Peering Into Classical Music’s Future

Drew McManus talks about a possible future of classical music and the orchestra. he seems to be the only critic who has connected the dots of audience size, attendance and expenses. he also points out that besides these big problems, the orchestra has stopped having any cultural signifigance.

"But there are a few facts which can’t be ignored. The current decline in active participation has directly influenced how much classical music’s impact has on the overall American cultural consciousness. So even with the increase in revenue from sources such as federal and private philanthropic funds you still have to have a certain level of the population interested in what you do in order to justify your existence."

given the state of art music these days i figure that those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, but... as you can see in my blog, it is easy to find many symptoms of the poor health of classical music and the orchestra. the discussion that comes up when i talk about this with my orchestra friends is a general agreement of the problems facing the orchestra and the following questions; if the audience is not sticking around for 'classical music' these days, what is next?