At Juilliard, our president routinely reminded us that our most valuable lifelong network was right next to us. They were the classmates we sat beside in ear training, the peers we performed with during summers at the Aspen Music Festival, and the friends we grabbed post-concert celebratory drinks with at El Mitote around the corner from Lincoln Center.

Looking back, that prediction could not have been more accurate. However, those classmates and I are navigating a vastly different musical landscape today than we were trained for. 

The “traditional” conservatory-to-symphony pipeline is still a beautiful dream and reality, but it’s no longer the only reality. 

Lately, I’ve been working with Carnegie Hall to build out its alumni programming and engage younger patrons. It’s no secret that the classical music world is facing a massive generational crossroads. The data show that the “young patrons” of yesterday—primarily older Millennials—have aged out of their 30s and 40s. Institutions are scrambling for a proactive strategy to engage the next generation, specifically young professionals. To capture this critical intersection of Gen Z and younger Millennials, organizations are learning to diversify their boards, rethink their marketing, and cultivate “micro-patrons” early.

Executive directors and development teams aren’t the only ones facing these problems. The reality is that the challenges facing major institutions also apply directly to how we manage our individual careers as harpists. For performers, a demographic crisis in the concert hall is bigger than an administrative issue—it changes the path to the stage for everyone. If there is no one in the seats today, there is no one on the stage tomorrow.

The good news? Solutions to the aging audience dilemma are already being built from the ground up by independent artists.

Take my friends at the Sonora Collective, a chamber music series I’ve had the pleasure of performing with. Its concerts don’t typically take place in vast halls; instead, they happen in intimate art galleries across the tri-state area, featuring accessible ticket prices and complimentary wine and cheese. By introducing shorter programming, visual art pairings, and spoken program notes, the group is making classical music approachable.

I’ve watched friends who have absolutely no background in classical music attend these “bite-sized” concerts and leave completely energized. In my experience, that’s how casual listeners evolve into active attendees who buy tickets to Candlelight Concerts, the New York City Ballet’s 30 Under 30 performances, or Carnegie Hall’s All-Stars concerts.

As part of our research at Carnegie Hall, we surveyed alumni to see where their paths led, and the results validated exactly what we suspected. The modern musician is a polymath: a multifaceted creative-marketer-entrepreneur. Alumni are thriving not just in symphonies and jazz ensembles, but in medicine, law, tech, and business. Many are playing in professional chamber groups while simultaneously launching non-profits, applying for creative grants, cultivating individual donors, and building digital brands.

The “traditional” conservatory-to-symphony pipeline is still a beautiful dream and reality, but it’s no longer the only reality. To support this, we recently piloted a mentorship program matching established alumni in the workforce with students in college. What I discovered about Gen Z—my generation—brought me so much joy: Gen Z loves music just as deeply as previous generations; we simply express our enjoyment differently, expanding the definition of what a fulfilling musical life can look like.

To understand why classically trained musicians are struggling to find a stable career template today, we have to look back to 1966. That was the year the Ford Foundation launched an unprecedented $80 million program (over $1 billion in today’s terms), distributed to American symphony orchestras. It was a noble initiative designed to guarantee stable salaries and full benefits for musicians, provided local communities matched the funds. It ignited an incredible boom for classical music across the country.

But that was 60 years ago. Today’s young musicians are the first generation of artists operating without that kind of structural guarantee. We don’t have a built-in apprenticeship system or a financially stable environment to grow our artistic voices and financial security at the same time. That sounds daunting, but it’s actually incredibly liberating.

We are living in an era where the rigid templates are disappearing, which means our options are limitless. The modern market favors the savvy, diversified, entrepreneurial artist. If you’ve been on the fence about recording an independent album, arranging your own non-traditional repertoire, building a direct relationship with a local donor, or pitching a unique concert concept to an unexpected venue, take the leap. The box that used to confine us doesn’t even exist anymore.

We are the first generation without a template. Think of it as a blank score: no Urtext, no pedal markings, no rules. Let’s write our own masterpiece. •