Thursday, February 24, 2011

An Open Letter to Marin Alsop that No One Will Read

Dear Marin,

I'm your audience. I may not be the one you desire, but I'm the closest you're going to get any time soon. I'm a middle class late twentysomething living in the Baltimore burbs. If you really need a full disclosure, I'm a frustrated musician who recently gave up on a lifelong dream of making a career out of conducting. It might not be an exaggeration to claim that I love orchestral music more than anyone in my age group who lives in the Baltimore area, including any student at Peabody. I'm not a subscriber - though my parents and grandmother are - but I faithfully get to the BSO at least once a month. I'm rarely accompanied by my family, usually I drag some friend who is nowhere near as enamored with classical music as I am and can't understand why I babble about it like it's the greatest thing in the world (which, as you know, it is). I'm as tired, probably more, of the stodginess of the concert hall as anyone you'll come across with the stupidity to work in your field as anything but music director of a major orchestra. I'm tired of the endless repetition of a sliver of the repertoire, I'm tired of endless begging for money to survive, I'm tired of seeing an ocean of grey heads, and I'm tried of explaining to people that classical music is still showing some signs of life. And I think you are too.

But I'm not sure anymore.

Not with the news of this new Sao Paolo gig of yours.

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