Dilettante was an online classical music hub based in London, England. The platform enabled classical music fans from around the world to connect and share with each other. The site saw a major redesign in May 2009 which implemented "new ticketing, media and retail partners, video tutorials, a new personalized homepage, Dilettante Radio, a discussion forum and Dilettante Guru, a site-wide search tool." At its peak, Dilettante claimed to have over 15,000 unique visitors each month from over 100 countries.
As of December 2010, Dilettante Music has been taken off-line, citing financial difficulties.
History
Dilettante was founded in January 2008 by
Juliana Farha
Juliana (variants Julianna, Giuliana, Iuliana, Yuliana, etc) is a feminine given name which is the feminine version of the Roman name Julianus.
Juliana or Giuliana was the name of a number of early saints, notably Saint Julian the Hospitaller, whi ...
, a Canadian journalist and businesswoman who believed that social media was the ideal tool to support classical music and musicians.
Digital Composer-in-Residence
In 2009 Dilettante held a 'Digital Composer-in-Residence' competition which was the first such position to be offered anywhere in the world. The competition consisted of a preliminary period where applicants were judged on their compositions by a judging panel including
Nico Muhly
Nico Asher Muhly (; born August 26, 1981) is an American contemporary classical music composer and arranger who has worked and recorded with both classical and pop musicians. A prolific composer, he has composed for many notable symphony orchestras ...
,
Michael Christie and
Jennifer Higdon
Jennifer Elaine Higdon (born December 31, 1962) is an American composer of contemporary classical music. She has received many awards, including the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Music for her Violin Concerto and three Grammy Award for Best Contempora ...
, a period with voting open to the public, and a final event held at
Wilton's Music Hall
Wilton's Music Hall is a Grade II* listed building in Shadwell, built as a music hall and now run as a multi-arts performance space in Graces Alley, off Cable Street in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is one of very few surviving music ha ...
,
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. The final took place on November 5, 2009 and was presented by conductor
Charles Hazlewood
Charles Matthew Egerton Hazlewood (born 14 November 1966) is a British conductor. After winning the European Broadcasting Union conducting competition in 1995 whilst still in his twenties,[Aaron Gervais
Aaron Gervais is a Canadian composer of contemporary classical music who lives in San Francisco.
He studied jazz performance at Grant MacEwan College and the University of Toronto, and composition at the University of Alberta, the University of T ...]
, Taiwanese Chiayu and American David T. Little, whose compositions were performed by the
London Sinfonietta
The London Sinfonietta is an English contemporary chamber orchestra founded in 1968 and based in London.
The ensemble has headquarters at Kings Place and is Resident Orchestra at the Southbank Centre. Since its inaugural concert in 1968—givi ...
alongside works that inspired them, including pieces by "great modernist iconoclasts, Charles Ives and Gyorgy Ligeti...
ndJonathan Harvey, a composer of lofty spiritual inclinations." The title was won by David T. Little who took a £1,000 prize and has a dedicated section on the website.
Awards
In 2009, Dilettante was shortlisted for 'Website of the Year' on The Good Web Guide, who said that the site "aims to break down the barriers to classical music by connecting organisations and musicians with audiences, listeners with recorded and live music, and members of the worldwide classical community with each other.".
Notes
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British music websites