Backstage-Chicago Classical Music

After spending hours trying to find blogs centered around classical music, I have concluded that the classical music world does not seem to be using technology as a tool to communicate with society and its fans, at least not to its full potential. I came across several bloggers who spent time on one, possibly a few, posts describing their feelings about the classical music world. However, there seem to be very few people truly dedicated to the well-bring of this art form.

One blog that did catch my eye was entitled Backstage-Chicago Classical Music. This blog was established to bring together the Chicago classical music community in an attempt to give people a chance to express their feelings about classical music, as well as inform the community about important events. This blog is open to anyone, which I found to be interesting because it means they are using a similar concept as Youtube or Google (it is easy to use, and anyone can do it). More people can express themselves this way and more discussion can take place. Most of those participating are musicians or have careers in the classical music industry. Participants post every few days with new and exciting news about events happening in Chicago.

One of my favorite posts from the site was Jen Glegory's depiction (ASIMO--an eyewitness perspective) of a concert she went to in Detroit. The Detroit Symphony had a very special guest during the month of May, a guest conductor to be exact. ASIMO, a robot, made its debut as it conducted the piece The Impossible Dream. Here is the video of the performance from Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRUyVCfFh1U

Jen described this evening as one she would never forget.

the evening was about more than ASIMO’s conducting prowess. From the moment I handed my ticket to the usher, it was clear that this concert was something special. The back of the hall was crowded with reporters and television cameras, and there wasn’t an empty seat in the house (I heard several subscribers commenting that it was nice to see the hall so full).

Though I am personally not a huge fan of the idea of robots ever being conductors, I found it interesting that the audience was so curious about this idea. Even the media paid attention to this break through in technology.

A second interesting post from this blog was written by Jim Hirsch. He is affiliated with the Chicago Sinfonietta. Hirsch brings up the hardships classical music faces in difficult economic times in his blog entitled It's The Economy, Stupid.

The challenge for organizations like the Chicago Sinfonietta is that we make artistic commitments and budget assumptions up to 18 months in advance. Who knew last January when we were finalizing our 2008-2009 season that the stock market would decline significantly and that gas prices would set daily records? Would we have done anything differently had we known that the economy was headed for a downturn?

I found this post insightful because the economy takes a huge toll on the music world, not just classical music. Budgets must be made in order for music to survive. Gas prices also take a toll because when society has to pay over $4 a gallon for gas, they are less likely to venture out of their homes, especially to go and see a concert.

Based on what I have read so far, I think this blog will be a good reference in the future. Bloggers are talking about why it is that classical music is having trouble staying above water, and what new ideas and concepts are being used to keep classical music alive. This blog is also reliable because most of the posts are written by those actually experiencing the affects of the music world. In other words, they are the ones who have made classical music their careers and lives. They are insightful and clearly want this blog to be a helpful tool for all those who are interested. This is not just a blog all about saying, "I love classical music, so there." This blog has inspired me to expand my blog by providing my own critiques of performances as we all creating a page that could advertise future performances that might be of interest to my readers. In order for classical music to be a part of society, we must discuss it. So hopefully, my posting concert dates and such will help spread the word about the events that are going to take place.