Although the Society was in existence for only one season, it nonetheless provides an interesting parallel from one end of the century with our own Contemporary Music Centre at the other. Schoenberg's aim was 'to give modern music a permanent home in Vienna, where it will be fostered'. In particular, the idea of fostering is especially apt in describing the work of the Contemporary Music Centre. Just as the demands, methods, and tools involved in fostering modern music have changed dramatically since Schoenberg's day, so the past five years have witnessed a vast expansion in CMC's operation, during which a wide range of initiatives has been launched and maintained. When Eve O'Kelly was appointed as General Manager in 1990, there was a full-time staff of two including herself.
Further expansion is anticipated in the future, if funding permits.
According to business criteria, such staff growth is symptomatic of a thriving enterprise. The time is approaching when contemporary music will start to make its mark in a way similar to U2, or the Chieftains, who enjoy commercial backing. The compact disc is the medium for music, and I think the money that the Arts Council invested in this project is better spent even than money devoted to festivals. That means that some fellow in the BBC was thumbing through discs and listening to various tracks until he found something he liked. While the CD has the potential to reach a very wide public, CMC has developed and maintained other important projects which, if on a less spectacular scale, are equally public-oriented.