THE SHEPHERD
THE SHEPHERD
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: The Shepherd from Ten Blake Songs
How sweet is the Shepherds sweet lot,
From the morn to the evening he strays:
He shall follow his sheep all the day
And his tongue shall be filled with praise.
For he hears the lambs innocent call,
And he hears the ewes tender reply,
He is watchful while they are in peace,
For they know when their Shepherd is nigh.
- William Blake
At the risk of sounding saccharine, I really do relish my life in music. Thus, I relate deeply to the first line of Blake’s deceptively simple poem. In these times of pandemic, as we are physically cut off from our audiences, the fleeting sweetness of pre-COVID musical life is brought into extra sharp relief.
There are so many complicated dynamics between the shepherd and his flock in Blake’s little poem. The notion of who belongs to whom is thrown on its head: the Shepherd is the one who is cast as follower, his sheep the leaders. Not only do the sheep belong to the shepherd – the shepherd belongs to the flock: They know when he who belongs to them is nearby.
This beautifully mirrors the reciprocal, symbiotic and sometimes murky relationship between performers and audience. The question of who is leading whom is so frequently unclear, especially in this age in which data is king.
As marketing technology improves, we collect more and more nuanced information about what sells successfully and what does not. With classical music organizations struggling to remain afloat even in the “normal” times before this pandemic lockdown, information like this has seemed increasingly crucial to mine for hints as to how we might increase ticket revenue and fill our halls’ empty seats.
Throughout my entire career, I have advocated for the art of the vocal recital. It’s been one of the primary foci of my work since the beginning, but fewer and fewer presenters are willing to present vocal recitals. When asked why, the feedback is always along the lines of: “oh, they won’t sell”. Even in larger organizations like symphony orchestras and opera companies, every decisionmaker seems cognizant of the fact that aging audiences may be hesitant to fill seats for risky, innovative work, and even one poorly attended opera or set of concerts can imperil their job. Should the artists and arts organizations lead the audiences to new or less-familiar territory? Or should we follow the audience desires and keep grazing in tried and true pastures? Who is doing the shepherding?
YouTube’s algorithms, which are constructed to incessantly feed people more of what they seem to like, only seem to result in the success of cat videos, “Charlie bit my finger”, and hate speech-filled vlogs that radicalize. The millions upon millions of hits these videos receive speak to the dangers of simply giving people more of what they want.
In this data-driven loop, we end up seeing the same music played over and over in concert halls and opera houses. On the one hand, I am grateful for the numerous opportunities to sing Beethoven’s 9th Symphony - it’s one of the most important and most beautiful pieces of music ever written, and its message is timeless - but couldn’t there be more? Don’t some of these over-tilled pastures need a minute to lay fallow so that they can feed us even more richly when it’s time to come back to them? Isn’t it healthy to have a varied diet? To try new things?
I’ve learned from experience that audiences and organizations can both benefit from this kind of bravery. A decade ago, Shannon McGinnis, Nicholas Hutchinson and I started Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago to (re)build an audience for vocal recitals - those very types of concerts that I am told “won’t sell”. It’s been extraordinarily edifying to observe CAIC’s audience growth over the years, and to see which program offerings have been successful, as well as those which have resonated with somewhat less effect. Over the years, it’s the programs which have leaned toward the radical and been presented in innovative ways which have resonated with our audiences the most. Last fall’s festival showcasing the work of living composers in song - filled with many composers and music that were brand new to our audiences - were some of our most popular concerts to date. It is a testament to the trust built between CAIC and its audience that they allow us to guide them to new and different experiences and music. We are trusted not to lead them astray. In turn, we trust that our audiences will come along with us as we make forays into less-familiar, sometimes uncharted territory. It’s a give-and-take symbiosis that has inspired me greatly.
The funny thing about classical music and opera is that we have now over-grazed some of our fields so much (Beethoven, Puccini, Verdi, Wagner, Brahms, Mahler, Mozart!) that there is a veritable continent of neglected music to forage through, some almost forgotten, filled with gems waiting to be rediscovered (Buxtehude, Janacek, Britten, Lili Boulanger, Gluck, Charpentier, Strozzi, Johann Christoph Bach, Hasse…the list goes on!). Combine that with the great number of incredible composers and librettists creating beautiful new music in our age, and the options for innovation and rediscovery seem almost endless. Even so, we fear that classical music is dying or dead. We are terrified that we are niche and irrelevant.
We all crave something new, different, and innovative, but it’s too easy to let fear stop us from taking the risks to find it. In these times of unprecedented economic uncertainty, it will be even more seductive to give in to those fears. Great programming is leading adventures into uncharted territory, opening our eyes to connections we never saw before. It should push boundaries for all of us, audiences and artists alike. We must keep our eyes and ears attuned to the beauty around us. We must protect our youthful senses of wonder so that they remain fresh and alert. We must never stop exploring.
This project is a fiscally sponsored project of FRACTURED ATLAS, and was made possible in part through a grant from SAN FRANCISCO FRIENDS OF CHAMBER MUSIC / INTERMUSIC SF.
To find our more information and to make a TAX-DEDUCTIBLE donation to support the continuation of this project please visit: https://fundraising.fracturedatlas.org/nicholas-phan-recording-projects