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5.29.11
This is an Archival Site
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5.18.11
Weekend Preview May 19-24
Bob Dylan tributes, Deborah Voigt, Tom Paxton, Bill Kirchen, John Kirk and Trish Miller



5.18.11
Celebrating Bob Dylan's 70th Birthday in Style
Paying tribute to the greatest rock songwriter ever



5.17.11
FILM REVIEW: In a Better World and Of Gods and Men
Review by Seth Rogovoy



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5.12.11
Deborah Voigt Headlines Mahaiwe Gala
Opera star to sing arias, show tunes on Saturday, May 21



5.15.11
Famed Spiritual Teacher to Speak on Nonviolence
Mother Maya in free talk at Sruti Yoga in Great Barrington, Mass., on Friday May 20 at 7pm



5.12.11
Special Effects Wizard to Be Honored by Film Festival
Doug Trumbull to be Feted by BIFF



5.11.11
Weekend Preview May 12-16
Cultural Highlights of the Berkshire Weekend



6.4.09
Talk about a small world
Elaine and I grew up together, but only just recently met....



5.8.11
Berkshire Living to Cease Publication
A Farewell from Publisher Michael Zivyak



5.8.11
twiGs Branches Out
Lenox boutique launches new e-tail site



5.8.11
[MUSIC REVIEW] Avalon Quartet in Close Encounters at Mahaiwe
Review by Seth Rogovoy



5.8.11
[MUSIC REVIEW] Avalon Quartet in Close Encounters at Mahaiwe
Review by Seth Rogovoy



5.7.11
[FILM REVIEW] Bill Cunningham New York
Review by Seth Rogovoy



5.7.11
[FILM REVIEW] Bill Cunningham New York
Review by Seth Rogovoy





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Reports of classical music's demise are premature

5.28.06
Reports of classical music's demise are premature, according to Check the Numbers: Rumors of Classical Music's Demise Are Dead Wrong by Allan Kozinn in today's New York Times.

Kozinn argues that anecdotal moaning about the graying of audiences, empty seats in concert halls, and the decline of sales of recorded music, are all missing the point. In fact, he offers a wealth of statistics to prove exactly the opposite: that classical music is enjoying a resurgence among record-buyers and concertgoing ticket-buyers.

Attendance at last night's CLOSE ENCOUNTERS WITH MUSIC concert in Pittsfield, Mass., serves to support Kozinn's argument, at least anecdotally: the church in which the concert -- featuring music by Mozart and a new commission by contemporary composer Paul Schoenfield -- was held was packed, with nary an empty seat, on a gloriously beautiful evening when the sun was shining and people certainly must have felt the pull of their backyards, yet instead went to hear live classical music in gritty, downtown Pittsfield.

Kozinn also argues that younger music lovers are more open to new music and minimalism than their older counterparts (something I can confirm anecdotally), and that more adventurous independent record labels are doing much better than the staid old major labels that endlessly recycle the same artists and repertoire.

One caveat based on my personal experience: although I have been attending classical music concerts for several years and writing about it for nearly as many, I STILL to this day cannot attend a classical music concert without someone condescendingly asking me what I'm doing there. Even at age 46 (although i look nearly ten years older), I'm still on the young side of concertgoers, but also people know me as a "rock" guy -- having formerly been a pop music critic -- and as if that would necessarily mean that I wouldn't like classical music.

Nothing could possibly be more discouraging to potential younger concertgoers than to be continually harassed and patronized in this matter by people who should know better -- by people who often (some admittedly) have a harder time hearing or understanding the music (old or new) than those with younger, fresher, less biased or less intimidated ears.





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