Joshua Bell

Hi, everyone.

Well, I am Joshua Bell, and I am joined by a brand new orchestra that I just helped found in New York City called the Chamber Orchestra of America.

So you might ask, do we need orchestras anymore?

Oh, thank you.

Am I preaching to the choir?

OK, maybe.

Do we need classical music anymore?

Is it relevant?

Well, good.

Well, we all agree, I guess.

I could go home.

OK, but I'm here really to answer that and say yes.

So I want you to imagine walking into your hometown concert hall.

You're there to hear the symphony.

So what happens there?

Okay, you take a seat, and the musicians start filing onto the stage.

Each one of those musicians has spent a lifetime, tens of thousands of hours mastering their craft, and each instrument in their hands is itself a piece of history, a testament to human ingenuity and creativity.

The conductor walks onto the stage and he gives a downbeat, and the room comes alive with the sounds of the symphony.

Every note has a direction, every harmony has a purpose.

And you sit there in the audience being taken on a journey, not just being entertained passively, but actively listening and using your imagination.