I'm just blown away by what I'm reading here. The openness, the curiosity, the possibilities everyone's suggesting…I haven't seen a discussion like this in all the time I've been involved in classical music. And especially since I've been involved in all these discussions about the future. I treasure what's happening here, and I wish it could be brought to more people. Of course I realize that one reason we're all talking as openly as we do may be that this is private, but still…would we all agree to have this put online somewhere (maybe ArtsJournal) where a lot of people could see it?

A couple of thoughts. Gloria wonders how an orchestra website can be more interactive, more participatory, in line with all the current developments Doug has so usefully pointed out. One model, as I've noted in my blog (the post I'm thinking of is here) might be WDAV radio, at Davidson College in North Carolina. WDAV has a program called The Main Street Sessions, produced by a real live-wire named Jennifer Foster, who brings in music from the community, both classical and otherwise.

WDAV is otherwise a classical station. But here they have folk music, jazz, performances by kids, all kinds of things. They do this live, and broadcast the sessions on the radio. Orchestras could do this! They could open their websites to music from the community. They could advertise performances (without charge, of course), advertise CDs by local musicians, link to websites of community music groups (both classical and nonclassical, professional and nonprofessional), and of course put the performances themselves online. In a further evolution of this, anybody could submit a sound clip or video for the orchestra to put on the site. Here maybe we have a problem, because some people will understandably want the orchestra to excercise some judgment, and only provide music that meets some minimum standard. I like it the other way -- include everything! (Within reason, of course.) Then, of course, we'd run the danger that the silly stuff by kids would overwhelm the good stuff (cf. YouTube), but either way you do it -- putting everything submitted on the orchestra's site, or putting up only good stuff -- would be a win for the orchestra. If the orchestra puts up everything, it clearly opens the doors to the community. If it puts up only things that meet some standard, then it wins by giving a valuable endorsement to local musicians! Musicians, I might add, of every age. Why not kids playing their first piano pieces?

Another model orchestras might adopt was tried by Greg McCallum, a pianist also in North Carolina. His plan was to take his Yamaha grand to every county in the state. In every county, he'd play a recital, give a masterclass, and -- maybe best of all -- produce a concert in which any local pianist could play. Again, the music could be in any genre. He fell ill, and could only do this in a few counties, but for me this still remains a visionary plan. Imagine if the Philadelphia Orchestra -- or some noticeable number of its musicians -- went to every county in Pennsylvania! And happily organized concerts for all kinds of musicians to play in. And put those concerts on its website.

The possibiliities are endless. And very happy.

One last thought, which I had during the retreat. I loved Jon Deak's sessions. For me, the music that came out of them was a revelation. So much ability, so much musical joy, just ready to flower in so many people who never knew they could be so musically creative! So what would happen if Jon (or somebody else who could work the same miracle) came to an orchestra, and worked with staff and board members? Or -- as Jim Undercoffler said when I suggested this to him -- also donors!

Then the resulting pieces could be put on the web, and, best of alll, played at the orchestra's concerts. The London Symphony has been working with nine young composers, who eventually will write short pieces that will be dropped with no advance announcement into regular LSO programs. The pieces Jon would help staff, board, and donors create could be programmed the same way. Just added, with no advance word, to existing programs. They'd be short pieces, of course. But just imagine what this would be like. "In a moment," says someone from the stage, "we'll play the Jupiter Symphony. But first -- a piece by our marketing manager!"

If I ran an orchestra, I'd implement this (Jon willing) right now.