Through initiatives like its Dean’s Symposiums and the creation of the Breakthrough Curriculum, the Peabody Institute has long been at the forefront of critical discourse in the world of performing arts education, convening a broad range of artistic perspectives to engage with current issues and important ideas.

So, when the COVID pandemic completely upended the world of performing artists, it was natural for Peabody to bring people together to examine the challenges and work towards solutions that would strengthen the future of the field. In a series of virtual symposia under the banner of The Next Normal, Peabody Dean Fred Bronstein moderated robust conversations about change, growth, and adapting for the future.

The first event, The Next Normal: Arts Innovation and Resilience in a Post-COVID World, broke new ground in February 2021, with a day-long online symposium focused on both the immediate and long-term impacts of the pandemic, the path forward for the industry, and implications and opportunities for artists and arts institutions. What that conversation revealed was that while the impact of COVID was both immediate and devastating to the performing arts, the longer-term issues predated COVID, had been with us for a long time, and were only accelerated by the pandemic.

Building from the issues that emerged in the first event, The Next Normal 2.0: Flexibility is the Future, in November 2021 featured presenters and panelists from across the performing arts examining how we could create more flexible and adaptable arts institutions, as well as more flexible and adaptable artists, capable of change and creative thinking in order to meet an ever-evolving future, whether driven by a pandemic, technology, economic or other forces.

In April 2022, The Next Normal: IDEAs for the Future, examined racial equity and inclusion in the performing arts. The day brought together a diverse array of individual artists and administrators as presenters and panelists along with 300 participants from across the industry for a deep and practical conversation as well as uplifting examples of important work.

This series has engaged more than 1,600 participants in solutions-focused exploration of the long-term challenges facing the performing arts industry – and the potential for a better path forward.