Classical music brings us joy and meaning. In this time of doom and gloom, we need to talk about that | James Murphy

Why do we focus on the bad news stories about cuts and crises in classical music ? Musicians are doing incredible things to engage, support and sustain us; we should tell those stories too

When did you last read a good news story about classical music?

Think of the stories that have made the headlines in recent years: funding cuts to national opera companies, closure threats to university music departments, councils axing local provision, classroom music-making in decline.

Successes reported only tend to be reprieves or salvages in the face of such crises, fought for by a sector running out of fuel to keep defending itself. Each new bombshell raises stress and antagonism among music-makers on social media, intensifying the gloom.

I know these are dark days generally, with bad news in every walk of life, but think of the music. If you’re a fan, you surely rely on its vitality, how it speaks to your emotions and uplifts or consoles you at times of need. Even if classical music is not your cup of tea, it’s unlikely you find it harmful or condemnable. How then has the narrative around it veered from the spirit of the thing itself?