Post by julesd68 on Aug 20, 2016 14:30:07 GMT
How do you improve concert audiences?
Stephen Hough reckons you could have shorter concerts, no interval and get rid of formal dress for the orchestra...
www.rhinegold.co.uk/classical_music/stephen-hough-calls-shorter-concerts/
Really? Not for me. I enjoy some sense of formality to the occasion... Please, no brightly coloured shirts etc
The Proms manage to have packed audiences whilst adhering to a somewhat traditional format. They do however try to mix up the programme though with classical and contemporary composers.
I'm not averse to some shorter concerts - it really depends what the programme is. I enjoy shorter performances of chamber and choral music.
I feel Hough's comments are missing the real crux of the matter. At the end of the day, most confirmed classical fans want to see great artists performing great works. Getting 'new blood' into the concert halls is an entirely different matter, and the future generations of concert goers needs dealing with at a basic level.
For me, it isn’t about tinkering around with formats as suggested or worse still, doing hip-hop versions of opera or some such attempt at luring 'yoof'. Much better to introduce an appreciation of orchestras and classical music in schools, encouraging kids to take up instruments with subsidised lessons if possible. Some schools are great at this and some are rubbish - it needs to be tackled on a national level. We need a Jamie Oliver style approach with someone credible as a figurehead, such as Nicola Benedetti, who is totally committed and passionate about this cause.
Stephen Hough reckons you could have shorter concerts, no interval and get rid of formal dress for the orchestra...
www.rhinegold.co.uk/classical_music/stephen-hough-calls-shorter-concerts/
Really? Not for me. I enjoy some sense of formality to the occasion... Please, no brightly coloured shirts etc
The Proms manage to have packed audiences whilst adhering to a somewhat traditional format. They do however try to mix up the programme though with classical and contemporary composers.
I'm not averse to some shorter concerts - it really depends what the programme is. I enjoy shorter performances of chamber and choral music.
I feel Hough's comments are missing the real crux of the matter. At the end of the day, most confirmed classical fans want to see great artists performing great works. Getting 'new blood' into the concert halls is an entirely different matter, and the future generations of concert goers needs dealing with at a basic level.
For me, it isn’t about tinkering around with formats as suggested or worse still, doing hip-hop versions of opera or some such attempt at luring 'yoof'. Much better to introduce an appreciation of orchestras and classical music in schools, encouraging kids to take up instruments with subsidised lessons if possible. Some schools are great at this and some are rubbish - it needs to be tackled on a national level. We need a Jamie Oliver style approach with someone credible as a figurehead, such as Nicola Benedetti, who is totally committed and passionate about this cause.
