Global Players: Orchestral Tours and International Musical Life in the 20
th
Century
During the 20th century, symphony orchestras turned into crucial international actors shaping cultural relations across the globe. Looking at tours of German and Austrian orchestras to Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Africa, this project investigates the political driving forces of musical mobility, embedded in the economic and artistic contexts of international musical life. Over the period from 1880 to 2000, I consider the evolution of touring destinations, cultural diplomacy projects together with political perceptions of the performances, musical markets, and repertoires. Taking a longue durée approach to musical mobility, “Global Players” highlights the powerful continuities and transitions in concert life and artistic careers against political ruptures and diverging political regimes in different world regions. Against widely state-centred accounts of cultural diplomacy, I emphasise the agency of internationally active musicians, the appropriation of musical performances across the globe, and the impact of globalization on domestic contexts of music-making. Linking the history of music to larger debates on the role of culture in transnational history, “Global Players” unlocks the multiple meanings of music between the national and international scale and refines our understanding of cultural globalization processes.