2008-07-04
Review: Mega get-together for arts organisations in Denver
For the first time, all major performing arts-oriented organizations got together in Denver from June 10 to 14, 2008 at the National Performing Arts Convention. Over 3500 delegates attended, gathering under the motto "taking action together", ready to take part in a wide offering of presentations, caucuses, forums, etc. and, as usual at these events, to network...
All major performing arts organizations in the United States participated, from Opera America to the American Symphony Orchestra League, Dance America, Chorus America, Folk Alliance, Meet the Composer, etc. Five action-packed days, giving all groups and participants ample time to attend their own, interest-specific meetings as well as NPAC events.
Opera America, for instance, featured the General Manager-designate of New York City Opera, Gerard Mortier, as its keynote speaker on June 12. Belgian-born Gerard Mortier has guided the destinies of major opera houses and festivals for over 30 years; many see him as an innovator of the arts. Whatever his decisions, they are guided by a deep knowledge of and love for the subject of opera and music. And thus it came as no surprise that, while praising the actions of houses such as the Metropolitan Opera to bring opera to the masses via HD-live transmissions to movie houses (with approx. 920,000 world-wide viewers this past season), he champions the experience of attending a live performance. As he put it: Nowadays we hear less than 5% music live as opposed to 95% electronically reproduced. But it is the experience of the live performance which is able to give us the "goose-bump" sensation, where music is directly related to the mystery of spirituality, that which makes us transcend our daily experience and environment.
One of the general sessions featured "Radical ideas from beyond the border" and within this context, José Antonio Abreu, the founder of "El Sistema" the music education system in Venezuela - talked about the movement he put in motion over 33 years ago, which became an "overnight" international success after the young conductor Gustavo Dudamel hit the classical music circuit like a tornado a few years ago.
José Antonio Abreus slight and trim appearance belies the powerhouse of activity, energy and perseverance he has brought to Venezuelan music education over the past decades. Abreu recounted the initial very real and basic difficulties of obtaining enough adequate music instruments for the pupils, of convincing the authorities that music is not an elite pastime for a few rich people, but an effective tool to socialize and educate all children - especially those living in underprivileged environments, engendering a team spirit, a sense of harmony and beauty. Since those difficult beginnings, his theories have been proven correct in countless studies, showing that children who learn to play an instrument and perform within a group are more socially adept, much less prone to succumb to socially undesirable activities, as an effective tool in the fight against crime, drugs and pornography.
Currently, El Sistema is actively used in 23 countries, mostly in Latin and South America. In Venezuela there are more youngsters enrolled in El Sistema than in sports programs: As Abreu says, we are just starting even though there are currently 265,000 (!!) children involved: he aims at having at least one million children enrolled. José Antonio Abreus message was clear: break the cycle of material poverty by turning to the spiritual richness that can be obtained by playing a musical instrument and all that follows from this action: taking part in an orchestra or band, working in a team, engendering traditional family and social values, making music and therefore most importantly having more fun in life!
There were many other forums and break-out sessions, ranging in diversity from "Creating a new framework: the future of arts leadership" to "Best practices in developing a diverse and committed audience", as well as many workshops on the "Optimizing fundraising activities" theme. The "Denver SCFD model" was also explained: From the local sales tax, 1/10 of one percent is given to support cultural facilities in a seven-county Denver metropolitan area. This may sound like an insignificant percentage, but it does amount to approx. US$ 40 million annually. This program has been successfully in use since 1998 and has enabled over 300 organizations, many quite small and community oriented, to survive.
Conclusion: the spirit of the performing arts is alive and kicking in the US, fully aware of the problems it faces in terms of audience development (reaching out to younger generations), funding (using traditional as well as modern technological methods to reach current and future donors) and programming (encouraging the new while keeping the old).
Details: http://www.performingartsconvention.org and http://www.scfd.org
Opera America, for instance, featured the General Manager-designate of New York City Opera, Gerard Mortier, as its keynote speaker on June 12. Belgian-born Gerard Mortier has guided the destinies of major opera houses and festivals for over 30 years; many see him as an innovator of the arts. Whatever his decisions, they are guided by a deep knowledge of and love for the subject of opera and music. And thus it came as no surprise that, while praising the actions of houses such as the Metropolitan Opera to bring opera to the masses via HD-live transmissions to movie houses (with approx. 920,000 world-wide viewers this past season), he champions the experience of attending a live performance. As he put it: Nowadays we hear less than 5% music live as opposed to 95% electronically reproduced. But it is the experience of the live performance which is able to give us the "goose-bump" sensation, where music is directly related to the mystery of spirituality, that which makes us transcend our daily experience and environment.
One of the general sessions featured "Radical ideas from beyond the border" and within this context, José Antonio Abreu, the founder of "El Sistema" the music education system in Venezuela - talked about the movement he put in motion over 33 years ago, which became an "overnight" international success after the young conductor Gustavo Dudamel hit the classical music circuit like a tornado a few years ago.
José Antonio Abreus slight and trim appearance belies the powerhouse of activity, energy and perseverance he has brought to Venezuelan music education over the past decades. Abreu recounted the initial very real and basic difficulties of obtaining enough adequate music instruments for the pupils, of convincing the authorities that music is not an elite pastime for a few rich people, but an effective tool to socialize and educate all children - especially those living in underprivileged environments, engendering a team spirit, a sense of harmony and beauty. Since those difficult beginnings, his theories have been proven correct in countless studies, showing that children who learn to play an instrument and perform within a group are more socially adept, much less prone to succumb to socially undesirable activities, as an effective tool in the fight against crime, drugs and pornography.
Currently, El Sistema is actively used in 23 countries, mostly in Latin and South America. In Venezuela there are more youngsters enrolled in El Sistema than in sports programs: As Abreu says, we are just starting even though there are currently 265,000 (!!) children involved: he aims at having at least one million children enrolled. José Antonio Abreus message was clear: break the cycle of material poverty by turning to the spiritual richness that can be obtained by playing a musical instrument and all that follows from this action: taking part in an orchestra or band, working in a team, engendering traditional family and social values, making music and therefore most importantly having more fun in life!
There were many other forums and break-out sessions, ranging in diversity from "Creating a new framework: the future of arts leadership" to "Best practices in developing a diverse and committed audience", as well as many workshops on the "Optimizing fundraising activities" theme. The "Denver SCFD model" was also explained: From the local sales tax, 1/10 of one percent is given to support cultural facilities in a seven-county Denver metropolitan area. This may sound like an insignificant percentage, but it does amount to approx. US$ 40 million annually. This program has been successfully in use since 1998 and has enabled over 300 organizations, many quite small and community oriented, to survive.
Conclusion: the spirit of the performing arts is alive and kicking in the US, fully aware of the problems it faces in terms of audience development (reaching out to younger generations), funding (using traditional as well as modern technological methods to reach current and future donors) and programming (encouraging the new while keeping the old).
Details: http://www.performingartsconvention.org and http://www.scfd.org
An article by Zenaida des Aubris, correspondent, Munich
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