Where are the young listeners, including the music students around the corner at San Jose State University?
No kidding!
Richard Scheinin asks a very good question in his article.
If you are a music student, do you attend concerts? You should. I even wonder how many of my own oboe students have ever heard a professional oboist (aside form hearing me in lessons).
If you think you want to be a performer, do attend some concerts! Please. Opera San José has an amazing student rush price if you get there an hour prior to the performance. A number of other groups offer student discounts as well. Le Petit Trianon (the location of the review linked above) is a great place to go; the hall is small and intimate and every seat is great.
I live in a relatively small community in Alaska, and we seldom get a
chance to attend a classical music concert. Last night, we were
fortunate to have a concert with Paul Rosenthal, Doris Stevenson, and
Armen Ksajikian – part of the Sitka Summer Music Festival (winter
concert). We are lucky to get one concert or recital every two months.
There are probably a few hundred music students in the area (with just
a few adults, like myself). Although I never miss one, I doubt if more than 10 other
students attended this concert. In fact, less than
half of the local music teachers even showed up. We have two small
community orchestras, but less than a quarter of those musicians
attended…
How can we complain about the dearth of opportunities for musicians if we don’t attend the few concerts that do come around?