The Atlanta New Music Scene

I recall a comment made in 1998 by a prominent San Francisco attorney who had just joined the board of directors for the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players after having served as chairman of the board for the SF Opera for many years. I asked him the reason behind his decision to now focus his philanthropic efforts toward new music. He said, “It is because of my concern for this city and the quality of life it provides. Having a healthy creative arts community, I have discovered, is vital for a city’s self-understanding of its social fabric and is often a catalyst for its social improvement. San Francisco will never truly be a great American city if it does not support an active community of creative artists and thinkers.”

I would like to bring up a few issues surrounding the question of why, with so many talented composers, a new music scene in Atlanta has not been able to coalesce. It is relevant to remember how composers have historically functioned in Western societies and how that is different in post-modern America. The use of the term “composer” and its assumptions may be creating some confusion regarding expectations and success. The career title of composer in the West generally evolved out of service to theological institutions and aristocratic patrons associated with monarchies in Medieval and Renaissance Europe. These groups provided the historical foundations for the fairly robust support of contemporary music now found in most major European cities. Similarly the American cities that developed from extensive European immigration during the 18th - 20th centuries have the oldest support of classical music in the country and also possess some of the most active new music scenes (New York, Boston, Chicago, etc).

One of the consequences of an American democratic, representative government and the constitutional separation of church and state is that the principal sources of patronage for music found in Europe do not flourish particularly well here. As a result, American artistic support developed around new sources: individual contributions and private foundations, and colleges and universities. This is a very different model from that in Europe, although they are increasingly adopting the American system as their public funds decrease. It is no accident that there is a high concentration of major research universities and conservatories in US cities where there is an active new music scene, i.e. Columbia, NYC, Yale, and Juilliard in New York; Harvard, NEC, Boston Conservatory, Boston College, Berklee, and Brandeis in Boston; Northwestern, University of Chicago, and Univ. of Illinois in Chicago; and other examples.

There are several major Atlanta universities with strong and developing music programs that employ full-time composers (Emory, Ga Tech, GSU, Kennesaw State, Clayton State, and others). Their ability to attract creative thinkers from other parts of the country (faculty and students) and provide a local resource for the development of Atlanta-based composers and artists is a significant factor for the growth of new music in the area.

The American pioneer spirit and sense of adventure and discovery that drove the creation of many California cities has also produced supportive environments there for innovative creation in the arts. Research universities have also played significant roles there as well, i.e. Stanford and UC-Berkeley in San Francisco; and UCLA, USC, and Cal Arts in Los Angeles. Many of these California new music communities have focused more on innovative technological applications for music given the high concentration of research and development labs and industries in the area.

Because of differences in our country from Europe, being a “composer” is not necessarily limited to the art and liturgical traditions and the term is often applied to anyone who creates and designs sound. This can include, but not limited to, numerous forms of media (film, TV, websites, video games), advertising and commercial applications, and entertainment and popular music. There may be significant differences in the goals and approaches of composers who create hip-hop, orchestral repertoire, jazz, commercial jingles, experimental computer music, and interactive video games. In most cases, they are called and may refer to themselves all as composers. It should be no surprise that the communities developing around their work are equally as diverse.

So, given this historical preface, what does this tell us about the current situation for composition and creative thought in Atlanta? Atlanta has many thriving cultural and musical communities. There are a substantial number of successful industries in the area with large numbers of employees involved in media research and innovation. The colleges and universities offer a diversity of musical opportunities for study and participation.

We should also not overlook the importance of the dynamic musical presence of Robert Spano and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra programs. His work with the ASO promoting new compositions is critical to the continued growth of the entire musical community. As a comparison, one can observe the dramatic shift that has taken place in the quality and quantity of new music being performed and created in San Francisco and L.A. since Michael Tilson Thomas and Eka-Pekka Salonen became conductors in those cities.

Atlanta has many of the necessary ingredients for a thriving new music scene all ready in place. A robust new music scene often develops from a delicate balance of support from major artistic institutions, research universities, area residents involved in creative and exploratory work, and private and industry philanthropists who believe in the value of this activity. If any one of these participants is not present, the work of creative artists in Atlanta will remain somewhat hidden or ghettoized.

The increasing number of collaborations now taking place among those in the musical institutions, universities, and creative industries in the city is encouraging. It is also positive that there is a sense of inclusiveness towards those with creative interests. If enough small communities of new music and compositional activity begin to grow and flourish, at some point they will collectively merge and be perceived as a healthy Atlanta new music scene, one hopefully reflecting our unique history and culture identity and contributing to our social progress and understanding and to Atlanta's national reputation as a vibrant, creative, and socially-conscious city.