Kindling passion for classical music

Music lovers know about the rush -- hearts pound, fingers tingle, breathing comes quickly. The works of a favorite composer or a great new discovery are exhilarating. As the young conductor Gustavo Dudamel exclaims, "You change your life playing this music."

How then can classical music enthusiasts ensure that their passion for music is kindled in others?

Where are the matchmakers whose introductions will ensure a new, captivated audience for musicians and composers?

On Sunday, Seattle University will be the site of the first ever national conversation on the future of classical music. Leaders from major symphony orchestras, academia, chamber music, opera and journalism/criticism will share strategies and opinions as they confront the compelling need to secure a broader audience, and new financial models, for great music.

Representatives from some of the most progressive and adventurous institutions in the United States will describe their successful musical education and outreach efforts in their communities. Gerard Schwarz, the music director of the Seattle Symphony and a pre-eminent figure in our classical world for the past 30 years, will moderate the presentations.

These are challenging times for classical music, not only in the United States but also internationally. Only the fittest survive, and that fitness is measured as much by financial security as it is by performance excellence. For the classics to prosper as an art form, music lovers and enthusiasts, educators, musicians and art administrators must commit to a new philosophy that embraces change and recognizes the need for innovation.

Some complain that the art form has, of late, been more often imprinted by conformity and traditionalism. This is the right time to recognize that restriction can be a handicap. Old barriers can be broken by spontaneity, by risk taking and by opening doors wide to new audiences. Our strategy should not be to change classical music but to make the experience of enjoying the music more relevant to current audiences.

Art forms that are prosperous become centers of enthusiastic interest and new ideas. They become homes for outspoken new champions. We need to guide bold steps in the discovery of extreme destinations where classical music audiences are not merely entertained but also engaged and energized.

Some of those steps already have been taken. Locally, the Seattle Symphony is offering chamber music recitals at Triple Door club, Radiohead is double-billed with Messiaen at Town Hall, and soloists are playing at the Tractor Tavern. Further afield, the Metropolitan Opera has gone to the movies, and in 2007 the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra presented the first concert in cyberspace on SecondLife.

Consider what could happen when the financial model for orchestras changes from a nonprofit to a business enterprise, and management becomes musician-centric.

Our country can boast an intensity of commitment to the arts. As part of that commitment, we have a golden opportunity to find new lovers with fresh passions for classical music, the art that is not only a sensual experience, but also an enthralling life companion.