Audience Engagement
Submitted by Jim Hirsch on Tue, 09/30/2008 - 2:57pm.
I normally shy away from writing blatant commercials about events that the Chicago Sinfonietta is involved with. However, 
the Saturday, October 4th performance of the Sphinx Chamber Orchestra at the Harris Theater at 7:30 pm is a happy exception for a couple of reasons.
First, I passionately support the mission of Sphinx, which like the Chicago Sinfonietta, works diligently to promote diversity and inclusiveness in classical music. Yes, I know this is not our field’s favorite topic – and based on the national statistics that show less than 3% of orchestral musicians being people of color – not one that most of us even want to acknowledge, much less try to do something about. Sphinx identifies and nurtures very talented young, minority musicians, and the Sphinx Chamber Orchestra is made up of the best of these players.
Second, you can attend this concert for $5. An evening of great music for $5? You can’t beat that with a conductor’s baton!
Finally, it’s great to see the Harris Theater taking an active role as a presenter of classical music. The Sinfonietta is proud to collaborate with them on this concert. You can get more information by visiting their website at www.harristheaterchicago.org.
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Submitted by Jim Hirsch on Sun, 08/31/2008 - 9:48am.
Since we last shared this space, the Chicago Sinfonietta presented its debut performance at Millennium Park’s Pritzker Pavilion. Having attended a number of Grant Park Music Festival concerts in the past, I was familiar with the venue. But I have to confess, seeing our orchestra on stage at this magnificent venue was a blast! We had over 10,000 people in attendance despite the threat of rain all day. A few thoughts.
The sound system at the Pritzker is truly amazing. Rick Talaske’s group has created a state-of-the-art sound system for a state-of-the-art venue. Sightlines are great, the setting is dramatic, and what a fantastic centerpiece this venue provides in the heart of the city! We are grateful to Jim Palermo and the people at GPMF for their generous assistance, though we are a little envious that they get to perform there all summer long.
There are some faults, as well. There is a great deal of ambient noise, especially the sirens that seem to cut through almost anything the orchestra is playing. It also seems that some of the lawn seats might not have the greatest of sightlines. Having said that, Pritzker Pavilion is an incredible asset for the city and we were proud to have been invited to play.
One final quick plug. The Chicago Sinfonietta will broadcast its season preview on WFMT 98.7 FM on Saturday, September 6th from 10 –noon. Tune in to hear Maestro Paul Freeman and yours truly discuss the 08-09 season.
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Today's guest blog is written by Dileep Gangolli, Clarinetist with the Chicago Sinfonietta
While playing with my wife’s new computer, I stumbled on a desktop prompt for Pandora Radio which connected me to a world of streaming Classical music organized in a highly logical mathematical manner.
I was immediately taken by the way the music is presented and delivered (at no cost to the listener). I am anxious to get the thoughts of others on this method of classical music distribution.
After signing up for Pandora Radio, listeners are invited to create their “own radio stations” that feature their favorite composers. I have stations that feature Mozart, Bach, Schubert, Mahler, and Coldplay among others.
But what is so interesting is that the musical selections are not just of the selected composers but of those that compose in a similar manner either by being of the same time period or by being similar in aesthetic. So Mozart could precede a neo-classical work by Stravinsky that would then be followed by a composition by Varese or Satie. This type of musical organization is a by-product of the Musical Genome Project.
I “Googled” the MGP and this is what surfaced on Wikipedia:
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Today's guest blog was co-written by Jean Cook, Deputy Director and Casey Rae-Hunter Communications Director; both of of The Future of Music Coalition
When you think of classical music listeners, you might not picture web-savvy youth firing off blog posts about the great recital they just attended, or flitting through social networks to interact with their favorite contemporary ensemble. But according to Sidney Chen, Artistic Administrator of the avant-classical ensemble Kronos Quartet, all that and more is currently happening online, thanks to a cool little concept called net neutrality.
Net neutrality is the principle that protects the open Internet. It allows musicians to distribute their work in any way they want, without interference from gatekeepers and middlemen. It also provides fans with a plethora of legal ways to get their musical fix, often directly from the artist. But big telecommunications and cable companies want to change the fundamental structure of the internet by charging those who put content on the web — artists, filmmakers etc. — a fee for the faster delivery of their sights and sounds. If they couldn’t afford to (or didn’t want to) pay this toll, they’d be forced into in the information superhighway’s slow lane.This would be devastating to artists like Kronos Quartet, who depend on the Internet to reach potential audiences. “Our projects don’t normally fit neatly into genres,” Chen says. “The Internet allows us to reach those people who aren’t reliant solely on mainstream media and other information gatekeepers.”
Exploration celebration
According to Chen, Kronos fans come from a wide variety of backgrounds, ages, and locations. “The consistent thread that ties together all of our fans is that they’re adventurous listeners,” he relates. “The Internet has allowed us to find people who are just out there exploring and looking for new and interesting sounds. It’s allowed us to have a direct, two-way connection with our existing fans and also uncover new audiences.”
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Submitted by Jim Hirsch on Thu, 07/31/2008 - 9:39am.
A friend sent me a link to an interesting blog written by Amanda Ameer entitled, “Someone, please just bring the water to 
the horse”. This fun-to-read, thought-provoking blog is about how orchestras can do a better job of marketing events to younger consumers. Think of it as our field’s Holy Grail.
I think you will enjoy reading this even if you are not an orchestra marketing director. I’d love to get your take on her conclusions so please return to our site and leave a comment after reading Amanda’s blog, and maybe share some ideas you might have. Enjoy!
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Submitted by Ravinia on Wed, 07/23/2008 - 2:44pm.
The last couple of weeks at Ravinia
have spawned a lot of discussion about age and experience. We have had three
extraordinary young virtuosos join us – Denis Matsuev, Lang Lang and Chris Thile
– and response was remarkable. Matsuev, who is working closely with Vladimir
Putin on arts issues in Russia, brought an old-fashioned virtuosity to
his concerts with the CSO and in the Martin Theatre – virtuosity that has been
regarded as a negative by much of the classical music establishment who seem
suspicious of anything that gets a strong, positive audience reaction. Lang
Lang brought rock-star glamour and popularity to the Park, spending hours
signing copies of his autobiography (yes, at 26 years old, an autobiography!)
and talking about his upcoming appearance at the opening of the Beijing
Olympics. And Chris Thile, mandolin expert and intrepid bluegrass explorer,
wowed his devoted fans. At the other end of the spectrum, Bernard Haitink,
Barbara Cook, Charles Rosen and Kiri Te Kanawa have all shone brightly, bringing
wisdom, pacing, and the power only experience can deliver to their performances.
One of the many things I appreciate
about Ravinia is its welcoming of diversity – not only ethnic, but also age. In
the classical music world, where we know that folks begin purchasing tickets to
orchestral concerts at age 45, on average, we do everything we can to celebrate
and honor our more experienced patrons – from programming, to the start time of
performances, to the upgrading of our dining opportunities. And at the same
time, one of the happiest sounds at Ravinia comes not from our stages, but from
the lawn, where the giggles and gurgles of our youngest patrons inspire smiles
all through the Park – kids getting great music and enjoying family
time.
One of the first Ravinia patrons I
encountered was the dignified and elegant Kay Mayer, a devoted music lover who
actually attended the one and only Ravinia performance by George Gershwin in
1936! Kay passed in her sleep recently – she will be sorely missed.
By Welz Kauffman
Ravinia President/CEO
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Submitted by Jim Hirsch on Fri, 07/18/2008 - 12:10pm.
This morning my Google alert for Chicago classical music included a link to a blog with the title, Baroque jams: you’re new iPod playlist. This caught my eye for a number of reasons. First, my wife and son spent seven hours in line
last week waiting to buy the new Apple iPhone that incorporates all of the iPod functions with too many other things to list. I confess that I am interested in just about all things Apple-related.
But when posts combine my interest in technology and classical music, I tend to really pay attention.
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Submitted by Jim Hirsch on Mon, 06/23/2008 - 10:35am.
I was in Denver last week for the League of American Orchestras annual conference. The League meetings are always a treat and this one had some great highlights including a killer keynote address by Jim Collins, the author of Good to Great, 
a moving presentation by El Sistema creator, José Antonio Abreu, and an emotional farewell to the League’s retiring CEO, Henry Fogel.
The Collins presentation was particularly useful as he has created a not-for-profit version of his best-selling business book that is widely available. I highly recommend this for anyone involved with a not-for-profit.
One short comment on Maestro Abreu. It is clear to me why he has been able to develop what might be the most successful orchestra education program to be found anywhere in the world. I simply can’t imagine anyone ever saying no to him. In case some of you haven’t seen this, this is a YouTube clip of the Simon Bolivar Orchestra (the best players from El Sistema) under the baton on Dudamel.
Finally, Henry Fogel presided over his final LOA conference. Henry has done an amazing job as CEO of the League and all of us in the orchestral world owe him big time. Thanks Henry!!
I’m off for a few weeks but will be looking for items of interest for this blog on all of the golf courses I plan on visiting.
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Submitted by Jim Hirsch on Mon, 06/16/2008 - 11:00am.
Today’s blog is written by a special guest.
Don't ask me any questions. At least not yet! Don't ask who I am, what I do, who I'm promoting or what I have to show you. I just want to wow you! Follow these three steps – now!
1) Go to http://www.wmya.fm
2) Click on any podcast or video link
3) Close your eyes and listen
Ok, it's alright. You can open your eyes now. What did you think?
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Earlier today I performed Biber's Mensa Sonora composed in 1680 with Chicago's period instrument orchestra, The Baroque Band, and we recorded it with the 21st century technology of Jim Ginsburg's Cedille Records.
It was interesting to play this fascinating music in a manner, and with instruments, that Biber might recognize and record it with a dizzying array of microphones and computers that Biber probably would never have imagined.
Why shouldn't we just use modern instruments outfitted with string technology based on the latest synthetic materials research?
I think the answer lies in the important distinction between aesthetics and functionality. I believe music has its most profound affect when utilizing the instruments and performance practices from the period during which the music was composed. I also believe it makes sense to use technolgy that has the functionality to most faithfully record those sounds.
It is important that we don't confuse these two concepts: aesthetics and functionality.
You can learn more about both the aesthetics of performing Early Music during a workshop on July 12-13, as well as learn about the latest breakthroughs in Recording Technology in a workshop to be held July 26-31. Both workshops will be presented by Midwest Young Artists and are designed for students ages 12-20. For more information see mya.org/summer. I hope to see you there!
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