It looks like "classical music is dying" again, by which the doomsters mean "orchestras are going bankrupt." (And I say, "good riddance", but that's a long, political
story best kept for later.) There's a good contrarian summary by Gavin Borchert in Seattle (pointed out by Kyle Gann.) Best quote:
Art rewards an attention span--it's a game for adults. But the classical establishment would rather buckle under to our society's market-driven credo: If white males aged 15 to 29 don't want it, nobody gets it. Incidentally, there is an easy way to attract the young: Program new music. In my observation, between a third and a half of the audiences for the Seattle Symphony's "Music of Our Time" concerts and the majority of the Seattle Composers Salon audiences are under 30. Problem solved.
(Of course it's not "problem solved" if that under-30 audience is in an 80% empty hall, but it's a step on the road.)
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