Comparative Analysis of Sarah Brightman and 2 Cellos, Classical Artists Applying

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Successful Crossover Strategy to Popular Music

Dragana Simonovska

A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of

College of Business

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of

Master of Science

Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL

May 2017

Acknowledgements

I would like to express sincere gratitude to all of my committee members for all of their guidance and support. Special thanks to advisor Dr. Mark Rhorer and committee chair Dr. Joseph Compomizzi, for their persistence, patience and encouragement during the writing of this manuscript. I am also grateful for the support of the FAU Department of Music and Department Chair Rebecca Lautar.

Abstract

Author: Dragana Simonovska

Tittle: Comparative Analysis of Sarah Brightman and 2 Cellos, Classical Artists Applying Successful Crossover Strategy to Popular Music

Institution: Florida Atlantic University

Thesis Advisor: Dr. Joseph Compomizzi

Degree: Master of Science

Year: 2017

For decades now, musicians have been using crossover to expand their career and

earn more knowledge about the music industry. Soprano Sarah Brightman and duo 2

Cellos are classically trained musicians who implemented crossover into their career and

used their classical training as guidance of become successful.

Musicians who restrict themselves only to classical music may approach danger

regarding a career and livelihood, which includes audience interest, employability and

financial instability. In this study the term “crossover” refers to classical artists’ who use

their skills to perform other genres. Crossover gives artists the chance to appeal to larger

audiences and extend their repertoire of music while using techniques used in classical

works.

Classical musicians such as Sarah Brightman and 2 Cellos are being forced to cross musical genres because of employability, declining audience interest in classical

v music and financial instability. Within this research I am going to compare and analyze the crossover of one classical vocalist, Sarah Brightman, and a classical instrumentalist group named 2 Cellos. My research will focus on the following three questions:

Research Question #1

What are the critical factors for successful crossover for classical musicians to pop?

Research Question #2

What crossover processes did Sarah Brightman and 2 Cello’s employ to transition from classical to pop music?

Research Question #3

Was Sarah Brightman’s and 2 Cellos crossover to pop music successful according to the definition and parameters of success?

This paper ends with a conclusion highlighting my findings, which summarizes the major points of this research and provide ideas for further research on the concept of crossover.

vi Dedication

This manuscript is dedicated to my wonderful parents Emil and Emilija, and my

sister Sara, who have been supportive of my education for the past ten years. Also, I would like to dedicate this manuscript to everyone who has supported me throughout the journey for this degree and have been patient throughout my studies.

Comparative Analysis of Sarah Brightman and 2 Cellos, classical artists applying

successful crossover strategy to Popular Music

Chapter I - Introduction….………………………………………………………………..1

Research Questions………………………………….…………………….………..3

Chapter II: Literature Review…...………………………………………………………...5

History of Classical Music ……………………………………….………………...6

History of Pop Music……………………………………………………………...11

Problems facing classical musicians……………………………………………....17

Professional Biography of Sarah Brightman……………………………………...23

Professional Biography of 2 Cellos……………………………………………….26

Literature review summary…………………………………………….………….27

Chapter III: Methodology…………………….………………………………………….28

Chapter IV: Analysis…………………………………………………………….……….30

Research Question No. 1………………………..…………………………….….31

Research Question No. 2…………………....……………………………………35

Research Question No. 3…………………………………………………………40

Chapter V: Conclusion…………………………………………………………………...44

Reference Page…………………………………………………………………………...50

viii

Figures

Figure 1: The History of Classical Music (Naxos Records, n.d., Music History Chart)….7

Figure 2: Crossover Artists (Eunji Tuttle, n.d., Billboard Classical Album Chart)…...... 16

Figure 3: Employment of Music Graduates (Scott ,2010, The Guardian)…………...…..19

Figure 4. Differences and Similarities Crossover Experience…………………………...46

Chapter I: Introduction

Throughout history, to present day, artists all over the world, search for emotional and artistic connection with others. Often artists struggle with the thought of losing themselves, while trying to build a connection with the expectations that today society has. Looking back at the music industry and its development throughout history, we notice changes such as genres, expectations, audience acceptance, business laws and finance, which have caused artists to struggle with doing what they love while maintaining a financially stable lifestyle.

Problems such as acceptance, popularity, interest and financial stability, bring many artists to the verge of either changing careers or being unhappy while doing what they love. Sometimes artists’ excitement and unrealistic expectations do not necessarily bring them success, which most of the time lead towards disappointment and quitting. In some cases, artists mold into someone else’s expectations and struggle to be themselves, which either leads them to success or failure. In other cases artists such as Sarah

Brightman and instrumental groups like 2 Cellos, decide to stick with what they love to do, while adding multiple changes, including music material, team, genre, image and style.

Musicians who restrict themselves only to classical music, may approach danger regarding a career and livelihood, which includes audience interest, employability and financial instability. According to Jones (2016), there are musicians who make great careers out of only performing classical, but that was probably accurate decades ago.

Today, many people especially the youth, are not attending as many classical events as in

the past (Sandow, 2011). This lack of audience interest is making employability lower, is

interfering with the classical artists’ financial stability and success (Jones, 2016). Low

ticket, digital and record sales, minimal touring opportunities and decreased merchandise

items, can either destroy or completely change an artist’s career. With classical

musicians, especially soloists, low audience interest and employability, has been the case

since the early 1990’s when a lot of new genres became exposed to the audience (Jones,

2016).

With the evolution of the music industry, genres like classical music have felt the

affected decline of audience and sales. However, classical genres and artists are

beginning to blossom in the pop world. This opportunity for classical artists provides the

professional and financial motive to matriculate through a genre crossover. Performers

who are able to appeal to different audiences, genres, and record charts, and who can also

perform different techniques in music, are practicing “crossover.”

In this study the term “crossover” refers to classical artists’ who use their skills to perform other genres. Crossover gives artists the chance to appeal to larger audiences and extend their repertoire of music while using techniques used in classical works. Exploring new repertoire and genre, provides classical artists the change needed to do more within the entertainment industry, including movie collaborations and record deals.

Classical musicians in the past, like tenor Pavarotti, used crossover to enhance their

careers and to bring themselves to a more stable lifestyle. With the new genres available

today, artists are expected to be more flexible with their knowledge and more connected

to their artistic side. No matter the genre, artists from different backgrounds have

expanded their knowledge by experimenting with and implementing different techniques

on to their performance. Artists such as Yo-Yo Ma, Vanessa Mae, Nigel Kennedy, are examples of crossover artists who implement their classical music background into the

pop music scene (Cummings, 2012).

Classical musicians such as Sarah Brightman and 2 Cellos are being forced to cross

musical genres because of employability, declining audience interest in classical music

and financial instability. Within this research I am going to compare and analyze the

crossover of one classical vocalist, soprano Sarah Brightman, and a classical

instrumentalist group named 2 Cellos. This research is intended to discover the primary

reasons for the need to crossover, define the critical factors and process employed in

successful crossovers, and compare the crossover experiences of a single classical artist

and a classical performing instrumentalist group. My research will focus on the following

three questions:

Research Question #1

What are the critical factors for successful crossover for classical musicians to pop?

Research Question #2

What crossover processes did Sarah Brightman and 2 Cello’s employ to transition from

classical to pop music?

Research Question #3

Was Sarah Brightman’s and 2 Cellos crossover to pop music successful according to the

definition and parameters of success?

The research project in Chapter II first presents a literature review, including

history of classical and pop music, and biographies of both crossover artists, Sarah

Brightman and 2 Cellos. Chapter II also includes problems that classical artists face as well as more detailed information. Chapter III provides description on the method I employ to analyze the crossover experiences of Brightman and 2 Cellos. Chapter IV provides in depth analysis on crossover from classical to pop music, as well as, what the data reveals in relation to the research questions.

This paper ends with a conclusion highlighting my findings, which will summarize the

major points of this research and provide ideas for further research on the concept of

crossover.

Chapter II: Literature Review

In this chapter, I present the literature review of this study in regards to crossover

and its benefits to classical musicians. The purpose of this chapter is to give a

representation for the history of classical and pop music in connection with the careers of classical crossover musicians Sarah Brightman and 2 Cellos. Other sections of this literature review include defining crossover, and the problems that classical artists face which prompts crossover to pop music.

Classical and pop music history shows the elements used from the past in connection to today’s music. Throughout the history of these two genres I expand on different eras, forms and elements that identify each genre. This review helps with better understanding on how music genres relate and how these relationships have extended throughout the years.

As a reminder the purpose of this research is to examine the evolution of the music industry and how genres like the classical music have felt the affected decline of audience and sales. Further this research examines how classical genres and artists are beginning to

blossom in the pop world and how this opportunity for classical artists provides the professional and financial motive to matriculate through a genre crossover. This research is examined through the following four research questions:

Research Question #1

What are the critical factors for successful crossover for classical musicians to pop?

Research Question #2

What crossover processes did Sarah Brightman and 2 Cello’s employ to transition from

classical to pop music?

Research Question #3

Was Sarah Brightman’s and 2 Cellos crossover to pop music successful according to the

definition and parameters of success?

Classical Music

Classical music is known as the foundation of all music genres, a supportive background to any music. Classical music history consists of many centuries that include growth, evolution, composition and representation of different music styles. Many musicians who have been studying music for a long time, or decided to pursue music as a career, are aware of the music history (Naxos, n.d.). Classical music is divided into multiple periods, including different styles, techniques and compositions that musicians used during the different eras within classical music history. Multiple periods include,

Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Early Romantic, Romantic and Post Great

War Years or 20th Century Music. All of these periods have specific characteristics like harmony, rhythm and melody, which were later on used by many composers and artists.

Those characteristics were preserved and were eventually implemented in today’s pop music (Naxos, n.d.).

Classical music is more complex and is built with many rules in composition, but also freedom. Classical music includes periods that present different musicians and many years of new innovations.

Figure 1: The History of Classical Music (Naxos Records, n.d., Music History Chart)

In Figure 1 you can see the time periods of classical music, beginning with the medieval period and all the way through post Great War Years. This table gives the order to which classical periods are identified, as well as the dates that introduce a new era and style.

Beginning in c.1150, medieval music was the first sound of introduction to classical music and a start to what would evolve in the next centuries. Medieval music was mostly secular music. Medieval music includes use of counter point and long sustained notes. Counter point and long sustained notes are essential to performing not only classical music today, but are applied in pop music by modern vocalists. Melodic

songs such as the Gregorian chant and plainsongs gradually developed into organum

between 11th and 13th century. Organum was stricter with how melody ad rhythm was

used which eventually lead to more styles and instrumentations (Naxos, n.d.).

Starting in c.1400 to c.1600, music moved forward to a more melodic freedom, which gave composers new ideas of composition. Renaissance, started with many similarities with the medieval period, which eventually changed towards the end of the

16th century. Towards the end of the 16th century, music changed to what musicians today

refer to classical music. Composers were writing more freely and used more major and

minor scales to compose their music, which gave the music a strong sensation and tonal

center. This period included compositions such as masses, motets, anthems and madrigals

(Mertin, 2016).

Baroque was one of the periods that laid out the ideas and foundation on orchestral

music, sonatas, opera, aria and many other musical expressions. Many instruments

evolved to something else, and the new viola, violin and cello stepped into the picture

and whose sounds are featured in pop music performance with groups like Pentatonix,

Naturally 7, Michael Buble, 2 Cellos and Il Volo. In Baroque music, towards the

beginning of the 18th century, choral music was not dominant anymore, but composers

moved to composing something more interesting that included color and variety. This

was the period in which music was being played at dinners, special occasions and being

performed in small groups called chamber groups. This is when classical musicians

began experiencing performing frequently and exposure for rich audiences and

politicians. Famous composers from this period are Johann Sebastian Bach, Handel,

Scarlatti and Vivaldi (Naxos, n.d.).

The Classical period was an introduction to the sonata form. In this period, the

structural clarity was very important which led to the development of more chamber

groups, the symphony and modern concerto, which can still be seen in the performances

of Michael Buble, Sarah Brightman and Il Volo. Hence, the classical period presented elements of the music that we hear today, and the basics of what is used to compose and produce music of any genre. Composers who were very dominant in the early classical period were Schubert and the sons of Bach: Carl Phillip Emmanuel, Willhelm Friedmann and Johann Christian Bach. Famous composers known to set the classical period and have a huge significance during it are Joseph Hayden and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

(Naxos, n.d.).

Throughout the years, many composers became more intense with their

expressions. These composers sought to achieve a message for the audience, which was

beyond what the classical period offered. These composers also ushered in the Romantic

period. The Romantic period was divided in two separate periods, early and late

Romantic period. The Romantic era represented emotions and the music usually always

had a picture behind it that the audience can relate to. The early romanticism presented

very accomplished composers whose music was very important in the past and will be

important in the future, as it is now. The most popular composers from the early romantic

period are Berlioz, Chopin, Verdi and Mendelssohn (Naxos, n.d.).

The late Romantic period brought in composers who to this day are very

significant to musicians and lovers of the classical music. Brahms and Bruckner were two

of those composers who expressed their emotions clearly, presented dramatic continuity

and a direction to potential growth. The late romantic period was the period when operas

become very present and the composers such as Verdi and Wagner become very active in

the music scene. The romantic period allowed people to be able to express their feelings freely and be more connected to their work on an emotional level (Mertin, 2017).

The Post Great War period or the 20th Century music presented new dimensions,

expressions and experimenting. The purpose of 20th Century music was to open new

directions of harmony, rhythm and instrumentation. Composers such as Debussy and

Schoenberg presented new and unfamiliar harmonies. Composers came up with new ideas and new music forms through which they were able to present different modes of expression. The French composer Debussy invented impressionism and Schoenberg explored with unorthodox harmonies. On the other hand many composers such as

Rachmaninoff and Puccini, still continued to use traditional music forms. Some famous symphony composers from this period are Mahler and Shostakovich. Even though 20th

century music was full with new musical forms and expressions, it was still attractive to

many different audiences and people still to this day enjoy it (Sherrane, 2008).

Starting as early as c. 1150 to this day, classical music has and still inspires a lot of

artists to achieve their desired products. Depending on image and genre, artists all over

the world still use classical music as the root of their current music. No matter how the

future changes, or how pop music evolves, classical music remains the root of all music.

Artists and predecessors who came before us set up a guide to how today’s music is built

and produced.

Pop Music

Building from classical music, pop music has its own roots and history presented

throughout many years. In fact, originally pop music repertoire was drawn from

European and African traditional music, including folk traditions from the US territories

(Citelighter, n.d.). Early 20th century music is the impetus of pop music, which

considering many artists and musicians, gave many ideas to how music is made today.

The phrase “pop music” first got around in the middle 1920’s, and it defined that music

had a “popular” appeal (Citelighter, n.d.).

With the evolution of postwar years, classical music received generous

government support and influenced growth in audience. Additionally music education in

schools grew in quality and quantity because of increased funding. This influx of

attention to the arts prompted composers to start experimenting with new styles. Some

composers implemented traditional classical music into their work and some introduced

completely new elements to the tradition (Burkholder, Grout and Palisca, pg. 921).

With this evolution of popular music, marketing of music related merchandise, cosmetics, clothing and entertainment skyrocketed. Record companies responded to these

marketing specifics, which is why the market became known as pop music (Burkholder,

Grout and Palisca, pg. 909). Genres such as rhythm and blues, folk, country, swing, big

band rock-n-roll and others, were heard from every radio. Many recording artists

appeared and were very interested into pursuing a career in music by producing music on

vinyl. Especially during the war time years of 1946 -1949, music was important for people since they had the ability to listen to music on radio, inside their cars and from jukeboxes (Citelighter, n.d.).

Pop music was primarily released by the collection of publishing houses named Tin

Pan Alley, which mostly thrived on opera, cakewalk and show tunes. With the evolution of World War II, Big Bands came into play and represented most of the pop music from

1937 to 1941. After World War II, pop music landscaped toward radio, jukeboxes and turntables, leading to the sound of dance music. Attention slowly but surely moved back to the charismatic side of the singers from instrumentalists. Pop singers such as Peggy

Lee, Frances Shore, Frank Sinatra, Perry Como and Eddie Fisher found stardom

(Scaruffi, 2005).

Film music, too, became very popular in the postwar years allowing composers to pick and choose styles of music appropriate for their screens. Tonal modernism was invented by Miklos Rozsa, which helped with defining movie genres such as westerns, musicals, and romance. Music represented urban settings, sexual situations and social ills

(Burkholder, Grout and Palisca pg. 916).

Mid Century popular music in America expended with the evolution of Elvis

Presley in 1954, which built the connection between black and white, urban and rural styles in music. Across the ocean, in Britain, The Beatles were rocking the pop scene with their new releases “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “Eight Days a Week,” and “A Hard Day’s

Night.” Together with The Beatles, new artists and groups such as Rolling Stones, Mick

Jagger and Keith Richards were evolving (Verlinde, 2013).

As time passed, new artists were becoming more popular making the 1970’s the most fertile and eclectic period of pop music. The 1970’s included artists such as Elton

John, who was the best performer at that time, Paul Simon, and other artists including rock musicians such as Grand Punk Railroad (Verlinde, 2013).

The 1980’s were very important in pop music since Michael Jackson presented a

new form of pop rhythm with his album Thriller and international singles “Beat It” and

“Billie Jean.” Michael was able to blend in different genres of music into one, including

pop, R&B, rock, dance, and different guitar reefs that are used in today’s pop music as

well. His music lead and gave inspiration to other artists, such as Janet Jackson, Mariah

Carey, and Tony Braxton, who became extremely popular in the ‘90’s. Pop music

become more diverse and introduced not only new genre and form, but also made a

fashion statement in the entertainment industry. Styles of music have changed in the past,

and will change with new innovations and generations, but pop music will always remain

the art of the song (Verlinde, 2013).

Crossover

Crossover is a term usually applied to artists and musical works that appeal to

different types of audiences, combining genres and appears on multiple record charts.

With artists implementing multiple genres and mixing the knowledge of both worlds, the chances of attracting more audience and success are greater. No matter the crossover or what genres are transferred, artist and are able to expand their expectations, audiences and results for the future. Many artists like McCormak, Bocelli, Pavarotti, Carreras and

Domingo and Yo-Yo Ma, who practice crossover had and still have big success in album sales and touring by expanding their audience throughout multiple genres. With more tour and album sales, the financial stability of many artists has become more accurate and realistic.

Even though in this research I am focusing more on the crossover strategies and

success that Sarah Brigthman and 2 Cellos used, classical crossover has started long

before that.

From 1904 to 1942 tenor McCormak was one of the first best-selling crossover artists in the USA. He performed with the Metropolitan Opera and sold millions of records on ballades and folk songs (WNYC, 2006).

Another example of classical crossover is Deep Purple’s 1969 album, Concerto for

Group and Orchestra, including another case of Metallica album in 1999, S&M. The real beginning of classical crossover to pop begin with the three tenors, Pavarotti, Carreras and Domingo, who used their classical techniques and included those techniques in the production of new pop albums. From then on artists like Yo-Yo Ma, Andrea Bocelli, and others, use the influences of pop, rock, and even African chants in classical music. With popular singers like Sarah Brightman performing classical and popular music, classical crossover has transformed as a genre of its own. Today many opera singers, such as

Natasha Marsh, have worked on and produced classical crossover albums with the hopes to make a living from the popularity of this fast developing genre (One, 2016).

Today some audience members are not big fans of classical crossover, since they believe that pop interferes with the raw taste of classical music, but the younger audience really enjoys it (One, 2016). With more exposure of artists who cover and perform classical crossover, audiences get a taste of how classical music can still be important.

Apart from crossover bringing more money to the artists, a recent study has shown that crossover has influenced young people to take music lessons and upload covers on

YouTube. Covers on YouTube is exactly the right target since 2 Cellos got their career out of doing the exact same (One, 2016).

As previous research shows, crossover has been a very successful genre for multiple reasons. First, with converting classical music to pop music, such as Vivaldi’s

Winter from his Four Seasons, to River of Dreams by Hayley Westenra, the audience gets an opportunity to relate to classical music segments, interpreted in a pop song. Second in the crossover genre, artists are free to use different expressions and are not afraid to put their thought into the final result. Finally from the marketing point of view, crossover artists are more flexible and sell better, since their music attracts the older and younger audiences (Last FM, 2016).

Modern crossover composers, too, are more open minded, meaning they use elements and instruments from classical music to complete a pop crossover song. From the artist’s point of view, besides being able to sing or play different techniques, artists dress up fashionably, dance and record music videos that look appealing to the audience of both genres. Crossover composition gives artists that only perform Bach, Vivaldi and

Mozart the chance to get out and expose their music and talent on different levels

(Kalling, 2013).

The classical album charts today are considered to be consisted of both classical and crossover classical musicians (Adam, 2006).

Figure 2: Crossover Artists (Eunji Tuttle, n.d., Billboard Classical Album Chart)

The mainstream shows us that people are more accepting to crossover and also are willing to listen to music that is trendier than just classical music as Figure 2 illustrates.

As Tuttle stated, classical music might not survive without the help of classical crossover musicians (Tuttle, n.d.).

Many classical musicians look at the crossover artist in a negative way, stating that crossover musicians are not expressing the real values of classical music. As YouTube being one of the main media streams for music, artists of all genres are posting their music to this platform. Taking advantage of the YouTube platform is exactly what 2

Cellos did which led them to a huge success.

According to Tuttle, famous classical violinist Hillary Hahn had 4,169,400 views on her YouTube video, where a crossover violinist Lindsey Stirling had approximately

131,001,000 views on the same platform (Tuttle, n.d.). This statistic doesn’t mean that

Hahn is not successful since she obviously has a huge amount of followers, but it does

show us that audience is more interested to see a mixture of both, classical and pop as

evidenced by the views that Stirling received according to Tuttle. To become a successful

artists in today society you can not only do one thing, you have to be a full marketable

package and not be limited to only one genre (Tuttle, n.d.).

With having new platforms for all genres today, classical crossover seems to be

the genre to bring them all together. Yes, classical crossover mainly focuses on classical

and pop music, but it is present on almost all Billboard charts since most artists today are

implementing and mixing different genres together.

Problems facing classical musicians

No matter the genre, musicians crossover because of multiple reasons.

Specifically for classical musicians, many of the main reasons include a lack of

employability, losing audience interests, and financial instability.

Employability is a very important factor for someone’s careers, especially for musicians where things change on daily bases within the industry. In 2014, a survey was done, presenting that two out of five musicians were self-employed (Bureau of Labor,

2015). Many of those musicians, were part time self-employees, from which most of them also had long periods of time being unemployed. Due to constant job search, and gigs, many musicians found themselves accepting full time jobs in other occupations

(Bureau of Labor, 2015).

Constant struggle of unemployment or working part time night jobs as performers, cause many artists to either change occupations or expand their knowledge within their

training. Speaking of as a professional musician, this researcher definitely relates to the many employability issues that I have faced in the past and still face today.

Classically trained musicians, depending on their focus, have options to either perform or teach, which can be very limiting depending on location. Apart from not many full time positions, applying for part time gigs can also be very hard due to competition with other classical musicians. Many full time orchestral positions keep their musicians until they retire or until they find a replacement that is more suitable for them.

Sometimes gigs are unpredictable or do not pay as much, which forces many musicians to get day jobs, and play music at night. Apart for not having many open full time positions, competition is a major issue as well since everyone is trying to land a job.

Rejection for classical musicians has been high because of competition and lack of budget most organizations experience for salary (Jones, 2016).

As stated by Margaret Holborough, only 18.3% of music graduates enter the education work field right after graduation (Scott, 2010). Many musicians reflect on the reality of hopefully landing a successful music career, but reality is that most of music graduates after graduation hole temporary positions in retail, catering, waiting and bars.

Many musicians turn their focus towards music therapy, which gives them stability with a full time position, but it is not a performing job. Figure 3, presents study from 2008, which provides information about employment of recent music graduates (Scott, 2010).

Figure 3 indicates clearly that very few music graduates are employed in the field.

Figure 3: Employment of Music Graduates (Scott, 2010, The Guardian)

With time moving forward and the growth of the music industry, employability has

also changed. Employability for classical musicians was not always hard. In the 18th and

19th centuries, musicians and composers were hired on commission to perform in

people’s homes in addition to orchestral positions. During those times, musicians were

also employed in publishing, composing and conducting, apart from their performing

skills and responsibilities. Towards the 20th century things became more specific since a new trend of specialization occurred. This trend limited students and musicians in many ways since most were training for only one skill as either an orchestral performer or as a

conductor (Jones, 2016).

Currently in the USA there are 117 symphony orchestras. Assuming that every

orchestra has approximately 100 players, that makes 11,700 job positions available for hire. This statistic, however, does not translate to 11,700 positions open every year,

though. Orchestral performers do not leave a position for the next 30-40 years typically.

Comparing this fact, with the fact that 9,000 classically trained musicians graduate from

college annually, show us why classical musicians should consider crossover (Jones,

2016).

Declining audience is another issue that is happening in the classical world affecting

employment. Losing audience on scheduled classical performances such as orchestra,

chamber groups or a solo performance has been happening over two decades. Audience

decline has been a result of a lack of interest in classical music from the upcoming

generations. A survey performed in the United States in 1937, indicated that the average

age of attendance at a symphony concert was 30. In a more recent study conducted by

The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that most of the audience attending classical

music concerts in 2009-10 was between the ages of 65-74 (Goldsworthy, 2014).

We can clearly see that nothing much has changed since The Australian Bureau

report in 2010. In 2014, the general manager of the Metropolitan Opera in New York

City, Peter Gelb, stated that the opera could face bankruptcy in the next three years due to

many tickets flat lining and 80% less audience. He also stated that 75% of the audience

that visits the Met is over 65, and the rest is over 75 years old (Service and Kennedy,

2014).

Part of classical music loosing audience is the atmosphere. For the past 40 years,

rock and pop music has given the audience more liberal opportunity to express their

feelings and emotions while attending or listening to a concert. With classical music

performances, however, as Wiggins explains, it is very hard to express your emotions as

an audience member taking into consideration the dress code, which is very formal.

Audiences of 2017 are still asked to wear formal clothes as if the 1890s (Wiggins, 2012).

In 2013 the total of classical albums sold to audiences that admire and love

classical music went up by 5% (Vanhoenacker, 2014). This increase shows more support

of classical art but taking into consideration the drop of 21% in sales in 2012, the

recovery is minimal (Vanhoenacker, 2014). In 2013 only 2.8% of albums sold were

classical music, where 35% went to rock, R&B at 18%, showing the industry where the

interests of the audience are. Data analysis from National Endowment for the Arts shows the adult audience for classical music has been declining since 1982. Since 1982, audience attendance declined from 13% to 11.6% in 2002. This downward trend continued to 9.3% in 2008 and to 8.8% audience decline in 2012 (Vanhoenacker, 2014).

The research is indicating that either other genres are taking over the business side of the industry, or classical musicians should expand their careers and try different genres or crossover. The younger audience today, is most likely to spend $150 on seeing musicians who sing or play music they can relate to, or they are interested in. Some young adults still attend concerts as reported by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and

NY Philharmonic, but those numbers are slowly going down as well. Many young adults are most likely to attend a concert that will present something new, instead of sitting through a 30-50 minutes Beethoven Symphony.

Very similar to the issues of lack of employability is the financial instability for any musician. Many classical musicians, depending on their major, as mentioned above,

have the option of professionally performing or teaching. The best-case scenario first seems to be “finding a job”, which can fully support the artist and its family needs. Many classical musicians are forced to get a different job so they can support their living expenses. A case in point is the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) protests by the musicians that happened in 2010, due to not enough funds to support and pay the musicians. Many of those musicians were jobless for more than six months. DSO eventually recovered and restated their performances in 2011, with 17% increased sales

(Wikipedia, 2016).

The DSO is however an exception to the rule. Many musicians do not have the option of recovery because they are either not employed by an orchestra or are simply not teaching at a well-known educational facility. Sometimes financial stability can become more difficult for classical musicians who approach a solo career. Classical solo careers have been successful in the past and are still successful for some, but many who have tried have also either abandoned their career, merged into teaching, or simply crossed over to another genre.

If we take a look at the earnings that classical musicians make from their jobs, we have an idea of how their financial stability looks. If lucky enough to land a full time orchestral position, musicians are most likely to earn around $100,000 a year. The income of course depends on the orchestra that you are playing in and also the location

(Jones, 2016).

Not considering a full time orchestra or opera job, since those are hard to come by today, I will take into consideration other income that possibly gives musicians financial stability. If performing a concert, or a gig, a musician will make between $0 and $4,000,

even though many orchestras only pay $100-$750 per player. If playing by service, rather

than a salary, musicians are mostly likely to get paid $40 per rehearsal and $150 per

performance, thus making it nearly impossible to make a living or have financial stability

(Jones, 2016). The income is unsteady and unpredictable since many small orchestras

usually fold within a couple of years (Jones, 2016).

Another way of earning income for classical artists is composing, which is usually paid in commission. Commission fees can vary from $2,000 to $100,000, depending on the composer, success, skills and specifics of the composition. Teaching private lessons can bring a substantial amount of money, if having built a private studio. Most private

lessons range between $15 and $225 an hour, depending on the location, success, and

skills of the musician providing the lessons (Jones, 2016).

Financial stability is one of the most important factors in any career. With the facts

and research provided, if a musician doesn’t have a full time performing or teaching job, it is very hard to make a living by only playing classical music.

Crossover can be difficult and not every classical musician can do it. Crossover not

only requires the talent needed for another genre, but also knowledge of the music industry, having the right team, creativity and hard work. Looking at both Sarah

Brightman and 2 Cellos, we can see that they are not limited to only playing a specific

genre, or only playing for a specific audience. They use their talent to land jobs within

anything that is music related and is connected to what they love to do.

Professional Biography of Sarah Brightman

Sarah Brightman is an international superstar, and the best-selling soprano. Sarah

is famous for the incredible full range of three octaves and also ability to be one for the

first artists to practice the classical crossover movement. She was born in England and started her career at a very young age, which included singing and dancing. From this young age a distinctive balance between classical and pop music existed in Sarah’s life, which made it easier for her later on in her career to perform on both stages. Her vocal training first begin with studies under Elizabeth Hawes, who is the head of the Trinity

Music College in London. She later on continued her studies with Ellen Faull from

Julliard, lading her to her most current voice teacher David Romano (Ladyslipper Music,

2005).

The first look at her music career began when she joined the television dance troupe Hot Gossip, in 1977, which later led her to release new disco hits. Sarah brought her career over to the western hemisphere, in 1981, with her performance on a musical theatre show Cat. This performance eventually brought in more new shows for her,

Broadway performances and also the introduction to her future husband Andrew Webber.

One of the highlights of her career was her performance on the Phantom of The Opera as

Christina Daae, in 1986, opened in 1988 (Ace, 2015).

Phantom of the Opera was one of the leading keys to her success that exposed her extraordinary talent to not only managers and producers but also her audience and coworkers. David Caddick, stated: "What is amazing about Sarah is that she has two voices, really. She can produce a pop, contemporary sound, but she can also blossom out into a light soprano. The soprano part of her voice can go up to an E natural above high

C. She doesn’t sing it full out, but it is there. Of course, she has to dance while she is singing some of the time, so it is all the more extraordinary." (Ladyslipper Music, 2015).

After her big success with “Phantom of the Opera”, Sarah went on tour with Lloyd

Webber throughout England, Canada and United States and performed Requiem in the

Soviet Union. Her career resumed with a new producer Frank Peterson, who helped her with the production of her new demo album in 1993 Dive. This album was her first album as a solo recording artist and brought her huge international success. She continued her partnership with Peterson for a couple of following albums, which had a huge success as well. A huge success was also the song “Time to say goodbye”, which she performed with a tenor Andrea Bocelli, with selling over 12 million copies worldwide (Brightman, n.d.).

In 2007 Sarah performed on a Concert for Princess Diana, aside with great musicians such as Josh Gordon. Sarah also holds performances at two Olympic Games, in 1992 and 2008. Throughout the 2000’s Sarah toured on multiple international tours, and made appearances on multiple performances for the anniversary of Phantom of the

Opera.

In 2012 Sarah partnered up with UNESCO to be “Artist for Peace” and stars in their World Heritage Special campaign. That same year Brightman began working on becoming the first professional musician to record a song from space in collaboration with UNESCO. During her preparation for this incredible experience, Sarah recorded a collection of new songs with Mike Hedges, named “Dreamchaser.” Her goal was going to space and collaborating with UNESCO to promote peace and sustainable development, including many concerts that will promote the same awareness. In 2015 she announced the postponement of the space recording, due to family reasons (Brightman, n.d.).

Currently Sarah Brightman is in the studio recording for a new upcoming album,

releasing in 2017. She is expected to surprise her audience with new music and new extraordinary performances (Brightman, n.d.).

Professional Biography for 2 Cellos

2 Cellos is a duo group of two classical crossover musicians, cellists Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser. Born and raised in Eastern Europe, the Slovenian/Croatian duo begin their cello lessons and introduction to classical music from a very young age. They both attended music schools and met each other in different master classes and competitions held in Croatia. Both of the group members are classically trained, and have been playing cello since childhood. They have both, individually and as a group won multiple competitions and awards before becoming and an international sensation (Biography 2

Cellos, n.d.).

2 Cellos way of instrumental performance has brought in a different level of attention by the audience and has broken down many boundaries between musical genres.

The duo covers genres from classical and film music to pop and rock music. 2 Cellos rose to fame in 2011 by putting their version of Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal” on

YouTube. This video currently has over 23,000,000 views and keeps growing (YouTube,

2017). The “Smooth Criminal” video led them to a record deal with Sony and a worldwide tour with Elton John. Apart from playing on tour with Elton John, 2 Cello’s have sold out concerts in North and South America, Europe, Australia and Japan

(Biography 2Cellos, n.d.).

2 Cellos has previously released multiple albums, including an album in 2011 titled 2Cellos and in 2012 titled In2ition, followed by their third and latest album in 2015

called CelloVerse. CelloVerse debuted at No.1 on many classical and crossover charts

worldwide. Apart from their album and tours, they have also collaborated with many

successful artists throughout the world including red Hot Chili Peppers, Lang Lang, Elton

John, Andrea Bocelli and others. 2 Cellos claim that despite their career in the pop world,

they still perform classical music with many classical and contemporary orchestras. In

2017

2 Cellos released their album Score which was recorded with the London Symphony

Orchestra and included variations of television and movie music. In 2017, they are also going on their new world tour under Sony Masterworks, The Score World Tour, which is expected to have a tremendous success (Biography 2 Cellos, n.d.).

Summary of the literature review

This literature review provides a critical base for examining crossover from classical genre to the pop genre. The history of classical music and pop music provides the foundation for understanding the relationships between the two genres. Crossover is defined specifically from classical to pop transition. Further the problems acting as an impetus for crossover from classical to pop include employability, declining audience and financial stability. Finally the professional biographies of Brightman and 2 Cellos detail major events in the careers of these classical artists shedding light to their crossover experiences examined in this research.

27 Chapter III: Methodology

The purpose of this research is to examine the evolution of the music industry

and how genres like the classical music have felt the affected decline of audience and

sale. Further, the research examines how classical genres and artists are beginning to

blossom in the pop world, and how this opportunity for classical artists provides the

professional and financial motive to matriculate through a genre crossover. This research

is examined through the following three questions.

Research Question #1

What are the critical factors for successful crossover for classical musicians to pop?

Research Question #2

What crossover processes did Sarah Brightman and 2 Cello’s employ to transition from

classical to pop music?

Research Question #3

Was Sarah Brightman’s and 2 Cellos crossover to pop music successful according to the

definition and parameters of success?

To accomplish this study I employ qualitative research using secondary resources with a comparative case study of the classical artists Sarah Brightman to the

classical instrumentalists 2 Cellos. According to the Association of Qualitative Research,

data selected in qualitative research is useful in examining a phenomenon as it occurs to

understand and describe them. Qualitative research and case studies are valuable in

developing concepts in theories (Association of Qualitative Research, UK, para.233).

28 In this phenomenological study a combination of examining secondary research including interviews, reading documents and watching videos were employed in order to identify similarities and differences in the crossover experiences of Brightman and the 2

Cellos. From this collection and examination of data, themes emerged shedding light to the phenomenon as described by Saurow in his research entitled Five Types of

Qualitative Methods (2015).

Chapter IV: Analysis

The purpose of this research is to examine the evolution of the music industry and how performers of the classical music have felt the affected decline of audience and sales and have crossed over to other genres. Further, this research examines how classical genres and artists are beginning to blossom in the pop world, and how this opportunity for classical artists may provide the professional and financial motives to matriculate through a genre crossover. Through examination of the cases of classical vocalist

Brightman and cello duet performers, 2 Cellos, this research is examined through the following three questions.

Research Question #1

What are the critical factors for successful crossover for classical musicians to pop?

Research Question #2

What crossover processes did Sarah Brightman and 2 Cello’s employ to transition from classical to pop music?

Research Question #3

Was Sarah Brightman’s and 2 Cellos crossover to pop music successful according to the definition and parameters of success?

Research Question #1

What are the critical factors for successful crossover for classical musicians to pop?

Before examining the factors for success, the reasons for crossover are important

to review. The literature review discloses three primary reasons why classical musicians

like Brightman and the 2 Cellos are transitioning to pop music. These reasons include a

lack of employability, declining audience for classical music and financial instability.

Given these needs, an examination of the crossover of other artists sheds some

light in identifying the factors that were critical to their crossover success. As a crossover artist, it is important to be employable so you can have financial stability and also attract audiences who will be supportive to your career.

As presented in the literature review, Sarah Brightman and 2 Cellos had different approaches to crossover. Brightman led her solo career through multiple stages including musical theatre and collaboration with other artists, while 2 Cellos used

YouTube as a platform to expose themselves and their skills.

As mentioned in the Brightman biography regarding her career, Brighman had the opportunity to work with multiple great musicians, collaborate with different artists, make music of all genres and work with organizations worldwide. Cleary an examination of the research of her career discloses that Brightman was dedicated not only singing. In an interview with Huffington Post UK, Brightman stated “I’ve always been involved with all aspects of my careers. Being behind the camera seems as natural as in front”

(Huffington Post, 2012). This quote is more than just an example of her career but also an example of an attitude that she has as an artist. Since her early career, Brightman experimented with her talent and her abilities to do more than just sing classical music.

As the research indicates a key quality factor about Brightman is that she never

limited herself as an artist. In an interview for Playbill she said "I grew up in the '60s, so

I'm at home with rock. There was such a sense of freedom in music then, with a lot of

experimenting -- mixing classical and pop” (Nassour, 1999). With this interview she

doesn’t only show respect for rock and other genres, but it also brings us back to her early career with Hot Gossip. Even though classically trained, Brightman never pushed aside her love for other genres that she interpreted in her career later on. She also added "The classics came later, but never affected my vocal phrasing. I didn't want to lose my natural rhythm for pop" (Nassour, 1999). With this, Brighman conveys the importance of the theme of self-knowledge identifying it as a critical quality for crossover artists.

This theme of “I am able to do anything” is one of the reasons why Sarah became so successful. Her abilities to perform multiple tasks, act, dance and sing reveal yet another theme; versatility. This versatility made her more employable and exposed her to more collaborations and different audience.

Andrea Bocelli, is one of Brighmtan’s great friends and also colleagues who has worked with her on many projects including the famous duet “Time to Say Goodbye.”

Regarding crossover, in one of his interviews with Classic FM, Bocelli touched on people and their opinions about him having a double career as an opera singer and pop artist

stating “Why doesn’t anyone ask why collections of Caruso’s recordings contain more

popular songs than opera arias? The same is true for Gigli. For a long time, all the major tenors sang popular songs. I’d rather ask why tenors today don’t do that – although many do. Cura, for example, has sung songs with Sarah Brightman, as I have” (Classic FM, n.d.).

As revealed by the quote above, Bocelli believes that self-knowledge and versatility are two qualities that classical artists should have in order to be able to have multiple careers or cover different genres. Later on in the same interview, he mentioned that every genre requires different technique, different concentration and love. Being able to perform different techniques and entertainment to the audience is what attracts different audiences and makes you interesting as an artist.

Like Brightman, 2 Cellos, Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser, have had tremendous success with their career as crossover artists. Since their appearance on

YouTube, the duo has had a chance to share the stage and collaborate with many different pop artists including Elton John. Even though new in the music industry, 2 Cellos have had a huge success by doing transpositions and arrangements of popular pop and rock songs, touring worldwide and also working on albums. Very similar to Brightman, 2

Cellos have demonstrated versatility making themselves available to multiple audiences as they cover multiple genres. Not restricted to any rules or guidelines, 2 Cellos since the beginning of their career have been following their instincts and also the interests of their audiences.

In their interview for the Daily Mail, the duo stated "Everyone should try to find their own way and don't follow the rules; rules are there to be broken. Only by breaking the rules can you make something exceptional in life" (Australian Associate

Press, 2015). This quote clearly identifies the theme of self-knowledge in the duo. Very similar to Brightman, the duo has opened many doors for themselves by challenging their techniques and knowledge for classical cello. By inspiring others with their performances, 2 Cellos also tries to show the audience that there is much more that can

be done with classical instruments than just playing in an orchestra. In their interview for the Boston Globe, Hauser stated “We are so excited to be touring and showing audiences the versatility of the cello. It is the closest instrument to the human voice and the things you can do on the cello . . . there are endless possibilities” (Pennington, 2013). Exploring and making yourself more versatile as an artist, gives the opportunity of becoming more employable and financially stable. This brings us back to the issues that most classical musicians are currently facing, and also what other artists who are very limiting will face in the future.

2 Cellos net worth is currently not exposed to the public, but it is established that Hauser’s net worth is around $8 million dollars (Celebrity Net Worth, 2016).

Considering the fact that they are a young group with a career that blossomed nearly six years ago, their income seems to be very stable. Considering their employability rate in the past six years and their success with the audience, 2 Cellos are slated for bright future in the entertainment business according to industry specialists.

Comparing 2 Cellos to Sarah Brightman analysis of the research indicates that these crossover performers are on the right track of making a substantial living of their career. Brightman’s career started decades ago and became more successful with the help of others but also the knowledge of Brightman herself. Those are the similarities that

Brightman and 2 Cellos have, both display characterizes of versatility, both promote self- knowledge as a means to success, backing of an established artists. Though not necessarily teachers, 2 Cellos and Brightman vital lessons regarding success factors for crossover.

Research Question #2

What crossover processes did Sarah Brightman and 2 Cello’s employ to transition from

classical to pop music?

Sarah Brightman Timeline

Sarah Brightman, Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser (2 Cellos) are all classically

trained musicians who use crossover to advance their career. Brightman as a solo artist transitioned differently from 2 Cellos, due to location, instruments and also management.

Brightman used her classical training to crossover by starting with Broadway

shows, dance music groups, musical theatre to movie soundtracks and live performances.

In her career, Sarah had multiple periods through which she pursued different tasks and

become very successful in the pop music scene and the crossover charts.

Brightman’s music career is longer than the career of 2 Cellos, which divides her career in multiple periods. As mentioned in Chapter I, in the biography of Brightman, her music career started at a very young age but her crossover career is believed to have started with her role in Phantom of The Opera. In quotation from Sarah Brightman biography, Andre Webber explains, “Sarah was now fully immersed in operatic training, and with crystalline classical notes wafting through the household, I was inspired to pen the Requiem mass” (Brightman, n.d.).

After having an incredible career as a cast member for the Phantom of the Opera,

Sarah decided to continue working with Webber and go on a tour with him throughout

Europe, Canada and the United States. In 1988 she did a compilation of folk songs in her album The Trees They Glow So High, and in 1989 she did a musical theatre compilation from composers Irving Berlin and Stephen Sondheim (Brightman, n.d.).

The first sign of Brightman’s crossover is after she left Broadway, or the Phantom of the

Opera. As a younger artist, she danced and performed in a disco group, which she incorporated into her adult career. As stated in her biography, the clear declaration of an independent solo career was presented in her second album that was filled with handpicked folk songs. This is the time when Sarah departed from music theatre and her stage career (Brightman, n.d.).

In 1992 she performed at the Olympic Games, which later on lead into collaboration with different producers, and her solo water-themed pop album Dive. With the same producers, in 1995 she produced a pop rock album Fly, which included tracks filled with rock, electronic and classical strings (Brightman, n.d.).

In 1998, Sarah successfully mover form Top Heat Seekers chart to the Billboard 200, which marked her huge success in the pop world. In 2000 Sarah recorded another career changing album, La Luna, which included songs that had a strong resemblance to pop, jazz, rock and high opera. With over 900,000 La Luna album sales, Billboard pronounced

Sarah as the most successful classical crossover artist from the UK. Apart from most successful crossover artist she was also pronounced Americas highest selling and top touring British artist (Brightman, n.d.).

In 2008 Sarah released another album Symphony, which was influenced by gothic music and was in collaboration with many other successful artists such as Andrea Bocelli,

Fernando Lima and a member of the group KISS, Paul Stanley. That same year, Sarah also surprised her audience with a holiday album, and introduced her Symphony World

Tour. This tour was nothing like any other crossover artist has done before since it

consisted groundbreaking technology with virtual and holographic stage sets (Brightman,

n.d.).

With all the above-mentioned stages that Brightman had throughout her career, it

is very clear that she follows her passion and purpose. Sarah has no limitation and as

presented in most of the work she has done in the past, Sarah has made every small

transition of her crossover career very successful. To have a successful crossover career,

there is no formula that can be followed, except love and dedication for what you do. As

presented above, Brightman adapted and used almost every genre from the pop scene

today, and implemented her classical training within her music. Almost all of her albums

include different genre of music, which allows the audience to have a choice when

listening to her.

Her whole process as a crossover artist involves a lot of hard work, great teams, talent, dedication, knowledge about the industry and also courage. Many artists today are very scared of expanding their knowledge because there is always someone who can do it better, or someone who has already done it. This is what makes Sarah unique and one of

the best-selling artists, her strength and courage to push forward and use her talent and

ideas.

In one of the interviews with the Huffington Post, Sarah stated “Just because

Pavarotti, me and Bocelli were the first ones to walk through that classical crossover

door, you can’t blame us for everything that followed,” (Frost, Huffington Post, 2012).

This is her way of explaining that not everyone uses crossover the way she does, or some

of her colleagues do.

In one of her interviews with Pop Matters, Sarah stated that she writes her music parallel to what happens in her life, which makes her songs to realistic to the audience.

She also stated that it is very important as an artist to let your audience know of your feelings through music, which makes the music more desirable and the audience would like to hear more of it. Using history and personal experiences is what gives her ideas of making music, attracts audience and also makes her employable because people can relate to her music (Solis, 2013).

Finally Brightman, in an interview for the Borders Books states "I'm so creative in what I do, I'm very hands-on for my concerts and my albums. I don't think I really want to go back [to the theater]—for the moment anyways—as an employed person in a show" (Contemporary Musicians, 2004).

This quote doesn’t only show that Sarah Brightman takes her creativity in her self- knowledge, but also shows us that she chooses her employment very carefully. She has worked in theatre in the past, and has had a great success, but considering her skills which include not only musical theatre, Sarah seems to have demonstrated versatility and used crossover to land multiple different jobs and never settle for a “one kind” of employment. Sarah started as a classically trained soprano, but today she is a soprano, a

Broadway singer, a dancer, a pop icon, an actress, a live performer and a recording artist.

She took her classical training and her creativity by dabbing into crossover and expanding her skills. Her multiple skills and the ability to perform for different audiences, made her more employable and wanted (Contemporary Musicians, 2004).

In comparison, examination of the process employed by 2 Cellos for crossover indicates significant difference from that of Brightman’s experience.

2 Cellos Timeline

2 Cellos, with their classical skills competed in multiple competitions and had

solo careers before becoming a duo. As previously discussed, 2 Cellos became famous

after posting a cover of a Michael Jackson song on YouTube. After mullions of views on

that platform, 2Cellos continued with doing covers for two cellos of other popular songs.

Transposing and covering pop songs was their way of transitioning to crossover, which

lead them to later on being signed to a record label, Sony Masterworks. By previously

doing covers of popular rock bands and also pop icons like Michael Jackson, 2 Cellos

started recording their own songs which later on in 2011 lead onto their first album.

2 Cellos did not start their career by being good friends and partners. Before

they engaged in working together Hauser and Sulic were rivals in multiple competition

contests. After getting together and posting the cello cover of “Smooth Criminal” on

YouTube, the duo impressed many successful people that lead them to many public

appearances. Appearing on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Ellen DeGeneres

Show, Monday Night Football in the USA and the UEFA Champions league final in the

UK, are only some of the major events that 2 Cellos attended (Biography 2Cellos, n.d.).

Their success on a social platform like YouTube brought them a booked tour with Elton

John in 2011, which also lead them to more exciting projects. In 2012, 2 Cellos performed on an episode of the television show Glee, which 3 years, in 2015, lead them to a live one billion viewers broadcast as part of the China’s CCTV’s New Year’s Gala

(Biography 2Cellos, n.d.).

2 Cellos process of crossover includes different platforms and also collaborations. Their versatility and interest of marketing their music did not only lead

them to successful crossover, but also lead them to more knowledge. In one of their interviews for Svet, the cellists stated that they do not plan on stopping to perform classical music anytime soon, and that they love AC/DC as much as Bach (Treskavica,

2016). Apart from having a huge success and being a part of a crossover genre, 2 Cellos state that with a big success comes big sacrifice. In the interview with Svet they also stated “We have practiced very hard for the past twenty year, trying to achieve perfection that caused us to also give up many things. Nothing came over night, and when we succeeded the hard work began” (Treskavica, 2016). Since their first cover on YouTube,

2 Cellos continue to make arrangements of pop and rock songs, compatible to be played on cello, as well as performing with symphony orchestras.

Research Question #3

Was Sarah Brightman’s and 2 Cellos crossover to pop music successful according to the definition and parameters of success?

From the very beginning Brightman has had and will continue to have a very successful career in the crossover world. Artistically, Sarah had worked with many influential and successful musicians in the both the classical and pop worlds. She has also appeared on multiple movie screens and performed in many Broadway shows, and events such as the Olympic Games. Apart from being very successful in the United Kingdom and United States, Brightman has appeared on tours and performances all over Asia,

Australia, Europe and Canada, performing and presenting a great amount of success in audience attendance.

Since financial instability is one of the major factors for classical artist crossover, I present the net worth of some classical crossover artists such as Sarah

Brightman and Andrea Bocelli.

Sarah Brightman’s current net worth is around $55 million, with approximately

$6 million yearly including sponsorships and endorsements of almost $2 million. The album that brought Sarah the most income from all her albums was the Dreamchaser:

Deluxe Edition with income of $349,650 (Net worth Tomp, 2016).

Her dear colleague Andrea Bocelli has also been very successful in in his

crossover career with net worth of $40 million. He is considered the wealthiest musician

from Italy. Apart from earning his income as a singer, he is also a songwriter and multi-

instrumentalist (The Richest, 2016).

With millions in record and tour sales, Sarah Brightman continues to this day to

be one of the most successful crossover artists. Today in 2017, she still strives of

becoming even better with producing new music for a potential new album that will be

released sometimes this year (Brightman, n.d.).

To relate to this research question Sarah Brightman, has had an amazing success in

her crossover career due to her abilities to use her skills at the maximum capacity and

explore without limiting herself to only one genre. According to the New York Times

“The longtime internal debate within the classical music industry was about whether or

not crossover was going to help the sales, visibility, and commercial viability of core

classical music” (Mitic, 2016). It has turned out that artists such as Sarah Brightman, 2

Cellos, Andrea Bocelli, Pavarotti and others, have had a more successful career after

crossover. None of the above mentioned artists completely abandoned classical music,

they simply expanded to something bigger, including more genres to their repertoire. In

one of the interviews with Classic FM, Bocelli stated, “Not everybody can do this, just as

not everybody can speak two languages. And after all, opera and pop are different

languages. When I’m singing an opera recording I sing for the people who are furthest

from the stage, 30 or 40 meters away from me. When I sing a song, I pretend I am

singing into the ear of a child” (Classic FM, n.d).

In regards to his quote, Bocelli explains that crossover might not be for everyone,

and not everyone can achieve success by preforming multiple genres. If we take a look at

the music industry, not everyone can be a part of it and can make a living of their talent.

The industry sill gives an opportunity to everyone to try and explore with his or her

knowledge and see where that takes him or her. The Royal Academy of Music principal

Freeman Attwood said:

Musical talents are, thankfully, no longer restricted by conventional notions of

‘classical,’ ‘rock,’ ‘pop’ and so on. There’s still a prevailing sense that musicians

who’ve had a ‘classical training’ are somehow expected to live in a little elite box.

If you knew what they were listening to as they rolled up to a Shostakovich

rehearsal with a great conductor, you’d be surprised. And it’s not necessarily

Shostakovich. (Mitic, 2016)

The quote above explains to us more in regards to limitations within the music industry.

In today’s society and with the freedom of expressing yourself, anyone can expand their talent and knowledge, and try to become a better musician. Crossover might not be for everybody and might not bring success to everyone, but it doesn’t stop you from exploring your abilities. Artists who has tried crossover have had a success in their

career, including proper guidance by others. Sarah Brightman and 2 Cellos met all of the

expectations of successful career with crossover by not only expressing their talent, but

also by believing in themselves. Believing in your capabilities is one of the main factors

that will bring anyone to success not matter the industry they are in.

Looking at the career paths that Sarah and 2 Cellos, it is determined that they both started their crossover differently. As mentioned in the biography of 2 Cellos, 2

Cellos started as classical cellists who used YouTube as a platform to expose their abilities. Sarah took a different route back in the 70’s by doing musical theatre and also

being part of a group. Even though they both took a different start of their crossover

career, both of them can relate to an international success. The timing of their career path is completely different, but with the research provided we can still see that even though different platforms were used, they both landed a successful crossover career. This can be the case for other crossover artists in the future who may determine a different path that will bring them to success. Crossover is not about molding into what society is more interested to see, but it’s about adapting your career in what you want people to remember you by. This is exactly what Sarah and 2 Cellos did. As Hauser stated in an interview with Daily Mail, "We want to make a total revolution in the world of music, fill up stadiums and arenas with just two cellos, and we are already doing it so, well, we will just keep growing ... every time it gets bigger," (Australian Associated Press, 2015).

43 Chapter V: Conclusions

After analyzing the data selected from articles, interviews and videos this chapter provides my conclusions in relation to the three research questions:

Research Question #1

What are the critical factors for successful crossover for classical musicians to pop?

Research Question #2

What crossover processes did Sarah Brightman and 2 Cello’s employ to transition from classical to pop music?

Research Question #3

Was Sarah Brightman’s and 2 Cellos crossover to pop music successful according to the definition and parameters of success?

Research Question #1

What are the critical factors for successful crossover for classical musicians to pop?

Comparing and contrasting the careers of an extraordinary classical soloist and a classical instrumental duet, my conclusion is that the careers of Sarah Brightman and 2

Cellos were very different at the beginning but became very similar as revealed by the identified themes of self-knowledge, versatility and motivation.

Regarding self-knowledge a similar quality that Sarah Brightman and 2 Cellos share is that they used their classical training, talent, and ability to study and learn opportunities to study different genres. They further used to apply their musical abilities

44 to perform and attract different audience types. This demonstrated knowledge and

dedication continue to be critical to their crossover success. Further, both adapted their

talent to set and reach goals as artists. They applied their knowledge, to understand how

the industry works, expand on their limitations, and learn more about how they can use

their talent so they can make a living. They illustrated dedication, because they never let

anyone stop them, and no matter the “bumps on the road” they never gave up on

practicing their craft as revealed in their biographies and through the interviews examined

the analysis of the data collected in Chapter IV.

Research Question #2

What crossover processes did Sarah Brightman and 2 Cello’s employ to transition from

classical to pop music?

Again a comparison of the biographies, careers, interviews, articles and videos

presents many similarities and differences in the crossover experiences of Sarah

Brightman a classically trained vocalist and 2 Cellos, a classically trained string duo.

As Figure 4 illustrates and the research indicates, essential aspects of the crossover

experiences for both include platforms, collaborations and genres. Regarding platform similarities both Brightman and 2 Cellos have musical theatre or musicals as part of their careers. In addition both Brightman and 2 Cellos had key associations with well established artists in both genres, but necessarily enlisted the collaboration of pop or rock artists to help them transition through the new genre. Finally regarding similarities in genre, both began as classically trained artists and transitioned to pop and rock.

Sarah Brightman 2 Cellos Platforms - Opera - YouTube - Musical Theatre - Musicals - Film - Solo Career - Olympic Games

Collaborations - Andrea Bocelli - Red Hot Chili Peppers - KISS - Lang Lang - UNESCO - Elton John - Andrew Webber - George Michael

Genres - Classical crossover - Classical Crossover - Pop - Rock - Classical - Pop - Symphonic Rock - Classical - Musical Theatre - Rock - Folk - Electronica

Figure 4: Differences and Similarities Crossover Experience Figure

Differences between Brightman and 2 Cellos, except their age and amount of

success, are difficult to identify. Brightman has been in the industry much longer than 2

Cellos. Due to the amount of years she has in the industry, Brightman has been able to

perform on many stages and work with more established artists than 2 Cellos. The research also indicates that Brightman and 2 Cellos initiated crossover with different platforms: Brightman from opera to musicals and 2 Cellos from classical solo performance to YouTube. Further because of her longevity in the industry Brightman has

had the opportunity to perform more genres and more varied audience than 2 Cellos.

Research Question #3

Was Sarah Brightman’s and 2 Cellos crossover to pop music successful according to the

definition and parameters of success?

Definition and perimeters of success for crossover include employability, audience and financial stability. As stated because of their knowledge and versatility, both Brightman and 2 Cellos are performing to audiences of genres beyond classical

music. Total net worth of Brightman is 55 million dollars including endorsements,

sponsorships, record sales, tickets sales and appearances. On the other hand, 2 Cellos are

still a very young group, but they have been having a tremendous success for their short

amount of years in the industry. This group has also attracted many different audiences

from all over the globe. The group has also toured with Elton John, appeared on the television show Glee and currently on a tour. While financial data is not available for

Luka Sulic, Stjepan Hauser estimated net worth is 8 million dollars, like Brightman indicating financial stability.

Throughout the music industry there are many crossover artists who have employed crossover to transition to another genre to incorporate multiple genres within their career. Apart from the research I provided on Sarah Brightman and 2 Cellos, there are other artists who provide a great amount of information about classical crossover and crossover success. Artists such as Andrea Bocelli, Josh Groban, Luciano Pavarotti,

Vanessa Mae, Yo-Yo Ma and Charlotte Church, are just some examples of classical crossover artists who have expanded on their career by using different genres. Crossover doesn’t only apply on classical artists singing pop or wise versa, but also applies to the

work of artists, vocal or instrumental, which attempts to create a connection between

classical and popular style (All Music, n.d.)

Taking in consideration of how difficult it is to succeed today in the music industry, I took Sarah Brightman and 2 Cellos as a proof that success with crossover is very possible. With the evolution of the music industry, genres like the classical music have been affected with audience and sales declining, but blossoming in the pop world that is forcing artist to do a genre crossover. Many upcoming artists, or even musicians who consider of making music their career, are afraid of exploring and expanding their knowledge and talent. People usually limit themselves because they are either not capable or afraid of failure to success. With this research I provides evidence that with hard work, dedication and hunger for success, only sky is the limit.

Classical musicians such as Sarah Brightman and 2 Cellos are being forced to cross musical genres because of employability, declining audience interest in classical music and financial instability. Sarah Brightman and 2 Cellos are extraordinary musicians who are successful today because they used their talent to experiment with genres and use classical to pop music crossover.

According to Burkholder, Grout and Palisca, trends change so quickly in today’s music industry to give a balance or complete overview of recent music. Music form the past is more accusable to people today than ever, and there is no need to focus on only one composer when music is changing on daily bases (Burkholder, Grout and Palisca pg.

986).

With so many crossover musicians all around the globe, it is very interesting to see how the music industry is molding. It is fascinating to see that there is a possibility

that in the next decade there might not be a genre that will separate musicians and their abilities. With new individuals entering the music industry, further research on whether crossover should be included in academic curriculum may advance this study and would pose interesting. Crossover is possible for any musical genre and that’s something that I think every musicians should be thought.

Crossover is a very big statement in the music industry, and will only grow as years go by. Many students, who study to be musicians or be a part of the music industry in general, are not exposed to the real world of the industry within their studies. This is a part of an issue and why many don’t succeed when thrown into the real world and within the industry. The music industry is a very competitive, and no matter the genre, occupation or abilities you have, many do not find it as their career later on. For this reason providing more research on crossover and other options as a musician is crucial to not only students but also people already established in the entertainment industry overall.

Research on how to crossover, how to build connections during your student career, how to expose yourself to the public to the maximum and how to perfect and expand your abilities, are topics that will help musicians make career out of music and are ideas that can finish this study. Practicing does make perfect, but perfection is practices by other as well. Musicians have to find something that identifies them within the crowd of talented people. That is exactly what crossover is about, expressing your abilities to the loudest without hesitation.

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