For conductor Suzanna Pavlovsky, keeping younger audiences engaged in the world of classical music doesn’t require a complete overhaul so much as a repackaging.
“We don’t need to change the repertoire. We don’t need to change the music itself,” Suzanna says. “But we need to come up with some sort of idea to keep the younger generations more active.”
Suzanna’s response to the problem comes in the form of Ensemble Eclectica, a group she founded in 2017 with the goal of merging a range of artistic disciplines together in a single production: live music, visual arts, film, theatre, and dance.
In addition to her interdisciplinary approach for the ensemble, Suzanna says she hopes to highlight local talent, including composers and soloists living in the Midlands who seldom get a chance to showcase their work in area performances.
“It seemed to me that every area in music was separated” Suzanna says. “We are artists. We live in one place. Why not unite?”
Suzanna’s interest in fostering local talent also extends to her role as founder and director of the Palmetto Chamber Orchestra. Begun as a collaboration between nine music educators, the all-strings ensemble now features twenty-six performers from the greater Columbia area, representing a range of career backgrounds.
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In this interview that aired Friday, May 4th, SCPR’s Bradley Fuller speaks with Suzanna about the two ensembles, as well as the Palmetto Chamber Orchestra’s program Magnificent Russians and the Mighty 8, which will be held 3pm on Sunday, May 6th, at the Richland Library Main in Columbia.
More information about Ensemble Eclectica can be found here, and more on the Palmetto Chamber Orchestra here.