An Emergent Orchestra Seeking to Defy the Canon: Confronting Traditional Positions and Rules

Orchestras are social organisations that, historically, have defined themselves by establishing structures of roles, interactions, and rules (Spitzer & Zaslaw, 2005). Some authors have problematised these structures, arguing that Western classical music is based on inequality relations and imperialist power dynamics (Kolbe, 2024), suggesting, therefore, the necessity to question the orchestra's internal functioning (McPhee, 2002; Boyle, 2007). With this in mind, our work explores what happens when these traditional or canonical structures are challenged. To do so, we adopt the perspective of relational sociology, which conceives culture as existing 'between actors' and emphasises the importance of exploring the networks of relationships that underpin cultural production and dissemination (Crossley, 2015). From this perspective, art is seen not as a static object, nor as abstraction, but as a dynamic process, an activity – a perspective that aligns with the ideas of scholars like Small (1998), who coined the term "musicking", and Becker's (2008) idea of "art worlds".

Our project draws on interviews, ethnographic data, and creative methods to explore the case of an emergent orchestra, La Sinfonietta de Bogotá. In its quest to make music experimental and participative, this orchestra seeks to challenge the traditional canons of orchestral practice. It does so by questioning the orchestra's internal hierarchy, removing it from its traditional places, breaking the division generated by the stage, and proposing alternative arrangements. To sum up, this work explores the impact of altering traditional structures and rules (see: Whiting 2016) that have historically defined the parameters through which this art, specifically symphonic orchestras, has defined itself.