Journalism and classical music: two beloved, long-standing institutions that are having a hard time making it in today’s world. But put them together, and you get an ingenious plan that benefits both sides.
This week, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra announced that it’ll award a fellowship worth $38,000 (plus full benefits) to an arts reporter who will “embed” with the BSO for a year. Here’s how they describe the program:
In this unique program, a talented arts journalist will “embed” with the BSO to tell the underreported stories of orchestra musicians (both the BSO and those outside of Baltimore/Bethesda), Music Director Marin Alsop, guest conductors and guest artists, and a wide range of activities happening within the BSO. In addition, the Reporting Fellow will cover broader topics that look at the intersection of music and other fields. We’re curious about the science of how we listen to and interpret different instruments, the role of music in cognitive development, the future of performance (high-tech performance attire, new wearable devices via a partnership with Parsons), innovations in the arts, connections between neuroscience and music, and pop/cultural trends.
Given that the job market for journalists is shrinking, this seems like an amazing idea to give someone smart a job–plus, snag the BSO some excellent press in the process. It’s a forward-thinking, innovative idea–exactly the kind of thing that makes us love the BSO. We can’t wait to see where this goes…
That’s great to have a reporter. But who is he/she reporting to? Who is going to publish these stories? Will they be restricted to column inches like every other reporter? Otherwise, how is it different than in-house PR?