he enrolled at Mills College in Oakland, Calif. That's where he formed an octet, including Desmond on alto sax, Dave van Kreidt on tenor sax, Cal Tjader on drums and Bill Smith on clarinet. The group played Brubeck originals and standards by other composers. Their ground-breaking album "Dave Brubeck Octet" was recorded in 1946.

In 1949, Brubeck with Tjader and bassist Ron Crotty, both fellow octet members, formed a more commercially viable trio and cut their first records, which gained a national audience. After surviving a near-fatal diving accident in 1951, Brubeck formed a quartet by adding Desmond.
Brubeck continued performing with the latest version of his quartet until just past his 90th birthday, despite needing heart surgery and a pacemaker.
In a 2010 interview, Brubeck, who converted to Catholicism in 1980, envisioned an afterlife where he'd again see his family and jazz friends, including Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Count Basie.

"If there's a heaven," Brubeck said, "let it be a good place for all of us to jam together and have a wonderful, wonderful musical experience."

Brubeck is survived by his wife of 70 years, a daughter and four musician sons. Another son died in 2009.

The British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors are delighted to announce the winners in 13 categories of the 2012 British Composer Awards

2012-12-04T09:19:00.002-08:00

Instrumental Solo or Duo Christian Mason Learning Self- Modulation

Chamber Thomas Adés The Four Quarters

Vocal Colin Matthews No Man’s Land

Choral Gabriel Jackson Airplane Cantata

Wind Band or Brass Band Simon Dobson A Symphony of Colours

Orchestral Sir Harrison Birtwistle Concerto for Violin and Orchestra

Stage Works Jocelyn Pook DESH

Liturgical Francis Grier Missa Brevis

Sonic Art Ray Lee The Ethometric Museum

Contemporary Jazz Composition Christine Tobin Sailing to Byzantium

Community or Educational Paul Rissmann The Chimpanzees of Project Happytown

Making Music Award Emily Howard Mesmerism for Piano and Chamber Orchestra

International Award Thomas Larcher Concerto for Violin, Cello and Orchestra

The Awards were presented at a ceremony at Goldsmiths' Hall, on Monday 3rd December 2012 which opened with a performance of Gareth Moorcraft’s Rondo? – winner of the third Student Competition at the British Composer Awards – performed by members of Endymion.

Trials and tribulations of a World Wide orchestra: TwtrSymphony working on the next track

2012-11-25T17:40:00.001-08:00

When there are literally thousands of miles between the musicians, the sound engineers and the composer, trying to get all the pieces to fit together can be a monumental task.

TwtrSymphony is in the last stages of releasing the 4th movement of Birds of a Feather, their debut symphony. So far the first three movements have been met with great enthusiasm, the videos averaging over 1000 views within the first 30 days and the music downloads beyond all expectations. Still, you'd think for an organization that has been playing together for eight months we'd have the process down. Far from it!

With remote recording sessions the variety of recording levels from one track to the next. Is the flute really meant to be the focus in this section or is the volume of their track just that much higher than the strings? The engineer has to make choices as to what works and what doesn't. Then, he/she has to send the track to the producer (me) to make suggestions as to changing the volume of each given instrument for each moment of the music. When an ensemble plays together in the same hall, the conductor can make minute adjustments to the performance, asking a flute player to play one phrase slightly louder, or asking the trombones to take it down just a notch just before the trumpets come in (not that trombone players ever listen to conductors - at least, I never did when I played way back when). Because TwtrSymphony is comprised of musicians recording their parts in their own space, there is no chance to make these kinds of minor adjustments. So, these "edits" fall to the sound engineers. The difficulty with this process is the time delays between mixes—particularly since the sound engineer and I live in two different country—the sound engineer has to create a mix, send it off, have me make edit requests, and remix it. These sorts of edits may not take much to adjust the flute a touch louder or the trombones a notch softer, but it can be time consuming get through the process.

When an ensemble plays together in the same hall, the reverb for the recording is based on the hall, uniform across the ensemble. Because TwtrSymphony has musicians recording in everything from professional sound booths, to bedrooms, the difference in reverb on the tracks can be huge, even if it seems slight when the tracks are heard side by side. Getting all the musicians to sound as if they are playing in the same room is a minor miracle. Tremulando had over 190 separate tracks to get the sound final sound mix. If you think about it, that's over six hours of recording time to make two minutes of music. We aren't talking about getting a couple of people to sound good together. TwtrSymphony is a symphony orchestra of musicians where all the pieces have to fit together just right.

As TwtrSymphony thinks about the next step, a Kickstarter (we hope to launch in late Novemeber), one of the things we want to do is stream line the process from engineer to composer. We'll be bringing on more sound engineers to work on the various tracks, so that we can actually work on more than one track at a time. The final product will still be finalized and mastered by our primary engineers. We're also hoping to create a series of videos and documents to help our existing musicians (and new ones that join us) to understand what they can do to create a better, more unified output. We didn't start out to be an educational institution, but we want to share what we're learning with other musicians, ensembles – to help other people avoid the problems we've faced..

TwtrSymphony is a major technical undertaking. It's not just about creating new orchestra music—although we are that too. TwtrSymphony is about creating orchestra music in new way. In order to do this right, we need to think of new ways about how the music is performed, recorded and put together. We are still learning, and exploring. But I hope you agree, what we've done so far is definitely headed in the right direction.

If you'd like to know more about our Kickstarter or want to help, contact TwtrSymphony.