HUMSS - Friedemann Pestel

Global Musical Mobility in the 20th Century: What Orchestral Touring Reveals about International Musical Life

During the 20th century, symphony orchestras contributed to shaping cultural relations across the globe. Focusing on tours of German and Austrian orchestras to Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Africa over a long 20^th century, this talk enquires into the driving forces of musical mobility and how they were embedded in the political, economic, medial, and artistic contexts of music-making. It considers the evolution of touring destinations, cultural diplomacy projects together with political perceptions of the performances, musical markets, and repertoires. Against widely state-centered accounts of cultural diplomacy, it highlights the agency of internationally active musicians, the appropriation of musical performances across the globe, and the impact of globalization on domestic contexts of music-making.