ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book focuses on two core components: the concept of a musical ecosystem and the processes of adaptation by those who populate the musical environment react to its complexities and, actively and mutually, effect change within it. It presents studies of four performing and presenting organizations: the Verein fur musikalische Privatauffuhrungen, the Group for Contemporary Music, Ensemble l’Itineraire, and Bang on a Can. The book examines the nature of identity, connectedness, and the concept of the diversity bonus. It focuses on the work of Scott E. Page, a professor of complex systems, political science, and economics at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. The book suggests strategies for the expression of organizational and personal artistic goals that define how our activities as performers and presenters relate to the pillars of creativity, diversity, and inclusion.
