“Cosmopolitan sociability” and experience of transnationalism in the world of classical music. The case of Japanese artists

Abstract

In the global classical music industry, Japanese musicians experience inequalities implied by ethnicity and race, based on the belief that the ability to practice ‘authentic’ classical music is, in a way, genetically determined. In the racialized discourse of ‘authenticity’ in classical music correct interpretation of classical compositions is associated with an essentialized concept of Western heritage, where it is rooted. The aim of this article is to demonstrate how this discourse along with the ethnic and racial inequalities, which structure classical music sector, shape transnational career paths among Japanese musicians.
Heretofore, international mobility in artistic profession has been understudied in the literature on transnationality and migration. The existing research analyzes mobility among classical musicians either in terms of the cosmopolitan careers of established artists or as a precarious journey of freelancers moving between international music milieus in search of work.
Based on the extensive empirical material collected in three locations: Paris, Warsaw and Tokyo, this article analyzes the experiences of professional mobility among Japanese classical musicians operating between native and European musical environments. The analysis homes in on the elements that drive and limit transnational mobility. Furthermore, I will show how Japanese classical musicians strive to continue their transnational artistic endeavors by developing ‘cosmopolitan sociability’ in order to overcome barriers related to the labor market as well as restrictive migration policies.