Don’t dumb down the arts, says NZSO boss

Aiming the classical arts at young New Zealanders runs the risk of dumbing them down, says New Zealand Symphony Orchestra head Ian Fraser.

"If we end up to trying to be a symphonic equivalent of Violent Femmes or Pennywise, our kids will despise us for it," he said.

Fraser, Simon Prast, Cath Robinson, Lloyd Williams, Gemma Gracewood, Elizabeth Alley and the BBC Prom's artistic administrator, Rosemary Gent, formed a panel which discussed "Tomorrow's Audiences" - how to interest more young people in the classical arts.

National Radio's Paul Bushnell hosted the panel which spoke at the ignite2001 youth festival yesterday.

Fraser said an avid appetite for classical arts already exists without changing the product.

Lloyd Williams of the Auckland Philharmonic suggested bringing classical concerts to venues like The Powerstation or the St James, a popular dance venue. "The young recognise it as their territory."

But Elizabeth Alley of Radio New Zealand disagreed. "We have a stable core audience of older listeners. We interfere with that at our peril."

* By Leanne Frisbie, Susanne Taylor and Katie Stow, journalism students at Auckland University of Technology.

Feature: ignite2001 festival

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