Are our major orchestras stuck in an image crisis? Are they holding onto an identity that was handed down to them, and, like schoolyard peer pressure feel they have to try and live up to it? What if this pursuit is killing them from the inside out (or, from the outside in).
Anne Midgette, a classical music critic and journalist at the Washington Post, wrote this article on smaller orchestras and the success they’re finding in the USA. These orchestras perform on average around five programs a year and offer surprising diversity in their programming, music directors and artists.
To look at it from the outside, it appears that these smaller orchestras are more agile in their programme risk-taking and it’s paying off. I won’t deny that I’m intrigued by the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra‘s concept of the “imaginary symphony”. Four movements from four different works used to create a “new” symphony. That could be fun and could be something that incorporates community input and engagement.
I do not doubt that our professional orchestras are carrying the weight of centuries of expectation. I think what is heartening to see in some of these examples is the bravery to shed entrenched custom and a more creative approach to the concert experience.
Breaking away from the stricture of traditional orchestral zeitgeist can have its benefits. I think there’s a lot larger orchestras can learn from their smaller counterparts and an attitude of experimentation can help shift entrenched mindsets. The work these smaller ensembles are doing is demonstrating that an entrepreneurial mindset can reap surprising rewards.
Turning our attention back to Australia, this isn’t to say that some orchestras aren’t adopting a more creative approach. For example, the Australian Chamber Orchestra has done exciting collaborations and been brave in their experimentation with the concert experience. What they do so well is to realise and own their creative choices with conviction. A conviction that instils trust in an audience to go on a journey with them. They’re not the only ones playing in this space, but they are repeatedly offering a new take on both traditional repertoire and the concert experience in a committed way. They are just so damn entertaining to hear and see, demonstrating the clear need for both artistry and performance!
If orchestras are looking toward the future, they have to stop holding on to the past. There is a way forward that doesn’t compromise their integrity and together (with our musicians, audiences and stakeholders) we can find it.
Kane Moroney 