Opening Doors: Orchestras, Opera Companies and Community Engagement

By: Emily Dollman

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Synopsis: What is the role of classical music in the 21st century? How will classical musicians maintain their relevance and purpose? This book follows the working activities of professional orchestral musicians and opera singers as they move off stage into schools, community centres, prisons, libraries, and corporations, engaging with their communities in new, rich ways through education and community engagement programmes. Key examples of collaborative partnerships between orchestras, opera companies, schools and music services in the delivery of music education are investigated, with a focus on the UK’s Music Hub system. The impact of these partnerships is examined, both in terms of how they inspire and foster the next generation of musicians as well as the extent to which they broaden access to quality music education. Detailed case studies are provided on the impact of classical music education programmes on social cohesion, health and wellbeing, and the education outcomes for students from low socio-economic communities. The implications for the future training of classical musicians are analysed, as are the new career paths for orchestral musicians and composers straddling performance and education. Opening Doors: Orchestras, Opera Companies and Community Engagement investigates the ways in which the classical music industry is reinventing its sense of purpose, never a more important or urgent pursuit than in the present decade.