As a diehard lover of classical music, it always pains me to see articles like a recent one in the Wall Street Journal about the shutdown of the Columbus Symphony in Columbus, Ohio. "On June 1, the Columbus Symphony Orchestra took what may be its final bows. Tears flowed from the musicians as well as from members of the capacity crowd in the Ohio Theatre." "The 57-year-old orchestra is out of money. The symphony canceled its summer pops season and told the musicians that they would not be paid for the rest of the current contract, which ends Aug. 31." What followed, in this article and in later letters to the editor* , was a stimulating debate on the role of the traditional classical music orchestra in the modern era. Some of the quotes addressed the harsh truth that full orchestras are expensive, and some communities simply lack the scale to sustain one: "I think that cities outside the very largest in this country must recognize that it is no longer possible...
"The study of the history of music and the hearing of masterworks of different epochs will speediest of all cure you of vanity and self-adoration."