Subject: Baroque lute in the 21st Century

From: Christopher Wilke <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 24 Feb 2015 09:26:26 -0800

Dear Luters,

	If you think the lute is only for S.N.O.B.’s, then read no further. However, if you believe that there are still vast oceans of discovery our instrument has to offer beyond the marvelous work produced by Smith, North, O’Dette and Barto, then read on.
	Today’s music scene is fraught with significant challenges, but also many opportunities. The great modern masters of the lute forged brave paths for our instrument in the ‘70s and ‘80s to which we are all greatly indebted. Their efforts would have been in vain but for the platform of support provided by forward thinking record companies, academic institutions and festivals/concert series willing to take chances on promoting what was then a promising, yet extremely risky endeavor.
	Young musicians working in early music today can’t expect such assistance.  The plum teaching positions and concert series are already occupied by members of the previous generation. This is true of record labels as well, which, saddled with their own difficulties of making money in the digital age, are unable to put money behind developing new artists as they once did. This is especially true of those whose artistic individuality brings fresh insights.
	Until recently, these deserving voices had little chance of being heard at all. Despair not, hungry members of the lute hoard, for no longer must we rely on outside arbiters of taste to find the boldness we desire! The early music industry, restricted by market forces and the expectations of recently invented tradition, must confine their lineup of performers to a relatively small circle of recognizable "stars" who play within an easily-defined range of stylistic options. Admirable as the work of these well-established pioneers has been, you can at last delight in other gems! How can you so empower yourself? Simple. Through the support of people like you, several members of this list, including Edward Martin, Thomas Walker and Duo Mignarda were able to bring out valuable projects via crowd funding that otherwise may have been neglected entirely.
        I’m also turning Kickstarter to fund my next album. It’s a recording of Bach, Weiss and Falckenhagen that incorporates portions of elaborate, written-out doubles and improvised cadenzas just how musicians of the 18th century were expected to play. I’m proud to present this combination of art and research. However, because such intrepid exploration goes beyond the “just play the notes on the page” mentality of many in classical music, it is the type of thing that fits uneasily into the catalog of record companies.
	The best part? Your support won’t just give you the warm fuzzies; if you back the project, your generosity will be rewarded with very real gifts, including an advance copy of the new finished album. Click the link below for a video presentation, description and audio samples.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1600736048/desperate-doors-baroque-lute-album

Thank you!!!

Chris Wilke
Dr. Christopher Wilke D.M.A.
Lutenist, Guitarist and Composer
www.christopherwilke.com