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 Standing Up for Lincoln CenterIn the article "Lincoln Center's Culture Gap" that appeared in the October 5, 2003, edition of The New York Times Magazine, author Deborah Solomon examines the role of Lincoln Center in the performing arts. Arguing that it needs to win "the hearts of a generation of kids who tend to view Lincoln Center more as a social hub for grandmothers than as an essential center of music," she states that "… to promote the classics is to advance an agenda, not a sensibility."
Students from President Joseph W. Polisi's American Society and the Arts class responded to Ms. Solomon's article. Here are excerpts from three of their essays.
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| Adam Meyer |
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Upon reading Deborah Solomon's article … I was immediately struck by how dangerously haphazard the author is in constructing and presenting her argument. I suppose it is possible that she intentionally presents outrageous solutions in an attempt to shed humor on a serious problem. However, if Ms. Solomon is to be taken seriously, the reader has to assume she is in favor of Lincoln Center booking concerts by Outkast and Snoop Dogg, not to mention showing big-screen marathons of The Simpsons. Personally, I love The Simpsons, and at the end of a long day, my music listening choices swerve away from classical music. However, publishing an article in The New York Times suggesting that these are viable solutions to Lincoln Center's and the New York Philharmonic's problems is both naïve and reckless.
Ms. Solomon's main argument seems to call for a coming together of pop and classical cultures. While I do believe that both are essential to a balanced and diverse society, mixing the two dilutes the purpose of both undertakings. Besides, in a culture that is dominated by "reality TV" and shows like Joe Millionaire, perhaps classical art forms shouldn't hope to be saved by an aspect of society that is, at least in part, responsible for the slow and methodical suffocation of the public's interest in music, art, and dance. …
Ms. Solomon should be careful about publishing articles suggesting that pop culture can save institutions that aim to bring a greater purpose to people's lives. She seems to confuse profitability with artistic vitality and thinks that an infusion of pop culture can replace artistic integrity. In an attempt to admonish it, Ms. Solomon writes that Lincoln Center "continues to view art as a pure undertaking removed from the taint of commerce…" What she doesn't realize is that in this time of managerial turmoil, this is the one thing Lincoln Center can still cling to.
—Adam Meyer, master's degree candidate in viola
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| Min-Ju Choi |
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Ms. Solomon accuses Lincoln Center of "counting on the packaging of art to supply the drama that is missing …" What she does not realize perhaps is that the halls in Lincoln Center must be of high acoustical quality in order to best represent the performing ensembles. Pop bands, as stated in the article, use amplification that would effectively make these acoustical advancements superfluous. While there are many venues in New York that could easily accommodate a pop band, there are very few that can effectively accommodate a large orchestra.
There was one Lincoln Center institution not mentioned in Ms. Solomon's article: The Juilliard School. With little research, she might have found that The Juilliard School gives numerous performances of works from all genres and for all tastes. I suggest that she familiarize herself with all the Lincoln Center constituents before passing critical judgment.
—Min-Ju Choi, master's degree candidate in piano
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| Zulema Quintán |
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To say that Lincoln Center has turned up its nose at non-classical forms of expression is ill-founded. While no one would argue that it has ever been an integral component of the concert season here at Lincoln Center, this is not because Lincoln Center has debased the name of popular music in the name of high art as Ms. Solomon insinuates. As Bruce Crawford, the chairman of Lincoln Center, put it nicely, "We don't belong in the commercial music business." Isn't that what Madison Square Garden is for? The fact that Lincoln Center does not offer a wide variety of musical styles on an ongoing basis should neither compromise the integrity of the institution nor imply that it snubs more mainstream entertainment values. In a society overrun by the media, do we really want to find more outlets for "popular" expression?
Ms. Solomon describes performances at Lincoln Center as "all those packed, bejeweled nights at the Metropolitan Opera House" and "practiced, rehearsed-to-death beauty enacted thousands of times a year by actors, dancers and musicians." Clearly, the splendor is gone for Ms. Solomon, but can she really speak for the public at large?
—Zulema Quintán, bachelor's degree candidate in dance
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