<p>I don’t watch late night talk shows, so correct my if I am wrong, but as a kid I recall that the Tonight Show had opera singers on all of the time. I don’t think they have opera, or any classical musicians on at all anymore. I think this is indicative of how removed people are from classical music today.</p>
<p>SRW-</p>
<p>You are correct, opera singers and other classical performers often showed up on the tonight show and similar shows, Beverly Sills in particular used to be on more then a few times, Obviously Pavarotti did, and I believe others routinely would show up. On the classical side, Yo Yo Ma has done his share of talk shows, and Itzak Perlman used to appear on the Tonight show and such years ago. I haven’t seen it in recent years (not that I watch talk shows much) but I suspect there is very little visibility for most classical artists. The one exception I can think of is the Colbert Report, saw Yo Yo Ma on there and Lorin Maazel after the Philharmonic went to North Korea several years ago.</p>
<p>srw - You know you’ve really made it if you’re invited to play on Sesame Street; Itzchak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, Richard Stoltzman, Wynton Marsalis, James Galway etc etc…</p>
<p>Back on topic though, I agree with getting classical music out there in whatever form is going to get people engaged.</p>
<p>fisheee, when my D was little I remember seeing many of the folks you mentined on Sesame Street and being absolutely thrilled. The sad thing is that they were never introduced or had their names mentioned. Don’t know if they still do this. Last night we went to see “War Horse” and for the first time I noticed that the musician soloists were mentioned in the credits. I don’t remember seeing that before. I know my little mini-rant is slightly off topic but I don’t think the general public understands how much skill goes into musical work and that these are humans not machines producing the sound. So many of you make it look/sound so easy! It is only since we have had a child go through years of music lessons that we understand how difficult it is, and how much we appreciate great music.</p>
<p>clrn8mom-
Here, here! I share your sentiments, the difference between being a merely good musician and a great one is in many cases very small technically and so forth, but it is kind of like driving downfield in a football game, facing 4th and goal from the 2 yard line, and trying to score over 11 guys who together weigh more then a minivan…that last bit is the hardest, and it takes blood, sweat, tears and commitment. When a soloist gets on stage, or Pearlman plays the Oscars (he has done several solo gigs for movie theme music) or they hear Joshua Bell playing Corigliano’s score in “The Red Violin” they make it look easy, like they were these natural born talents who just go out there and do it…</p>
<p>My favorite appearance had to be Yo Yo Ma on the cartoon show “Arthur” when he appeared via cartoon (as a rabbit!) with Joshua Redmond, the jazz saxaphone player, it was great (the best part is the fantasy sequence of a wrestling match between Redmond and Yo Yo Ma, hysterical).</p>
<p>At the risk of contradicting my own statements about the need for classical music to evolve to encompass the contemporary audience, I’m not sure I’m entirely on board with this concept of having a “twitter section” during the performance. <a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/opinion/sunday/theater-for-twitter-users.html[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/opinion/sunday/theater-for-twitter-users.html</a></p>
<p>I tend to agree, I don’t think that adds much, it is like the mutants who text during music performances and such, it makes no sense. Having a twitter whatever they call it to give impressions after a performance is cool (or a facebook wall, or whatever), but during? I think Classical Music needs to get out of the 19th century, but that to me is doing something simply because it is ‘new’, not because it enhances anything.</p>