Absolutely Erik (love it spelled with a k. Wish my parents had, instead of a c). Also important for the soul of a country imo. I'm reading a great book right now, a biography of Leonard Bernstein written by Humphrey Burton. Bernstein is quoted heavily throughout, his thoughts on culture in general (music and literature in particular, of course), education, politics, religion, and romance/love/sex fully expressed. One of the 20th Centurys major artists (and a flaming liberal ;-).
