Music’s Future Is Framed as Conversation, Not Prediction
At the Aspen Ideas Festival, Damian Woetzel, Caroline Shaw and Charles Yang turned a question about the sound of 2276 into an argument about what music should preserve. Rather than forecast future genres or technologies, they treated music as a continuing exchange among inherited forms, bodily practice and responsive listening. Through discussion and performance, Shaw and Yang made the case that the future worth hoping for is not novelty for its own sake, but musical conversation marked by curiosity, attention and mutual respect.
The Aspen Institute·Jun 30, 2026·15 min read
