Writings

Why We Play the Old Stuff EVERY Year

I was responding on Greg Sandow’s blog to why the classical industry largely continues to play the standard repertoire each year.  We musicians of that industry can no longer take for granted …

Excellence vs. Opportunity

I heard someone mention excellence and opportunity awhile back and I can’t stop thinking about it. I chose a career in “excellent performance” once I began music schools, intent to play bass in a …

guitarist plays while keyboardist and photographer listen

Revolution Is a Work in Progress

Having begun the Knight Project to expand our Classical Revolution Detroit series in January, we’ve again witnessed the usual results: several people thanking us for sharing classical and symphonic music where they …

Classical Revolution Detroit event playing Brahms Clarinet Quintet 2011

Classicism vs. Classism

I took part in a place-making workshop last week in Detroit. Despite the usual negative reports, my hometown is actually receiving huge private investments from billionaires, local corporations, and major …

Beyond Dumbing Down

This post is the speech I delivered at SphinxCon last week. (Video) Yes, it’s long at 15-minutes… but I’ll bring in some of the more interesting pictures from the slideshow. …

Getting Real with Classical Music, Part 2

So I left off here writing about the need for our major institutions to go beyond dumbing down to reach the casual community. In support of that statement, I was at a …

Knight Project Blogpost II – Let Me Count the Ways

I am in New York City for annual booking conferences with the Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP) and Chamber Music America (CMA). APAP is the largest such conference in North …