After the last classical sheet music store in New York City closed—Frank Music—music lovers  nationwide have expressed their apprehension for the future of classical music.

TCNJ’s Director of Orchestras, Dr. Harold Levin, credits two major events as the catalysts of classical music’s downfall: the 9/11 attacks and the 2008 recession.  These events resulted in extreme cuts in attendance and funding.

“The first thing that administrators—who are probably not people in the arts—cut is the art program…This started in the 70s.”  He adds that the greatest patrons of classical concerts are the people who sang in the chorus or played instruments in high school.

“It’s the people that had public school music programs that are buying tickets and donating to the arts.”  He recalls from grade school that studying an instrument was just as commonplace as taking a math class.

Felicia Reilly, Conductor of Pennsbury High School Orchestras and accomplished violist takes a different stance, interpreting the decline as a mere hiatus.

“Right now, most composers are not composing ‘core’ classical music, since currently we are in the stage of computer-generating sounds and music.  We are just in the stage of composers trying to get a ‘new’ and different sound.   But I think eventually we’re going to see classical music come back and bring hope.”

WTSR will indeed bring back classical music—at least for the day.  Monday, April 20th will be WTSR Classical Appreciation Day, meaning the station will stream anything classical from Beethoven to Copland for 24 hours straight.  This ode to the greats will end with a live streaming of the TCNJ Orchestra performing Fauré’s Requium.

Let this be the start of the classical renaissance.