Author:  John Steinmetz

Publication:  Chamber Music America

Publication Date: April 2006

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Click HERE for the full text on the Chamber Music America site.

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Every chamber music series, every musician seeks to uphold “the highest musical standards.” But what are these standards? A longtime performer meditates on an elusive concept—artistry.

I used to know what artistry was. I believed that if musicians performed or composed with honesty and heart, giving voice to their personal understanding of music, and did this skillfully and eloquently, then the audience would connect.

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Well, I was wrong, but I didn’t realize it for decades, until a colleague inadvertently punctured my naïveté. He was talking about being a judge at international competitions. The purpose of these competitions is to select the best performer and to reward the highest-quality music-making; but there’s one big problem. According to my colleague, the judges at competitions don’t agree about what is beautiful...