In Monday’s (3/26) St. Paul Pioneer Press (Minnesota), Rob Hubbard writes, “Classical music composers don’t generally raise money for new works by leaving instrument cases open, awaiting donations from passing pedestrians. But open viola cases were lying around the lobby of Minneapolis’ Orchestra Hall last season and this. ‘We were surprised by how well those worked,’ said Minnesota Orchestra violist Sam Bergman. The cash collected in those cases went toward something new to the orchestral world: a ‘micro-commission’ that paid composer Judd Greenstein $20,000 to write a new work that will receive its world premiere at the orchestra’s final ‘Inside the Classics’ concerts of the season Friday, March 30, and Saturday, March 31. According to the Minnesota Orchestra’s director of development and individual giving Heidi Droegemueller, about 400 donors pitched in with amounts between $1 and $1,500. That averages out to about $52 a donation, with most contributions smaller than that. What the micro-philanthropists will receive for their investment is ‘Acadia,’ a work that Bergman—who co-hosts the ‘Inside the Classics’ concerts with conductor Sarah Hicks—will discuss onstage with Greenstein before the work is performed this weekend.” For more on the project, check out Jayson Greene’s story “Catching the Micro Wave” in the Winter 2012 issue of Symphony.
Posted March 28, 2012
