Music, Theater, and Broadway: Past and Future

broadway talks nycOne Day University presents:

9am–10am
Music and Theater: Past, Present, and Future

President Leon Botstein/President of Bard College and Music Director of the American Symphony Orchestra

Music is so important because it has no purpose. Its only utility is to remind each of us as human beings about the power of our own imagination. Music matters because it is so completely a human invention. But not a useful one…its only purpose is existential and ethical. It reminds us of what we are capable of; that each of us brings something a little bit different to the experience. An experience that can only strengthen our respect for the dignity and lives of others.

As the musicologist and pianist Charles Rosen so eloquently put it, “The death of classical music is perhaps its oldest continuing tradition.” Critics often blame the business (“It’s a charity case!” “Ticket sales will never account for all of its costs!”) and the culture (“Why all the abstruse rules of conduct?” “Why can’t I wear shorts?”) without having a clear grasp on either. Such moments of mockery go back at least as far the Marx Brothers’ ”A Night at the Opera.” Classical music was for pretentious snobs in 1935, according to the movies; classical music is for pretentious snobs in 2014, according to television. In between, Americans built Lincoln Center and the Walt Disney Concert Hall; penned hundreds of memorable works, and sold millions of classical records.

10am–10:45am
Broadway: Past, Present, and Future
Philip Birsh/President and Publisher of Playbill

What will Broadway be like in 10 years? In 20 years? Will people still come to see shows? Will actors still be performing live? Will Times Square still be the crossroads of the world? Will “The Phantom of the Opera” still be open? Even whether there will still be live theater or not is up for grabs.

These days, Broadway shows are captured on high definition cameras and beamed to movie theaters far from Times Square or made into DVDs. In 20 years, bandwidth improvements may allow producers to project a 3-D image of a play or musical anywhere in the world. Seeing a Broadway show in the future may mean attending it in New York or watching a broadcast elsewherea movie theater, a TV, a computer or a cellphonewith gradually lower prices as the experience changes.

New York Institute of Technology
1871 Broadway
New York, NY 10023

Tickets $69. Thought Gallery readers can enjoy a 30% discount with the code here.











When: Tue., Oct. 13, 2015 at 9:00 am - 10:45 am

broadway talks nycOne Day University presents:

9am–10am
Music and Theater: Past, Present, and Future

President Leon Botstein/President of Bard College and Music Director of the American Symphony Orchestra

Music is so important because it has no purpose. Its only utility is to remind each of us as human beings about the power of our own imagination. Music matters because it is so completely a human invention. But not a useful one…its only purpose is existential and ethical. It reminds us of what we are capable of; that each of us brings something a little bit different to the experience. An experience that can only strengthen our respect for the dignity and lives of others.

As the musicologist and pianist Charles Rosen so eloquently put it, “The death of classical music is perhaps its oldest continuing tradition.” Critics often blame the business (“It’s a charity case!” “Ticket sales will never account for all of its costs!”) and the culture (“Why all the abstruse rules of conduct?” “Why can’t I wear shorts?”) without having a clear grasp on either. Such moments of mockery go back at least as far the Marx Brothers’ ”A Night at the Opera.” Classical music was for pretentious snobs in 1935, according to the movies; classical music is for pretentious snobs in 2014, according to television. In between, Americans built Lincoln Center and the Walt Disney Concert Hall; penned hundreds of memorable works, and sold millions of classical records.

10am–10:45am
Broadway: Past, Present, and Future
Philip Birsh/President and Publisher of Playbill

What will Broadway be like in 10 years? In 20 years? Will people still come to see shows? Will actors still be performing live? Will Times Square still be the crossroads of the world? Will “The Phantom of the Opera” still be open? Even whether there will still be live theater or not is up for grabs.

These days, Broadway shows are captured on high definition cameras and beamed to movie theaters far from Times Square or made into DVDs. In 20 years, bandwidth improvements may allow producers to project a 3-D image of a play or musical anywhere in the world. Seeing a Broadway show in the future may mean attending it in New York or watching a broadcast elsewherea movie theater, a TV, a computer or a cellphonewith gradually lower prices as the experience changes.

New York Institute of Technology
1871 Broadway
New York, NY 10023

Tickets $69. Thought Gallery readers can enjoy a 30% discount with the code here.

Buy tickets/get more info now