Limelight article August 2021
Many people are intimidated by new music because of a lifetime of sonic conditioning – a challenge Ensemble Offspring takes in its stride
by Claire Edwardes
In my role as Artistic Director of Ensemble Offspring, as well as an active solo percussionist, I spend a great deal of time thinking about audiences – how do we get them to come to our concerts? How do we make sure they’re engaged when they’re there? How do we create unique experiences for them so they go away telling their friends what fun new music can be? By international standards we do well in terms of audience numbers, but it’s still more of a challenge selling new music than it is to sell big name classical composers who everyone knows.
I think it’s fair to say that most people have a fear of the unknown on some level – whether it be sharks (something they can’t see and probably never will) or skydiving (my particular fear). But we don’t often ponder the fear of the unknown in terms of music. Why is it that almost anything goes in the visual arts world (the weirder the better sometimes) and yet in music, non-traditional chord progressions or the lack of melody or rhythm tend to give people a sense of impending doom? It is clear to me that the reason is a lifetime of sonic expectation conditioning – whether it be through Western classical music or pop music with the typical I-V-I bass line. So it is no wonder that when people first hear music that isn’t traditional in a tonal sense, they don’t quite know what to make of it. At Ensemble Offspring we take this challenge in our stride!
Read the rest here: https://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/features/ensemble-offspring-embracing-the-new-and-unknown/?fbclid=IwAR1DJ91HVCmDLPb5TS0suIDUeBjbamt4wxRW4FCgYJOb01QpJvSScbU12FQ
