The Real Truth about the Orchestra Crisis

I am afraid that it will be impossible outside of major cites to have orchestras in this country unless some radical change happens.

It is so obvious without getting artsy and philosophical.

You see a young teenager on the street and they have ZERO connections to orchestras.

Why ?

Well, they don't learn classical music in schools.

They don't see it on TV.

They don't hear it on the radio.

They certainly are not looking at it on FACEBOOK, MTV,etc.

And it is no longer our ontological cultural center.

Plain and simple, it is a total abstraction like Northern Tibetian Gungamuk Yak Music to them, completely off their radar.

So what makes any orchestra think they will some how wander into a concert hall ?

USA orchestras are pretty much fixated on the past and perpetuate 18th and 19th Century European Culture.

Pick another era ? Medieval, its all the same to these kids.

Did we ever bother to create and champion our own orchestral culture like we did in Jazz so there is come cultural bridge between generations ? In Latin country's young and old are at the same Salsa and Samba concerts. They pass their indigenous culture down, we don't, maybe because it was not ours to begin with.

The orchestra community has failed to keep classical music a living relevant art form. In my opinion they are guilty of cultural treason and they are walking the plank they created. When you see this new generation of VCs building Rock Museums in Seattle instead of championing orchestras, that says it all..............In the end we get the culture we deserve