Resurrecting Classical Music

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Recently I wrote "How do classical music organizations attract a younger audience" and today the Kyle MacMillan in the Taipei Times wrote: "Can classical rise from the dead?". Much of what Mr MacMillan is saying is along the same lines --"coolness might rest in the eye of the beholder, but an undeniable consensus coalesces around certain classic notions of what is cool and what is not."

We need to find new ways to market classical music, take more risks and approach the youth of today in the same manner as other successful entertainers. Classical Music is cool and has a lot to offer. We don't tend to market it that way. The result is a general drop in attendance.

Michael Tilson Thomas and the YouTube Symphony II is in the throws of the final phase of auditions. The success of the first YouTube Symphony is evident with more than half of their live audience under the age of 30. Musicians from 26 different countries are vying for a shot with the next orchestra. This are musicians in the modern age, willing to video their audition and familiar with the internet. Is the YouTube Symphony a success? - no doubt!

More and more writers are calling for Classical Music Organizations to re-image the marketing of classical music. Some organizations are listening and succeeding!

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