Where's the new music?

I have written many times now about the dearth of contemporary music from American orchestras, large and small.  Zachary Woolfe weighed in yesterday in the NY Times, pointing a long deserved finger at the New York Philharmonic (see the entire article here).  This season the orchestra is offering eight works by living composers, only two of which are conducted by guests on the podium.

And yet, when questioned about the presentation of contemporary music, after announcing that he did not feel a responsibility to play music of our time, Music Director Alan Gilbert stated, “I do feel that we have a responsibility to play new music,” he added, “and I feel personally responsible to create an enthusiastic, energized atmosphere around the subject of composition. But I was also not being disingenuous. I don’t start out when I’m making programs thinking: ‘All right, let’s get a lot of contemporary music into the season. Let’s make sure we do a certain amount of music by American composers or New York composers.’ We’re not going for quotas or that kind of thing.”

In his response, Mr. Woolfe states, "But these “quotas” are straw men. No one advocates precise allotments of contemporary music. (Maybe people should.) All we want is an orchestra that is genuinely engaged in its city and culture. A sustained, all-out dedication to new music is a necessity to keep the Philharmonic from becoming an exercise in nostalgia. It should be the central part of the orchestra’s mission, but it is an area conspicuously underserved this season."

One must question whether or not another performance of Mahler's Resurrection Symphony is an appropriate choice to mark the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 disaster.  Would a commission been better?  I suppose it depends on the work, but surely it should have been considered.

For a long time, the San Francisco Symphony has engaged in numerous performances of the music of our time.  The LA Phil (under "The Dude") is also moving in that direction.  It seems unfortunate that significant performances of contemporary music are in large part limited to you western coast.  The remainder of our country deserves more and better...