I love it when classical ideas meet with modern presentation.
Monks chanting “We will rock you”? Love it.
A-line skirts and skinny ties? Love ‘em.
Orchestral music and streaming video? Love it.
The goal of the YouTube Symphony Orchestra is to bring people from all over the world to play one piece in a massive internet and eventually real-life orchestra.
And the execution couldn’t be better.
People are invited to learn a piece of music, then perform it for YouTube. The best performers will be selected to play at Carnegie Hall in April 2009.
The execution
While I am usually skeptical of things ported to the internet, generally my skepticism is justified. Mostly in that the execution is so poor: other campaigns seem like they were meant for some other platform and just thrust onto the internet.
The YouTube Symphony Orchestra, however, is very well executed. The sheet music is readily available, there is support from orchestras such as the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic, but a more subtle thing impressed me the most.
A personalized conductor video for each instrument. I love it because it successfully capitalizes on the scalability and potential for individualization that the internet affords. It would be easy to upload one video (or none at all), but the increased effort really shines through. Even if most of the conducting is the same, it gives a nice personalized feel, which everyone appreciates.
To see this: Click the “Prepare” tab, then choose an instrument, say the Piano, and watch the video. Without the sound, conducting seems more absurd, which I love.
So those of you with musical talent. Go forth and audition. At the very least, check out a great internet endeavor.
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