We have, by now, travelled more than 200 years back in time to explore the roots of Western art song as we know it, recounted by the great pianist and scholar Graham Johnson and collated & edited by pianist Javier Arrebola. As one of the caretakers of this music which speaks to us across barriers of language, culture, society, place, and time, Mr. Johnson urges us to keep exploring these universal stories as we also consider how to keep our hearts and minds open for further exploration of our ‘now’.

With this as our backdrop, we come, finally, to our last installment of videos, representing 2021. When reflecting on our present, we must acknowledge that we are in the midst of a time that can feel lonely and disconnected. And yet, as the following artists can attest, we are also in a time when creativity is bubbling up, new ways of communication are being made, and our community continues to express their love of this intimate way of storytelling.  

As the most global of the series, the 2021 event pages and contributors focus on how art song continues to expand its boundaries. We invited 21 different artists, all at various stages in their performing careers who are thinking about how they fit into our landscape to share their vision for the future. Each artist was chosen for their unique contributions to the genre and was asked the same question:

What will the legacy of the 21st Century be for Art Song?

The following 21 videos created by artists all over our field are amongst a handful of the many important voices who are change-makers, deep thinkers, protectors, expanders, and interrupters in our industry. What is remarkable is that in many ways they are all of one voice when it comes to what our legacy will be and how we can best serve our art: protect the creative source, keep making, expand the canon, and invite more voices to a larger, more inclusive table. Many looked to history to answer the question of our ‘now’ and still more speak of how things are cracking open. One thing is certain: we are in safe hands. The future of our art form has never been more assured with so many people who care about this unique way of storytelling where ‘poetry and music meet and become more than the sum of their parts’. 

-Martha Guth

FEATURED ARTISTS
(Click the photos for answers!)