Page 307 - ASMF Marriner 100 Coverage Book

to help ignite a new passion for the timeless art form. As it prepares for its
second concert in its Knight Masterworks Classical Music series,
the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra on Thursday, March 7, the Arsht
faces the daunting task like most producers of classical music working hard
to get new generations interested in what many consider to be a dying
genre.

Recognizing the need to bridge the gap between the classical repertoire
and contemporary listeners, the Arsht Center is hosting “Classical
Conversations.” Scheduled one hour before each performance inside the
Peacock Foundation Education Center inside the Knight Concert Hall, the
speaker sessions are designed to offer insights into the music, composers,
and historical context behind the pieces to be performed. Lakeisha Frith,
director of education at the Adrienne Arsht Center, says maybe even a little
bit of gossip.

Scott Flavin, lecturer in violin performance and chamber music and resident
conductor for the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music’s Henry
Mancini Institute will lead the conversation before the Rotterdam
Philharmonic Orchestra’s performance. Flavin has an optimistic perspective
on the current state of classical music.

“I think that the notion that the audience is getting older and older and dying
off — I just don’t see that. I think there are more orchestras than there have
ever been, but that is not to say that we shouldn’t be engaging younger
people. Historically it does attract an older audience but that’s not to say
that there isn’t room to welcome a younger audience,” says Flavin.