A New Vision for Arts and Culture Management
10 min read
Jan 1, 2025
The question for the classical music community is not “will it be relevant in the 21st century?”, but rather, “who will help carry the torch?” Classical music endures because it has withstood the test of time, inspiring people across generations and establishing a standard for artistic excellence. This era is no different in its potential; what has changed are the economic, social, and political circumstances that shape our reality.
Unfortunately, the current trajectory of the sector is unsustainable. The classical music industry is facing systemic challenges that threaten its long-term viability. My research has revealed that the income gap between artists and non-artists – even after accounting for differences in age, education, race, and other factors – has widened significantly. Between 2006 and 2021, this gap grew from -15% to -30%. Furthermore, the economic return on earning an arts degree has become, on average, negative; most arts graduates never recoup their educational investment. Compounding these challenges, my research also finds that opera companies are grappling with financial instability. Their net operating incomes have stagnated or declined, while the cities they serve are experiencing significant population shifts that impact their audience base.
These empirical findings, drawn from U.S. data, carry a cautionary message for European artists and arts institutions as well. The global interconnectedness of the arts means that these trends could have far-reaching implications beyond national borders.
The pressing question is: What do we do differently?
At CM Culture Management, our philosophy is straightforward: Artists must thrive. Thriving means more than artistic fulfillment; it’s about holistic success. If artists are not actively engaged and able to showcase their talents, they are not thriving. If they cannot financially sustain their careers, they are not thriving. While these statements may seem self-evident, they highlight glaring gaps in the current system.
We believe in expanding the possibilities for artists and the institutions that support them. The pie can get bigger. Our unique network and capabilities empower us to think beyond conventional, zero-sum strategies. Instead, we focus on innovative solutions that prioritize long-term growth and sustainability for the entire classical music ecosystem.
The future of classical music will be shaped by those who dare to think boldly, act decisively, and prioritize the well-being of the artists at its heart. By doing so, we ensure that this timeless art form continues to inspire and resonate for generations to come. Welcome to CM.
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The question for the classical music community is not “will it be relevant in the 21st century?”, but rather, “who will help carry the torch?” Classical music endures because it has withstood the test of time, inspiring people across generations and establishing a standard for artistic excellence. This era is no different in its potential; what has changed are the economic, social, and political circumstances that shape our reality.
Unfortunately, the current trajectory of the sector is unsustainable. The classical music industry is facing systemic challenges that threaten its long-term viability. My research has revealed that the income gap between artists and non-artists – even after accounting for differences in age, education, race, and other factors – has widened significantly. Between 2006 and 2021, this gap grew from -15% to -30%. Furthermore, the economic return on earning an arts degree has become, on average, negative; most arts graduates never recoup their educational investment. Compounding these challenges, my research also finds that opera companies are grappling with financial instability. Their net operating incomes have stagnated or declined, while the cities they serve are experiencing significant population shifts that impact their audience base.
These empirical findings, drawn from U.S. data, carry a cautionary message for European artists and arts institutions as well. The global interconnectedness of the arts means that these trends could have far-reaching implications beyond national borders.
The pressing question is: What do we do differently?
At CM Culture Management, our philosophy is straightforward: Artists must thrive. Thriving means more than artistic fulfillment; it’s about holistic success. If artists are not actively engaged and able to showcase their talents, they are not thriving. If they cannot financially sustain their careers, they are not thriving. While these statements may seem self-evident, they highlight glaring gaps in the current system.
We believe in expanding the possibilities for artists and the institutions that support them. The pie can get bigger. Our unique network and capabilities empower us to think beyond conventional, zero-sum strategies. Instead, we focus on innovative solutions that prioritize long-term growth and sustainability for the entire classical music ecosystem.
The future of classical music will be shaped by those who dare to think boldly, act decisively, and prioritize the well-being of the artists at its heart. By doing so, we ensure that this timeless art form continues to inspire and resonate for generations to come. Welcome to CM.
Latest news and events
10 min read
Nov 20, 2025
Living Opera is distributed by Universal Music Group
Nov 20, 2025
10 min read
A new milestone: Living Opera is distributed by Universal Music Group.
CM Culture Management is proud to mark this milestone for our client Living Opera. With this development, Living Opera continues to grow as a creative studio that brings classical performance into conversation with contemporary sound and creative storytelling.
Living Opera’s Creative Direction
Living Opera develops original recordings, multimedia projects, and live performances that blend classical technique with modern artistic approaches. The studio focuses on work that connects music, narrative, and culture for audiences across generations.
New Music on the Horizon
The first single arrives on November 28 and comes from Living Opera’s upcoming project Radio Days. This release introduces a new series of recordings that explore the musical landscape of the early American broadcasting era ahead of the US250 celebrations in 2026.
About CM Culture Management
CM Culture Management represents artists and creative ventures that bridge classical performance and contemporary media. Through strategic development, production support, and brand building, CM Culture helps artists expand their reach while maintaining their full artistic vision. We are thrilled for Living Opera and can't wait to see what this new chapter holds!
10 min read
Sep 18, 2025
Living Opera Launches a New Chapter: A Digital Home for a Global Vision
Living Opera Launches a New Chapter: A Digital Home for a Global Vision
Sep 18, 2025
10 min read
Living Opera Launches a New Chapter: A Digital Home for a Global Vision
Living Opera unveils its new website and Foundation, marking a new phase in its mission to make the impossible possible. The platform now unites its work across music, education, research, and philanthropy in one place, celebrating five years of growth and looking ahead to the next chapter of artist-led innovation. Founded by soprano Soula Parassidis and tenor Norman Reinhardt in 2019, Living Opera began as a conversation about how to create a new internal culture for classical musc. That conversation has become a movement spanning stages, studios, and classrooms worldwide.
A Foundation for the Future
The newly formed Living Opera Foundation transforms a vision into structure. It provides a home for initiatives that unite creativity and purpose, including the Kristin Okerlund Masterclass Series, which mentors young artists and honors one of Living Opera’s most cherished collaborators, the Eric Wilson Prize, recognizing artistic integrity and leadership, and the Circles network, a model for sustainable, community-driven performance. Each initiative is guided by the same principles that have defined Living Opera from the beginning: service, purpose, story, and excellence.
Music, Media, and Meaning
Living Opera Media expands the organization’s storytelling through recordings, podcasts, and film. Upcoming projects include Radio Days: The Golden Age of American Song, celebrating the music that once brought families together across the airwaves, Muse of the Golden Throne, a revival of rare art songs inspired by the poetry of Sappho, and Behind the Curtain, a podcast revealing the real lives of artists who make today’s culture possible. Each project shares one goal: to make art accessible without losing its depth and to show that classical music continues to speak with power and relevance.
Building the Culture They Want to Live In
As Living Opera enters its next chapter, the message remains constant: beauty endures when it is built with purpose. The new website invites audiences, partners, and patrons to explore how the organization blends tradition with innovation, art with data, and performance with community. What began as two artists seeking meaning in their craft has become a global network proving that excellence, generosity, and sustainability can coexist.
Visit www.livingopera.org to learn more.
10 min read
Jun 28, 2025
Norman Reinhardt featured on Medici TV
Norman Reinhardt featured on Medici TV in Strauss’s Capriccio from Teatro Real Madrid in a landmark staging by Christof Loy.
Jun 28, 2025
10 min read
Norman Reinhardt Featured on Medici TV in Strauss’s Capriccio from Teatro Real Madrid
A Sophisticated Turn in a Philosophical Comedy of Love and Art
Tonight, American tenor Norman Reinhardt appears in one of Richard Strauss’s most elegant and conceptually rich operas—Capriccio—streaming on Medici TV in a landmark production from Teatro Real Madrid. Directed by Christof Loy and conducted by Asher Fisch, this staging brings renewed clarity to Strauss’s final opera, a work that trades spectacle for subtlety and stakes for satire.
A Role Rooted in Artistry, Not Display
Reinhardt sings the role of Flamand, a composer locked in a genteel battle of wits and aesthetics with poet Olivier (Andrè Schuen), both vying for the affection of the Countess Madeleine. Though Capriccio may lack the overt drama of Strauss’s earlier works like Salome or Elektra, it demands considerable finesse from its performers—both vocally and dramatically. As Flamand, Reinhardt delivers Strauss’s conversational lyricism with clarity and conviction, shaping musical phrases that are at once tender and intellectually alive.
The role places him in the center of an opera that is less a story than a dialogue—between characters, and between art forms. Flamand’s music, particularly his setting of Olivier’s sonnet, becomes a vehicle for exploring whether music or poetry more fully captures the essence of human feeling.
Capriccio: Music, Words, and the Artist’s Dilemma
Premiered in 1942, Capriccio is a metatheatrical opera that stages an 18th-century debate about artistic primacy: should opera privilege words or music? But beneath the polished surface of this “conversation piece,” as Strauss and librettist Clemens Krauss described it, lies a meditation on artistic responsibility, the nature of creation, and the impossibility of separating beauty from subjectivity.
Set in a château outside Paris during the Enlightenment, the opera’s refined setting mirrors its refined concerns. Under Loy’s direction, the production emphasizes the stylized, almost mannerist qualities of the piece, while allowing moments of genuine feeling to emerge—particularly in the complex emotional landscape surrounding the Countess’s choice (or refusal to choose) between her two suitors.
A Career Defined by Range and Intelligence
For Reinhardt, this role continues a pattern of high-caliber engagements that emphasize his versatility. Known for his performances in Mozart, Strauss, and 20th-century repertoire, Reinhardt brings an unusually clear diction and thoughtful phrasing to roles that often require more than vocal power. As Flamand, he strikes the balance between artistic passion and courtly restraint—a challenge not only of singing but of characterization.
A Global Stage for a Chamber Opera
With Teatro Real’s production reaching audiences worldwide via Medici TV, this Capriccio offers viewers a rare opportunity to encounter Strauss’s most intimate opera in a richly realized staging. It also places Reinhardt before an international audience in a role that demands—and rewards—artistic nuance.
