Youtube Helps Save Classical Music

The Youtube Symphony will be an orchestra comprised of thousands of musicians from all over the world that submitted audition videos through YouTube. Users of the popular video streaming site will be able to vote on their favorite musicians to send to New York for the YouTube Symphony Orchestra’s April 15 performance at Carnegie Hall.

Michael Tilson Thomas, Miami Beach’s New World Symphony conductor and organizer, now wants to bring classical music to younger ears with the Youtube Symphony. He says:

”New World has been the pioneering organization in staking out this new territory, because young musicians are naturally interested in these areas. The YouTube project is an extension of that, a way of bringing together the classical-music community all over the world so we can learn from each other.”

Videos of auditions are posted on the site, organized by instrument, and are already reaching out to younger crowds with roughly half of the visitors on YouTube.com/Symphony between the ages 13 and 34.

From this enormous project, many possibilities can arise. Brahms and Wagner aren’t necessarily staples of an adolescent’s iPod, but using the Internet to spread their glory can galvanize the beginning of larger ensembles. Big Bands from the 30’s and 40’s are another perfect outlet for this kind of initiative, as it’s difficult to arrange and support musicians in groups. With Youtube, our music history is being passed onto younger generations; once more, the web brings people together with a common purpose.

Chinese composer Tan Dun (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) will be writing music for the occasion, here’s an interview of him talking about the Youtube Symphony:

Why not start up band auditions with Youtube? How about film casting auditions?

Photo via keokukconcertassociation.org
Source: Miami Herald