1. The arts have been around, really since the beginning of civilization; that an economic meltdown could shut that down seems a little short-sighted.
2. Hearts, when exposed, are still moved -- across ages, across cultures, across socio-economic classes.
3. A creative generation, my generation, is rising up to start new groups, to restart old groups, and to take and redefine classical traditions.
4. Orchestras are starting to come around and see that this is a new time and they must operate with new tools ... they are Tweeting, touring, facebooking, making ticket deals, changing attendance rules (i.e. the Indianapolis Symphony allows you to bring your drinks into the conference hall; many orchestras now feature rush-hour concerts, designed and timed to be attended directly after work ... no special attire, just your presence), flash mobbing
In my mind's eye, and probably because I'm partial, the Indianapolis Symphony seems to be one of the few 52-week orchestras doing everything it can think of to catch up to the rest of the world, and I'm proud of them. And when I saw this video, that's when I knew that Classical Music won't die ... not in my lifetime at least. It will probably have to continue to change and adapt a bit, but it always has and I think it always will, I hope so anyway.
