QUESTIONS
CRITICAL
The National Endowment for the Arts welcomed Jane Chu as its new chairman in 2014. Chu, a trained pianist and former president and CEO of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City, emphasizes the increasing importance of being proactive in championing the ways arts groups are contributing to their communities, as arts organizations adapt to broader shifts in how people participate in the arts. The NEA will mark its 50th year on September 29, and will hold a series of events throughout the year including a new leadership initiative and meetings to highlight the importance of the agency’s advocacy role and its widespread impact. by Jesse Rosen
J
esse Rosen: You’re no stranger to the world of classical music and orchestras. As you look out at music and music making, what are the things that really excite you and give you a good feeling about our musical life today? Jane Chu: I like all kinds of music, but specific to classical music, the two things that excited me about classical music 30 years ago really are still the same things that excite me personally about it today. One is the technical aspect—the inner workings—and the other one is the emotional aspect. When I’m thinking about the technical, I’m listening and just loving the themes, the inner works, the whole construct of the compositional format. And then with the overlay of emotions, I think music has such a power to produce the ebbs and flows of really strong emotions as well as subtle nuances. I laugh sometimes because so many people I know have classical music on in the back-
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ground, as a way to relax. I can’t do that. I am so tempted to listen to everything intently, and it does not provide those soothing opportunities for me. It’s really front and center of my focus whenever I have it on. Jesse Rosen: The first time we met, you were making visits around the country to many different cities and hearing from folks about what they were experiencing. Could you share what you learned from conversations you had about orchestras? Jane Chu: Well, orchestras in any community are seen as a symbol of quality of life. And so people care about orchestras. I don’t know what level of participation every single person has, but I do know that the presence of orchestras in communities is really important to many people. Every community has distinctive characteristics, but when there are orchestras, that contributes to the community’s identity. Sometimes when I’m on the road people ask me about a specific orchestra.
Chris Lee
How Will the NEA Reimagine Creativity in America?
Jesse Rosen, President and CEO, League of American Orchestras
And oftentimes it may have been some type of news story where an orchestra is having challenging times, usually financially. They’ll ask me, what do I think about that? A news story about a specific orchestra that is having financial challenges can dwarf and make us forget how the thousands of other orchestras in the United States are doing, and all the ways that they contribute to the community.
“Orchestras in any community are seen as a symbol of quality of life. People care about orchestras.” Those are things I want to highlight. Jesse Rosen: One of the NEA’s roles historically and currently is as a partner and a catalyst for private investment in the arts. There are a lot of changing trends in private philanthropy. I’m curious to know what you’re observing and what implications it may have for the NEA. Jane Chu: Regarding philanthropy in general, even though there are things like tax incentives to encourage giving, people have a need to give. Giving brings symphony
SUMMER 2015