Prologue to this Blog

My name is Jacob Schnitzer and I am a conductor, composer, curator, and producer. This is my blog/newsletter in which I will publicly grapple for a Reimagination of the cultural output we create as as performing artists, curators, and producers of classical music; in other words, What Happens Next?

Instead of looking deeper into the canon, this blog will look for answers to “What Happens Next?” in the disciplines of film, culture, politics, visual art, psychology, education, history, theater, journalism, science, pop culture, and more. Because it is the medium I work in, much of my writing will be applied to the context of orchestral and/or new music. I hope, though, that the discussions in this blog will be broadly related to presenting performing arts of all genres, styles, and artistic identities. 

What Happens Next? is an inquiry of how we think about what art to create and how to present it; who our art will serve; and, most importantly, why art?

My main objective is to stimulate conversation about what classical music institutions should be doing for their communities. And selfishly, I anticipate that I will learn a ton in the process.

Now, more than ever, it is our responsibility to create better art to make our world a better place. Join me in the journey to find out What Happens Next?