tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8060605.post-62131153461853300782008-01-29T14:16:00.000Z2008-01-29T14:16:00.000ZI'd like to mention one aspect of "promoting" contemporary music - the different presentation types. Somewhat simplistically, there are four - concerts and radio programming with each subdivided into "specialist contemporary" and a mixture of contemporary and other.<BR/><BR/>I live just north of Toronto Canada. Complete concerts of contemporary music have been pretty well served here in my experience. Example - an organization called New Music Concerts, founded in 1971 and directed by Robert Aitken. Lots of lovely stuff, and they make an effort to have the composers present to speak to the audience. One fond memory is of a concert of the music of Toru Takemitsu, with Takemitsu introducing each piece. As you'd expect, such concerts are held in small halls, and you get to recognize quite a number of the other audience members over time.<BR/><BR/>"Regular" concerts are a different matter. Contemporary music is there, but most often with short pieces done before intermission. To be fair, the Toronto Symphony does commission some pieces, with the composer introducing the premiere. <BR/><BR/>Local radio is mixed. A private, largely classical station has little contemporary stuff. CBC Radio 2 programs some contemporary music, but they recently canceled the long-running and excellent "Two New Hours" on Sunday evening. It specialized in broadcasting recent concerts, often with the composer in the studio to comment. Great stuff ... but it's gone.<BR/><BR/>It seems to me that the game has to be to find a way to encourage more contemporary music in "mixed programs." As a listener, I try to poke at this by sending complimentary e-mails when I've heard a worthwhile contemporary piece on the radio or in concert. <BR/><BR/>I've also turned away subscription requests from the Toronto Symphony by explaining that I knew most of what was being programmed, and more new music would help. Sometimes I get someone who seems interested.<BR/><BR/>Small things, to be sure, but I suspect that bottom-up audience reaction has considerably more leverage than top-down encouragement.Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00914563821350955193noreply@blogger.com