Classical music organisation Leeds Lieder had its ACE funding cut because of a lack of data collection. Director Joseph Middleton thinks this is a symptom of “widespread cultural vandalism”.
“If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face – for ever.” Replace a few of George Orwell’s words in 1984 and most musicians right now would find alarming resonance in the statement: “If you want a picture of the present, imagine a boot stamping out classical music – for ever.”
Orwell’s slightly altered prophecy could be used to sum up the widespread cultural vandalism happening in the UK right now despite the fact we are world-leaders in this area (as everyone would know who watched the recent Coronation). Because of choices that are being made by a few in positions of power, we are being fast-tracked to a society where culture and especially classical music is being systematically stamped out of the communities in which we live.
The consequence of government policy in education and, by extension, the lack of funding for classical music from the supposedly politically independent Arts Council England (ACE) is having an alarming effect. The vast majority of people are effectively being barred from coming into contact with classical music, the exact opposite of what most of us working in this sphere are trying to achieve. Why would anyone want to support this direction of traffic?...Keep reading on The Arts Desk.
“If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face – for ever.” Replace a few of George Orwell’s words in 1984 and most musicians right now would find alarming resonance in the statement: “If you want a picture of the present, imagine a boot stamping out classical music – for ever.”
Orwell’s slightly altered prophecy could be used to sum up the widespread cultural vandalism happening in the UK right now despite the fact we are world-leaders in this area (as everyone would know who watched the recent Coronation). Because of choices that are being made by a few in positions of power, we are being fast-tracked to a society where culture and especially classical music is being systematically stamped out of the communities in which we live.
The consequence of government policy in education and, by extension, the lack of funding for classical music from the supposedly politically independent Arts Council England (ACE) is having an alarming effect. The vast majority of people are effectively being barred from coming into contact with classical music, the exact opposite of what most of us working in this sphere are trying to achieve. Why would anyone want to support this direction of traffic?...Keep reading on The Arts Desk.