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Praise for the film  Music Makes a City

“In striking synchronicity, a mayor, a conductor, and a robust postwar generation of composers intersected to make the city a hub for visionary composition… Viewers will find themselves agreeably challenged. And stirred. The personalities are as noteworthy as the soundtrack.”
– Andy Webster, New York Times

“Captures a region and music engaged in harmonious, dynamic interplay.”
– Nick Schager, Village Voice

“Along with fascinating archival footage, the film uses talking heads. But what heads: Gunther Schuller, Elliott Carter, Ned Rorem, Lukas Foss, Chou Wen–chung, Harold Shapero and others.”
– Rick Schultz, LA Times

“The film brings fascinating insights into the cultural life of an American city, and perhaps the most important lesson to take away from it is that through sheer conviction Whitney was able to carry his audience with him.”
– Alex Ross, The Rest is Noise

“As the film reminds us, this Kentucky city included a world-class philharmonic, one that became the first to actively recruit new works from contemporary composers.”
– Andrew Schenker, Time Out New York

“Watching the film in 2010, the biggest reason for fans of culture to run out and see it might be the core suggestion it makes: that when times get tough, the talented get bold.”
– Molly Sheridan, New Music Box

“And rare is the movie which interviews so many composers. Elliott Carter speaks of the challenges where brass overwhelmed strings, in his Variations. Harold Shapero speaks of the joy in writing here and Chou-wen chung is influenced by his Chinese childhood to write And the Fallen Petals…A tale suitably tall, and implausibly engaging.”
– Harry Rolnick, ConcertoNet.com

“The Louisville Orchestra’s story should serve as an inspirational case study for everyone trying to make a go of it in performing arts management. Thanks to the leadership of conductor Robert Whitney and the behind-the-scenes encouragement of Farnsley, the Louisville Orchestra carved out an under-served but prestigious niche, making musical history in the process…Intelligently representing both the woefully under-appreciated classical music of the contemporary era and the unexpectedly cosmopolitan city of Louisville (at least for most New Yorkers), City is highly recommended for adventurous music lovers.”
– Joe Bendel, The Epoch Times

“The introductory sequence of Jerome Hiler and Owsley Brown III’s Music Makes A City – a fascinating new film documenting the evolution of the Louisville Orchestra and, by extension, the city of Louisville iteself – feels right on time, leading with a visual array of our most pressing contemporary challenges, in thoughtfully edited footage of a community struggling to manage the incursion of chaos into its urban streets, businesses, and homes.”
– Lucia Rahilly, Listen

“Anyone interested in classical music should see this uplifting story of American ingenuity at its best.”
– Sedgwick Clark, MusicalAmerica.com

“Music Makes A City, the work of San Francisco filmmakers Owsley Brown III and Jerome Hiler, is a tale of artistic vision and civic commitment told through local voices, vintage photos, and interviews with key figures including current Music Director Jorge Mester and composers Elliott Carter, Lukas Foss, Gunther Schuller.”
–Symphony

 

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