Catalina Maria Johnson

International radio broadcaster, bilingual cultural journalist, music curator

El mundo de la música clásica se enfrenta a un dilema – ¿debemos marcar fronteras entre la realidad virtual y la realidad musical? La respuesta de la orquesta de computadoras portátiles de Princeton, mejor conocida como “PLOrk” o Princeton Laptop Orchestra es un rotundo “¡NO!”. PLOrk se presenta en Chicago el 5 de abril en Northwestern University. Sin embargo, aunque siga el debate sobre la inclusión del laptop en la orquesta, obras innovadoras como Ainadamar de Osvaldo Golijov, ópera en la cual se hace transición musical del laptop a la orquesta, seguirán abriendo camino, creando un nuevo público joven y entusiasta que hasta la ópera puede entusiasmarles – tema sobre el cual produje un reportaje para Chicago Public Radio. The world of classical music is facing a dilemma …. what to do with the laptop? Where are the borders between the virtual and the non-virtual in music…. The questions are best answered if you experience the realities yourself, so we recommend: PLork, better known as the Princeton Laptop Orchestra, which will present a concert April 5 here in Chicago, at Northwestern University; and Ainadamar, Osvaldo Golijov’s marvelous opera which includes transitioning from electronic to acoustic music, has also helped bring opera to the attention of a most demanding public: Chicago public high-school students, as I report for Chicago Public Radio.



2 Comments

  1. Alex wrote:

    If Golijov is “pandering to the young” — and thereby introducing them to and perhaps inducing a love in them for opera in a wholly unprecedented manner — then he should pander away.

  2. Catalina Maria Johnson wrote:

    I agree, of course! the median age of opera-goers is 62 years. and if you see a laptop artist at work, such as Jeremy Flower who participates in Ainadamar, the artistry and talent required to do it right become very obvious.