Voices For Change In The Classical Music Profession

"This volume advances understanding of the nature of current inequalities in the field of classical music production in the Global North, exploring why inequalities continue to exist, and asking what can be done to tackle ongoing exclusions. It constitutes an urgent intervention into these contemporary debates, drawing together ongoing and emergent analyses from scholars, activists and musicians in a variety of countries across Europe and North America to foreground both scholarly examination of these inequalities, alongside discussion of strategies and catalysts for change. Academic accounts investigate inequalities in higher education and the classical music industry, exploring racial, class and gender inequalities, 'authenticity', disability representation, changing the canon, and neoliberalism. The book also includes interviews with those working in the classical music industry where they reflect on issues of diversity and share insights and inspiration as well as good practice, putting into dialogue scholarly and industry-based accounts. Themes of the book include institutional legacies and possibilities for change; racial, gender and class inequalities and marginalised voices; and strategies for activism whether reflective practices, informal networks, or larger organisations leading change"--

"This volume advances understanding of the nature of current inequalities in the field of classical music production in the Global North, exploring why inequalities continue to exist, and asking what can be done to tackle ongoing exclusions. It constitutes an urgent intervention into these contemporary debates, drawing together ongoing and emergent analyses from scholars, activists and musicians in a variety of countries across Europe and North America to foreground both scholarly examination of these inequalities, alongside discussion of strategies and catalysts for change. Academic accounts investigate inequalities in higher education and the classical music industry, exploring racial, class and gender inequalities, 'authenticity', disability representation, changing the canon, and neoliberalism. The book also includes interviews with those working in the classical music industry where they reflect on issues of diversity and share insights and inspiration as well as good practice, putting into dialogue scholarly and industry-based accounts. Themes of the book include institutional legacies and possibilities for change; racial, gender and class inequalities and marginalised voices; and strategies for activism whether reflective practices, informal networks, or larger organisations leading change"--

This volume brings together contributions from a wide range of international academics and practitioners. It traces innovations within classical music practice, showing how these offer divergent visions for its future. The interdisciplinary contributions to the volume highlight the way contrasting ideas of the future can effect change in the present. A rich balance of theoretical and practical discussion brings authority to this collection, which lays the foundations for timely responses to challenges ranging from the concept of the musical work, and the colonial values within Western musical culture, to unsustainable models of orchestral touring. The authors highlight how labour to meet the demands of particular futures for classical music might impact its creation and consumption, presenting case studies to capture the mediating roles of technology and community engagement. This book will be of interest to scholars and students in the fields of musicology and the sociology of music, as well as a general audience of practitioners, freelance musicians, music administrators and educators.

What is it like to work as a classical musician today? How can we explain ongoing gender, racial, and class inequalities in the classical music profession? What happens when musicians become entrepreneurial and think of themselves as a product that needs to be sold and marketed? Gender, Subjectivity, and Cultural Work explores these and other questions by drawing on innovative, empirical research on the working lives of classical musicians in Germany and the UK. Indeed, Scharff examines a range of timely issues such as the gender, racial, and class inequalities that characterise the cultural and creative industries; the ways in which entrepreneurialism – as an ethos to work on and improve the self – is lived out; and the subjective experiences of precarious work in so-called ‘creative cities’. Thus, this book not only adds to our understanding of the working lives of artists and creatives, but also makes broader contributions by exploring how precarity, neoliberalism, and inequalities shape subjective experiences. Contributing to a range of contemporary debates around cultural work, Gender, Subjectivity, and Cultural Work will be of interest to scholars and students in the fields of Sociology, Gender and Cultural Studies.

Through an ethnographic study of young people playing and singing in classical music ensembles in the south of England, this text analyses why classical music in England is predominantly practiced by white middle-class people. It describes four 'articulations' or associations between the middle classes and classical music.

With a population of close to 25 million and a size greater than many independent countries, Texas is home to an incredible variety of vibrant musical communities. Contemporary art music flourishes in disciplines ranging from experimentalism to concert music to film-scoring. While cataloguing the full extent of composing and performing in this diverse landscape would be a near-impossible task, it is our hope that this volume (and others that will follow) will begin to fill the conspicuous gap in the materials currently available. Our decision to focus this first edition on thirty representative composers, along with some organizations and academic degree programs, was simply a result of needing a practical and achievable place to start. Texas is home to world-class symphonies, opera and ballet companies, performing venues, and countless other performers and ensembles that regularly feature new works. We hope that future editions will allow us to expand to include these things, as well as additional information such as recordings available and competitions within the state. Featured in this book: Karin Al-Zand, Mary Jeanne van Appledorn, Larry Austin David Bithell Martin Blessinger Anthony K. Brandt BJ Brooks Peter Fischer Arthur Gottschalk Donald Grantham David Heuser Michael Horbit Pierre Jalbert Richard Lavenda Stephen Lias Peter Lieuwen John Mackey Marcus Karl Maroney Robert Nelson William Owens Russell Pinkston Wieslaw Rentowski Robert Xavier Rodriguez Yevgeniy Sharlat Rob Smith Kurt Stallmann Dan Welcher David Ashley White Steve Wiest Stephen Yip Contents on CD Cadence - Fantasy on Rhythms on Nick Angelis (2009) by BJ Brooks. Performed by West Texas A&M University Symphonic Band, Don LeFevre, conductor. Available from Octatone. 8:54*Whack! (1994) by Arthur Gottschalk. Performed by The Shepherd Percussion Ensemble, Richard Brown, director. 4:50Symphony for Winds and Percussion: Movement III, "Stomp" (2009) by Donald Grantham. Performed by the University of Texas Wind Ensemble, Jerry F. Junkin, conductor. Available from Piquant Press. 7:14Turbulent Blue (2009) by Jon Christopher Nelson. 9:27Four Observations for Saxophone Quartet: Movement 2, "Learning" (2008) by Walter Nichols. Performed by Walter Nichols. 3:26Concerto for Orchestra (2006) by Rob Smith. Performed by the Texas Music Festival Orchestra, Giuliano Silveri, conductor. 21:43Take This Hammer (2008) by Steven Snowden. Performed by Travis Pruitt and Kyle Rightly (euphoniums), and Mike Musick and Tony Rossi (tubas). Available from Talking Rocks Press. 5:47Ice-Nine (2009) by Steve Wiest. Performed by the North Texas One O'Clock Lab Band, Steve Wiest, director. Available from Walrus Music. 6:01* * Works selected to be presented at the 2011 ISCM World New Music Days in Zagreb, Croatia.