Classical music should not fear change Music can never be confined to a single tradition – and we should celebrate that sparky, vibrant mixture in live form 26 April 2021 • 5:00am Isata (piano) and Sheku (cello) Kanneh-Mason play at the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall Credit: Chris Christodoulou How can we sum up where the performance of music has come from and where it is going next? Across the centuries, as men and women have sung to each other, fashioned instruments, danced in rituals and shouted in celebrations, invented orchestras and conceived symphonies, built concert halls and opera houses, and now live-streamed performances across the globe, are there any common themes that might trace music’s development and plot its future course?