DISQUS

gwbled · 2 months ago

I disagree, I think that Thomas led the Symphony well and conducted better than Chattanoogans have generallly seen for fifteen years. The musicians seemed to be having fun and working together which was nice for a change. I thoroughly enjoyed the concert and I am looking forward to Tobias Foskett in November.

Chattanooga needs a new conductor who motivates musicians, challenges audiences and brings in a new donor base. The donor base we have is dwindling due to age and lack of inspiration. Thomas Wilkens has proved in Omaha that he is willing to speak and volunteer in his community at both organizations and schools. This is the type of fresh air that the CSO requires in order to grow. The base must be built from the ground up rather than hoping that an audience will happen to show up at the Tivoli.

Everyone that was seated around me commented about how they enjoyed Thomas and appreciated both his comments to them and his conducting of the orchestra. The rest of the Tivoli certainly had a good time also with their long standing ovations for both pieces.

Tim Hinck · 2 months ago

Having spoken with some of the symphony musicians personally, what the Chattanooga Symphony really needs is a director who musically challenges the players and the Chattanooga audiences with more ambitious and experimental programming. Orchestras and Opera Houses all over the world are beginning to reinvent "Classical Music" by reconstructing the whole performance event: programming New Music that is audience-accessible... discarding the stale, traditional program recipe of Overture;Concerto;Symphony adding up to 100 minutes with an intermission... removing the formality and stuffiness of the evening and attracting younger crowds.

Chattanooga is ripe to be a city on the forefront of these changes, and change WILL come soon with the passing of a generation. Our city is in the perfect position demographically, economically, logistically, and aesthetically to be a beacon and epicenter for Classical Music Revolution.

Michael Kendall · 2 months ago

Tim, I appreciate your sentiments regarding the CSO programming new music, and I assure you that I am of the same persuasion and would love to see this happen. Unfortunately, the majority of the attendees at your average "Masterworks" performance are there to hear a masterwork, and have little to no awareness of contemporary happenings in classical music. This is indeed a challenge that the incoming music director must be prepared to address, among many others.