Become a patron
What is a patron?
Once upon a time, if you were a budding young composer needing a roof over your head, you had to work for the church, get a job at a palace, or find a rich patron to support you. Here are a few of classical music history's greatest composers that had patron support:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Johann Sebastian Bach
Franz Joseph Haydn
Ludwig van Beethoven
...and many, many more!
In today's society, most young composers carry the tradition of teaching or performing for their livelihood, but endure years and years of grueling, expensive undergraduate and graduate work to master their craft. Music to the professional musician is not a hobby, it is their lifeline as they support their families and blanket the world with creativity and culture. It is a big undertaking.
The art of patronage has been lost through industrialization and commercialization. There is a small resurgence of artists that receive patronage through personal and collaborative relationships. It is a tradition that dates back to the beginning of time...through royalty and nobility of European civilizations, but has been somewhat lost in our American translation of tradition.
In today's competitive world, with the advance of social media and technology in the hands of so many, support for full-time composers and musicians can be difficult to find. Here are a few highlights in support of patronage:
How would I benefit from being a patron?
Aside from bragging rights that you are a very direct supporter of contemporary music, you have the inside track to a composer's world, a wild and rare sight. You know exactly where and for what your money is being used. Rest assured, it is not on lavish yachts and exotic vacations, it is for real life situations: costs of printing, publishing, and distributing music, purchasing