Democratizing classical music

In classical music, what is the role of a conductor? The answer seems very obvious when we attend any classical music concerts. By physically “demonstrating” the music in front of the musicians, and indirectly to the audience, a conductor helps keep the performers’ playing in synchronicity. Indeed, seeing a conductor and the ensemble in action is to witness a kind of telepathy between the two.

It may seem that I have answered the initial question and could end this article already. But recently, when I was watching a documentary film called “The Art of Conducting,” I was prompted to reconsider the role of a conductor. In this film, legendary violinist Isaac Stern says, from his experience with conductors, that a conductor must fulfill his/her duties while “keeping an absolutely firm hand … an autocratically firm hand.”

Now my original question becomes this: Is an image of an autocratic conductor still relevant in today’s society? By definition, what an autocratic conductor decides is final. Musicians have no say in the decision­­—they must follow the orders. When musicians, just like young Nicolaus Harnoncourt—then an orchestral cellist, now one of the prominent conductors—asked the question, “Why?” the conductors would ineluctably respond: “Because I said so.”

The plot of this question seems to thicken by living in a society where that which is customarily assumed as status quo is now severely questioned. This is evident all the way from the rise of critical theory in the field of philosophy to recent times where we have witnessed the global “Occupy” movement with the outcries of, “We are the 99 percent.”

As a person who has been active as a composer and in the field of contemporary music, I have also had the opportunity to conduct diverse ensembles, from orchestra to a small chamber ensemble of three musicians. Quite inevitably (and, of course, joyfully), I work with living composers. It also happens that the performers are often experienced. They have a lot to give, not just through what they play, but also through the feedback they give to others. In such circumstances, I like to play the role of a moderator/commentator to keep the dialogue between composers and performers perfectly aligned so that, in the end, all parties can benefit greatly from such a democratic consensus.

Thus, I believe in the democracy of music making. In fact, it is for this reason, among others, that I refuse to use a baton when I conduct. A baton, while it may be beneficial in helping a conductor indicate a clear beat to the performers, represents that autocratic mantle that conductors enjoyed wearing for far too long. In this society, it seems undesirable that the leadership be imposed from an external domain. Instead, it is to the spirit of “leading from within,” a quite commonly heard expression, that I hold an ideal image of a conductor in the society today.

This semester I have been privileged to serve as an assistant conductor of the Columbia University Orchestra under the masterful leadership of Jeffrey Milarsky. I am also playing the clarinet in this group, and from my chair I have been able to see the inner workings of the orchestral rehearsals even more vividly. I have always learned a great deal just by seeing how Milarsky effectively communicates and leads the orchestra in the rehearsals over the course of the semester. Of course, in the rubric of “education” that an academic institution such as Columbia is founded on, sometimes he leads the group firmly out of necessity. Yet it is also equally true that the musicians bring so much passion and intellect to the rehearsals, and there exists another firm tie between the conductor and the orchestra which is of a democratic nature.

It is a beautiful moment indeed to see such a collective effort to make wonderful music together, where the 99 percent and the 1 percent finally become a 100 percent, possibly the most harmonious representation of music.

The author is a fourth year doctoral candidate in music composition and is a teaching fellow at Columbia University in the City of New York. He is also a laureate of the Gaudeamus Prize of 2011.