If you’re not reading NPR’s classical music blog “Deceptive Cadence,” you should probably add it to your list. There are frequently really thoughtful posts about a variety of topics.
This recent post asked some VIPs of the classical world (composers, professors, conductors) to give their New Year’s resolutions for the classical scene…and their responses relate directly to what we’re doing here at Luminous Thread.
- Jennifer Higdon: For all types of ensembles to discover the truth that newer music brings in younger audiences and creates an exciting event.
- Greg Sandow: classical music institutions will have to join our current culture, lose their focus on the past, and become smarter, more challenging, and far more contemporary.
- Tom Huizenga: More people should simply get up off the couch, out from behind their computers, disconnect from their smartphones and go out to enjoy a live classical concert.
All of the VIPs agree that the old ways of doing things aren’t working any more, and the standard classical audience is predictably filled with grey-hairs. But we know that American audiences (here in Denver, and throughout the country) want and need art, hence our efforts to bring it.
Ständchen, a song by Schubert sung by Craig Blackard with aerial dance by Liam LeFey and deer puppets by Kate Rinzler. Show design by Mary Lin.
Our first show in Denver, Nuptials for the Dead, took pretty traditional repertoire (Brahms, Schubert, Mahler) and put it in a dreamscape filled with strange bouffons, aerial movement, ballet, pale Edwardian costuming, and even some original arrangements of music by our fabulous music director. Needless to say, a lot of work went into the show, and our audiences got a lot out of it. The same is true for the recent collaboration between Central City, Ballet Nouveau, Colorado Symphony, the Mizel Center, and the Newman Center.
As we continue into our next show, we stay committed to entertaining with thought-provoking, weird, and atypical shows. As companies and audiences, we’re redefining the future of classical music: no more silent concert halls, no more stodgy programming!
Luminous Thread 