From concerts to context
Much has been said and written about the decline of the American classical music orchestra. Increasingly, disinterested listeners and a struggling economy have kept audiences and donors away from concert halls, say skeptics. Those skeptics have compelling evidence, such as the Philadelphia, Syracuse, and Louisville orchestras, which all have declared bankruptcy in recent years. But there are possible solutions, according to cultural historian and author Joseph Horowitz, an authority on the issue. In large part, he said, the answer involves reimagining how orchestras can “expand the circle” of their influence by partnering with scholarly organizations and other cultural institutions. Tracing the history of the classical orchestra, Horowitz, whose most recent book is titled “Moral Fire: Musical Portraits from America’s Fin-de-Siècle,” described the characteristics that made orchestras in the 19th and first half of the 20th century viable and unique. Unlike today, when a great collection of musicians is available to a listener with...