Four promises to the future of music

Why not invest in the future of music instead of building fortresses to preserve its past?  David Byrne

The Festival of Contemporary Music for All arrived in London this weekend.  A programme of discussions, concerts and workshops awaited those with a curious mind and a passion for contemporary classical music.

The festival opened with a national discussion around how a more joined up approach to practice and promotion could enable contemporary music to become a vital part of people's lives.  The discussion, which was full of passion, big ideas and open thinking, was synthesised into four actionable goals that would help shape music's future. 

In return for these four goals, I promise four things that I will do to ensure that CoMA's Manifesto for Shaping Music's Future lives in my performance practice. 

My pledge is this:

   Continue to cross-collaborate with composers, musicians, artists, scientists, imagineers, producers and broadcasters to help build a culture of connection
   Develop my performance practice to build a bridge between composer/performer and audience by creating experiences and dropping the fourth wall
   Make work that is life affirming because it is people focused, of the present and future facing
   Continue to build a repertoire that crosses genres and where the classical canon and contemporary classical music are equally represented

And where to begin?  Pierre Boulez has an idea on this, I just need to find myself 200 fanatics, and the rest is, history...

To start, you always find 200 fanatics. They are very easy to find, too easy sometimes. What is important is to raise the number. If you have a few, people will think, ‘I must go there. I should know about it.’ I have witnessed cases of people who came out of mere curiosity because they thought, ‘I’ve heard about it. I think I must go and see what it is. I don’t want to seem backward.’ And finally, gradually, these people came.” [Source: Boulez in his own Words, Claire Hazelton, The Guardian]

Want to help shape music's future?
Brilliant.
Click to find out more about CoMA and get involved 

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