Kwamé Ryan conducts the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain in April 2018. Photo by Jason Alden. Ryan is music director of North Carolina’s Charlotte Symphony Orchestra and conducts internationally.
In Monday’s (9/23) Guardian (U.K.), conductor Kwamé Ryan writes, “I was raised in the Trinidad and Tobago of the late ’70s and early ’80s where, not being particularly interested in calypso or carnival, I found myself entranced by orchestral [music] … Some commentators would have us believe that attracting young people to orchestral music now is fundamentally more challenging than it was in my youth … The current context may be different, but in my experience the fundamentals of music reception are constant—and connection is the key…. Any young person who has enjoyed a Marvel or Star Wars movie has heard a lengthy orchestral performance (of a sort) and might well be amenable to hearing and seeing more, were it presented in a similarly imaginative and relatable context…. My own Charlotte Symphony Orchestra in North Carolina uses similar methods to create youth-relevant programming. Building on strong relationships with partner schools, upcoming gen Z-targeted projects include concerts showcasing music from popular video games or melding the music of Beethoven and Beyoncé … which have stoked a recent increase in our youth attendance…. If this [starts] a lifelong musical journey for even a handful of them, then the circle is complete.”
