Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Podcasts
Free Classical Music Concerts Available for Download
Jun 5, 2009
Looking for a way to enjoy good classical music concerts, but can't always afford the ticket price? Or maybe the closest concert hall is several miles away. Or perhaps there are simply no good classical music stations to listen to in the office.
Introducing The Concert Podcast, Classical Music Downloads
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, located in Boston, Massachusetts, will solve all of these problems with its classical music podcast called The Concert. Recordings of live concerts performed at the museum are made available on the museum's website for download.
Launched about 2 ½ years ago on September 15, 2006, the podcast (i.e. a series of downloadable radio programs) is reaching over 30,000 listeners per month in over 100 countries round the world. Over one million podcast episodes (along with other music programs) have been downloaded to date.
The cost of each classical music download is absolutely free, and the podcasts are offered to the public under a Creative Commons "Share Music" license. Listeners can "download, copy, file-share, trade, distribute, and publicly perform (e.g. webcast)" podcasts of The Concert, as long as such use is done for non-commercial purposes.
The first museum to allow free sharing of music downloads, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum just might pave the way for other major museums to follow suite. Certainly making free music available to the public is an effective way to share cultural artifacts and educate in the process.
Indeed, the museum's founder, Isabella Gardner, wished to contribute to the "education and enjoyment of the public." In keeping with this mission, The Concert not only highlights quality live performances, but also educates listeners by including an introduction at the beginning of each program.
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Live Classical Music Concert Series: Sunday Concert Series, Gardner After Hours, Neighborhood Nights
For those listeners who live in the Boston area and who still enjoy the excitement of attending a concert in person, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum boasts a strong concert season every year. Reaching its 82nd season this year, the program is the oldest live classical music concert series to be based in a museum.
The weekly "Sunday Concerts Series" stretches from September to May and highlights both established and emerging artists. The 2008-09 season featured everything from the pianist Jeremy Denk's performance of the "Concord Sonata" by Charles Ives to a celebration of the music of the contemporary composer Elliot Carter. The Thursday evening series "Gardner After Hours" showcases jazz and new music.
The 2009-10 concert schedule has not yet been posted on the website, but a few Thursday night concerts, part of the "Neighborhood Nights" series, should entertain audience members through the summer and tide them over until September.
Sources
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum website
"Gardner Museum Uses Podcasts to Fulfill Its Founder’s Mission." June 2, 2009. Mass Nonprofit News.
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