Questions for post COVID-19 pandemic world
I think in questions even during the most stable and prosperous times, so when the world goes into a period of rapid change, my list gets longer. These are the questions related to my professional life and the list may continue to grow.
Will the audiences come back hungry for live performances after being quarantined, or will they get so comfortable with a range of excellent free or near free digital options that getting out to a concert will be reserved just for rare special occasions?
Will an avalanche of free performances by quarantined classical musicians on social media farther devalue live concert experience, or will it increase public awareness of the art form and foster greater engagement?
Will simultaneous decline in earned income from ticket sales and contributed income from sponsors impacted by devalued stock market lead to a collapse of a full-time orchestra model, or will the orchestras reinvent themselves becoming multifaceted organizations with traditional concerts accounting for a minority of their activities?
Will the perfect storm of declining value of endowments and demographic crunch, combined with a rise of online education finally reach a tipping point making four-year residential college experience obsolete?
Will the above mentioned scenarios force music schools to prioritize holistic experience over narrowly defined excellence in order to maintain enrollment and relevance?