The Short End of the Stick

Programming is planned on many different levels, both short-term and long-term. The most important consideration is the music which the orchestra needs to play. At its foundation, an orchestra must play the core Classical/early Romantic repertoire regularly in order to stay in shape musically. Developing a unified conception of style in these works lays the groundwork for everything else we play. Next would be the systematic (and judicious) programming of repertoire the orchestra is weaker in performing, in order to strengthen that aspect of the ensemble. While it is important to play upon the orchestra’s strengths for its success, it is equally important to build up those areas which are less strong.

Next, what the audience wants to hear. When I began my tenure as Music Director of the South Dakota Symphony I surveyed the last 30 years of programming. I was looking for holes, partly for what the audience had heard but, again, mostly for what the orchestra needed to play. Balance is always key, whether in a single concert, over a season’s programming, or over the course of a decade or more. Beyond those strategies mentioned above, the task is to cover all of the periods of music, with as many countries and styles represented as is feasible given the size of the orchestra’s series.

How we approach the programming of contemporary music may turn out to be the most important decision we make in this brave new musical world. Not that I don’t really believe in what I’ve stated about the standard repertoire above – I do, wholeheartedly. But I also believe that virtually every point of connection to the culture in which we live is contemporary – the challenge is to make sure that it is guided by a consistent philosophy. During my first three seasons in South Dakota I tied each season together by programming a work by a Pulitzer prize-winning composer on each Classical program. The idea was to present leading American composers in a unified manner, familiarizing our subscribers and regular attenders with contemporary music at the highest level. (Not that the Pulitzer prize itself is the determining factor of what is “best,” I rather used it as an imprimatur, or “Good Housekeeping” seal of approval.)

Even I have been surprised by the response. Yes, there were a few nay-sayers to begin with, but the vast majority have considered themselves active participants in this process, listening to each new work with open ears, thinking carefully about why they liked a piece or not and which aspects of the work that most impressed them. All told, the contemporary music was actually only about 20-25 percent of the programming. But it has been the regular exposure to new, interesting and varied works that has shaken our audience out of a state of passive listening. Several people have commented on how it helps them listen to the standard repertoire afresh. More interesting is the reaction of the “newbies” to classical music, those husbands-of-wives-who-drag- them-to-the-symphony, who tell me that the contemporary programming is their portal into the whole concert experience. Those of us who were weaned on the classics have for too long treated contemporary music as the ugly step-child of the great literature of the past. There is no longer any reason to do so. The music composed today is relevant, exciting and provides a fully satisfying experience for both players and listeners, when programmed in an engaging, balanced way. The most challenging point for those of us doing the programming is to stay up on music being composed and to present it to both the orchestra and the audience in a manner in which they can understand it.

Here are two articles I have written for NewMusicBox about new audiences and contemporary music:

Building an Audience in South Dakota … with Pulitzer Prize Winners

Making Inroads through the Backroads

Lastly there is the category of programming which is location-specific. Beyond observing the guidelines above, which music does the orchestra need to program in order to effectively serve the community and region in which it is located? There are populations, both ethnic and cultural, that do not regularly attend our concerts and who may have no opportunity for exposure to this great art form unless we find innovative ways to bring it to them. For instance, we at the SDSO have been working diligently over the last three seasons to expand our offerings to the Native American community. There are nine reservations in South Dakota, so making music for and with Native Americans is a very important thing for us to do. This is obviously not a priority for every orchestra, but every orchestra has under-served populations as part of its community. How we reach out, and to whom, could end up being the most defining feature of our institutions at this point in our history.