What Happens Now?!

Imagining, Innovating, and Inspiring the Modern Recital Experience

Classically trained musicians are taught to master the score, but rarely taught what to do when the score itself defies everything they know. Extended techniques, spoken word, electronics, immersive staging: these elements can feel like foreign territory. Yet across 30+ performances and a string of rapidly sold-out recitals in the past year, one pattern keeps emerging. 21st-century audiences don't just tolerate the unexpected. They crave it.

This presentation turns hesitation into possibility. Drawing on firsthand performance experience and observations from today's most compelling recitals, we'll reframe the "unconventional" as an accessible, expressive toolkit that doesn't replace classical training, but amplifies it. Because imagination without innovation stays a dream, and innovation without inspiration stays a novelty. To truly captivate a modern audience, we need all three. We'll explore three practical frameworks to revitalize the modern recital: new sounds, the speaking musician, and expanding beyond the acoustic. Walk away with concrete strategies ready to use on your next stage!