We know what orchestras are but would could they be?
From the Sound Systems Website:
“American orchestras face challenges relative to diversity, equity, relevance, sustainability. How do the embodied and cultural roles of performers and artists—enactors of aesthetic memories and futures—need to be reimagined and centered? What is the future of the orchestra?
Working in collaboration with future-oriented musician Alex Laing, the Center for Science and the Imagination hosted a two-day speculative futures workshop in April 2023, which served as the foundation for a volume about the American orchestra, combining fiction, nonfiction, and original art, as well as resources and prompts for further exploration.“
Check out the Sound Systems initiative and related book project to explore possible futures of orchestras.
The book is free and available in numerous digital formats.
Book Launch
Book Launch: virtual launch event (use the link to sign up)
When: Monday, October 27 at 2 PM EST
The event will be hosted by Sound Systems editors Alex Laing and Ed Finn and will feature composer, multimedia artist, and writer Paul D. Miller (DJ Spooky), speculative fiction author
Deji Bryce Olukotun, and violist, songwriter, and music educator Ashley Lauren Frith.
Conversations Around the Book
Participate in conversations around the book and futures of orchestras, hosted by the Black Orchestra Network:
For each conversation, read some of the chapters from the corresponding sections of the book and then join in the dialogue!
All sessions are free and open to everyone—you do not need to be a member of BON to join:
- Orchestra as Public Good: Monday, August 18, 7:00-8:00pm Eastern (4:00-5:00pm Pacific), Register
- Orchestra as Game: Monday, September 22, 7:00-8:00pm Eastern (4:00-5:00pm Pacific), Register
- Orchestra as Network: Monday, October 20, 7:00-8:00pm Eastern (4:00-5:00pm Pacific), Register
- Orchestra as Infrastructure: Monday, November 17, 7:00-8:00pm Eastern (4:00-5:00pm Pacific), Register
