“Columbus, Ohio tends not to attract much hype, despite being among the Midwest’s few fast-growing metropolitan areas,” writes Nick Stevens in Friday’s (1/4) icareifyoulisten.com. “Advocates of the city … include champions of new music such as Jack and Zoe Johnstone, founders of the Johnstone Fund for New Music [supporting] performances by both local groups and out-of-town artists with Central Ohio connections. The Fund turns ten years old this fall. Q: Have you noticed expansions and changes in the audiences that come out for these performances? Jack and Zoe Johnstone: Over the last ten years, there has been a tremendous flowering … directly related to the wonderful musicians and composers in our region … Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra, a variety of regional orchestras, CODE, the Carpe Diem String Quartet, the Mark Lomax Quartet, and so many more…. We are particularly fond of the Columbus Symphony’s ‘Happy Hour’ … free concerts featuring new music…. Our main expectation is that the music we present reflects the forward-thinking identity of the series…. To build a larger, more diverse audience for new music … concerts need to be presented in a way where everyone is welcome.”
Posted January 7, 2019
