“Technological change has often raised the ire of arts lovers,” writes Elizabeth Kramer in Monday’s (7/11) Courier-Journal. “But while transformative technologies are next to impossible to slow down, they can be directed. And that’s a challenge Louisville’s arts organizations share—harnessing the possibilities of the digital era to increase their audiences while trying to hold true to their core missions. … The Louisville Orchestra has reported a slight trend towards younger audiences, something that could be attributed in part to new kinds of events, such as the orchestra performing with revered film music, such as ‘Psycho,’ and the Strings Attached performances that pair the orchestra with alternative music artists such as Ben Folds and Airborne Toxic Event. … Sunil Iyengar, the NEA’s director of research, [has] been working with colleagues to look at other ways that people are making art a part of their lives, including creating art and even using contemporary media to access it. … Orchestra leaders are also looking at technology that Miami’s New World Symphony is using to produce Wallcast concerts at its new home, designed by Frank Gehry. … [Louisville Orchestra] CEO Robert Birman said he has been in talks with the symphony about how it produces the concerts with hopes of bringing that technology to Louisville.”
Posted July 13, 2011
