Celebrate the Democratization of Art Music: Streaming Services from New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra
The world of digital concerts is now a “thing”. Who would have ever thought that this form of consumption would be necessary. But about a year later, we all know why. Watching performances on a screen—no matter the size—might be something you’ve found taxing this past year. You’re not alone. However, just like other things in life, there are “blessings in disguise”. And likewise, in classical music, digital concerts have become the lifeblood of our time that has uniquely given access to “high art” unlike anytime in history.
New York Philharmonic’s music director, Jaap van Zweden. Credit Simon van Boxtel.
Let’s break this down. With the advent of streaming platforms produced by major American orchestras and opera companies, access to high quality art is now accessible to more people. Think about all the people living in states that might have never regularly attended New York Philharmonic concerts, or San Francisco Symphony performances, or traveled to Ohio to hear the great Cleveland Orchestra. Orchestral touring aside, it’s safe to say that these three orchestras which have produced exclusive streaming services are powerfully shaping the future of American classical music and abroad.
Check out these three new streaming services:
NYPhil+ (New York Philharmonic)
SFSymphony+ (San Francisco Symphony)
Adella (The Cleveland Orchestra)
It’s worth noting these three American orchestras because they have developed something beyond only presenting access to virtual concerts. These three orchestras developed new software, forthcoming apps for your devices, and a plethora of programming to entertain and delight anyone with access to the internet. It’s groundbreaking for art music and worth celebrating the achievement.
It’s just a matter of time when more arts presenters dig deeper, find extra funding, and budget for a whole digital extension of programming that should take the form of a streaming service.
Similarly, have you seen the explosion of other streaming services in the entertainment sector? For years it was mainly Netflix and Amazon. But now, NBC has their own Peacock streaming service; the legendary film studio Paramount Pictures just launched Paramount+; Disney unveiled Disney+ right before the pandemic; and now WarnerMedia is releasing major films via HBOMax, which was recently released. Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised at all of this because digital technology was heading here years ago, which was expedited by the pandemic.
Likewise, art music is now becoming democratized. These three American orchestras—New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, and The Cleveland Orchestra are paving the way as a model for which many arts organizations will aspire.
Early on, there were three trailblazers that built streaming services for classical music: the Metropolitan Opera, Berlin Philharmonic, and Medici TV. Each created something similar a decade (or more) ago that now arts presenters are copying to some degree.
While viewing virtual concerts might get tiresome, we know it’s only a matter of time until we return to live performances in-person. Nothing will replace the glorious experience of live music. But let’s celebrate the democratization of art, which is occurring throughout the world this very minute. Unlike anytime in the past decade, art music from the very top levels is being shared with people who may have never had access to it at any other time without a major (and expensive) in-person trip.