MUSIC
e combination of historic sexism and Brexit is sparking
a revolt in the world of classical music, says Claire JacksonT
he Incorporated Society of
Musicians (ISM) has published
areportintotheimpactofBrexit
on musicians, highlighting
concerns regarding freedom of movement.
Iknowwhatyoumightbethinking:another
day,anothercolumnaboutBrexit;butfor
thosewhotravelregularlyforalivingthis
isagrowingconcern.Itisparticularly
pertinent for musicians, of whom 30 per
centtraveltotheEUmorethanfivetimes
a year, according to the report, which
solicited responses from around
1,600performers.
The study claims that more than 40 per
centofmusicianshavenoticedanegative
influenceontheiremploymentasaresult
ofBrexit,upfrom26percentin2017and
19percentin2016.Giventhatmanygigs
areimpromptu–morethanoneineight
musiciansaregivenlessthansevendays’
notice – having to apply for visas and endure
lengthy administrative procedures could
lead to lost job opportunities.
The classical and contemporary music
industry thrives because although it is
specialist,itiscollaborative.Inexpensive
travel and digital communications have
allowedustobuildnetworksaroundthe
globe,butespeciallywithourneighbours
in Europe. These have enhanced and
deepened our understanding of music and
audience development. I recently had a
glimpse into a possible future where
travellingamodestdistanceincurredavisa.
Iwasinvitedtovisitaforeignopera
company; after some discussion, it
transpired that I would need to spend an
entiredayatanembassytoarrangeavisa
before the commission could be confirmed.
Fortheself-employedwriteronatight
budget, it was impractical. For musicians,itisathreattolivelihoods.Onesolutionis
thatauthoritiescouldwidenthescopeofa
permittedpaidengagementvisafrom30to
90days,suggeststheInternationalArtist
Managers’Association(IAMA),whichhas
joinedforceswiththeISM,theRoyalOpera
House (ROH) and the Association of British
Orchestras (ABO) for another report. The
ROH points out that there is a regular needto bring in replacement singers from abroad
at almost no notice when soloists are ill,
while the ABO sensibly urges policymakers
to consider the reality that touring is
“intrinsictotheorchestralbusinessmodel”.
ThePromsseasonisakeyexample:this
summer we have enjoyed visits from the
Estonian Festival Orchestra, Rotterdam
Philharmonic Orchestra and Swedish
Chamber Orchestra to name but a few.
Musicbyfemalecomposershasbeen
marginalisedforcenturies,and,happily,
many organisations are seeking to redress
the balance. Trinity Laban Conservatoire
ofMusicandDancehasunveiledanew
series calledVenus Bla z ingwhich begins
inthenewacademicyear,with25ofthe37
works programmed (68 per cent) penned
by women.
Forbetterorworse,Wikipedia
is oftenourfirstportofcallwhen
searching online, but only 17 per cent of
Wikipedia’s entries about people are about
women,andonly10percentof
Wikipedia’s contributing editors are
female.SouthbankCentreandclarinettist
Heather Roche are hosting a Wikipedia
edit-a-thon on September 2, with the aim
of adding more woman composers to
Wikipedia’s database. Do join in via
#ComposingWikipedia.Claire Jackson @claireiswriting“e
classical and
contemporary
music industry
thrives because
it’s collaborative”
Heroines and villains
READ MORE FROM...VISIT BIGISSUE.COMCLAIRE JACKSONLedby chair Harriet
Harman, staf and
pupils at Trinity Laban
are standing up for
female composers