"classical" musicians

Hey gang,

This is E. The hard-nosed member of Bow and Hammer. (wait, did i just rhyme?)

My first topic: classical musicians.

I find that many of my colleagues are eager to redefine classical music. It has gained quite a stuffy reputation. So to counteract this terrible misnomer, musicians are enthusiastically trying to recreate the culture for it: performing in less conventional places; making the atmosphere as fun and casual as possible; and marketing to new and an ever-changing audience. (so take note! We're cool again...)

I have no criticism of this. Actually, b&h fits very nicely into this category. We most certainly are dedicated to promoting a meaningful and accessible experience of classical music to whoever shares a performance with us.

I think it's interesting that what is so often important to us as "classical" musicians, is often shared by many other classical musicians, who just happen to prefer different genres. (hmm how else can i signify the word, classical- oh yea classical, classical, classical, agh i'm getting carried away). A former professor of mine was sharing this idea with me. With today's mainstream idea of music, what seems to be ever more important is the method of classical music, more so than the genre itself. That it represents musicians (and songwriters, composers, etc) who are dedicated, disciplined, thoughtful, and very aware of their craft. This high level of artistry can be found in every genre. However, expertise is not a prerequisite as it is in the classical music genre.

It seems silly for the most qualified and gifted of musicians to be struggling  in comparison to the millionaire tweeny-bopper. But as that is the reality, it might serve for us to find more common ground between fellow artists rather than completely isolate ourselves into our specific genre. As classical musicians are notorious for doing this (myself included), I'm so pleased to see so many fellow classical musicians in Chicago active with a variety of styles, collaborating with other musicians, artists, composers...you name it. I've been very inspired this summer by the collaborations I've seen as well as personally been inspired by other artists whose specialty is not my own.

Very excited for b&h to collaborate this season, and I'm looking forward to all of the music being composed and performed this year!

Here's to 2013-2014 season...cheers!
E.