Puncturing Classical Music Pretentions

I hate to say it, but we classical musicians can sometimes be rather…well, pretentious!

I’ve seen the frowns from musicians when audiences dare to clap between the movements of a symphony.  (The funny thing is, prior to the 19^th century, audiences often clapped between movements, and even demanded encores of movements they liked!)

I’ve come across comments from conductors asking how they can educate their audiences to “behave correctly” at their concerts. (Give me a break!  I’m just glad to have an audience!)

Our reverent treatment of the “canon” of Western composers (nearly all European, male, white—and dead!) can occasionally border on the ridiculous.

And we often sniff disdainfully at pop culture (this one is my Achilles heel!)

We at Master Chorus Eastside work hard to puncture pretention!  In fact, we regularly find opportunities in our programming to poke fun at stuffiness. 

So, in the spirit of summer fun, and pretention deflating, I offer the following clip.  Enjoy!

Ah, if only all conductors would follow his example!

Dr. Linda Gingrich

Artistic director and conductor

Master Chorus Eastside