Where are the young audiences?
Fri, Oct 29 2010, 8:27AM
I'm a regular concerts goer currently living in
Singapore and China. I've attended hundreds of concerts in Asia and a few in
Europe.
Last month I came back from an European concerts tour with my wife as
part of our honeymoon. We attended five concerts in Lucerne festival and another
few in Copenhagen and Vienna. All the performances we attended were sold out or
almost so. But one thing surprised me was that, I often found we were the only
audience below 30 years old.
I soon realized the often said words the future of
classical music is in the east. Why is there so few young audience, from the
origin of classical music, attending concerts? I was really surprised. The
average audience age difference between those European and Asian concerts is at
least ten or twenty years.
In China, I've seen many modern concert halls
built up during the past ten years and more and more visiting orchestras
performing in these halls. I've heard people said classical is part of the life
of European life. But I still doubt the disappeared young audience would turn
back to concert hall when they reach 50 or 60? Or maybe I went to the wrong
concerts? I did see some youth audiences in photos of the Proms concerts.
Sat, Oct 30 2010, 4:07PM
#2
RE: Where are the young audiences?
This has been the subject of dozens of posts on CM forums, as well as items in CM magazines and the so-called 'quality' press. I think it should be ackowledged that a few brave souls are trying out local versions of the Venzuelan sistema to build up a classical music presence in our schools: I would mention the Royal Liverpool Phil's initiative in inner city schools featured recently in the press. And some music teachers are rooting their curricula in a historical appreciation of the classical repertoire within the whole musical context. The results, after some 30 years of relative neglect in most schools, will take some time to work through in a culture now defined by forces that regard music as a commodity to be bought and sold, and seek performers who will 'sell' that music to the young.
Sat, Nov 20 2010, 10:09AM
#3
RE: Where are the young audiences?
I don't believe that the cause of the age difference that you observe in Europe is poor education if I have understood your reasoning correctly. I am convinced it has to do with the difference in purchasing power between someone in let's say in their 50s as opposed to someone in their 20s. I lived in Paris for almost seven years and went to many concerts while living there. The ticket prices are through the roof. Some countries have like France under the "reign" of the late François Mitterand attempted to "democratize" culture by heavily subsidizing ticket prices. Even this failed to work. While in Vienna I noticed substantial crowds, especially young people willing to attend concerts standing room only for only EUR 10 at the Musikverein and at the Staatsoper. If you come to the US, you will see that age difference is even starker.
Another factor could be that the "older" generation controls concert programming, neglecting newer, more innovative works in favor of more traditional programming. Why would a someone in there 20s,30s, even 40s want to go to yet another performance of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto when they could be sitting at home listening to the likes of Saariaho for example, provide of course they can even afford the price of the disc? I think that the younger generation need to be included in programming choices in order to elicit interest in classical music.
Tue, Jan 25 2011, 11:57AM
#4
RE: Where are the young audiences?
I'm not convinced that simple economics are at play here, although I am convinced that social perceptions/stereotypes have a lot to do with lack of young people at concerts. From my experience, young people spend considerably more than the price of a concert ticket on going to clubs and bars or to pop concerts.
I once amazed a young woman here when she discovered I was going to a classical concert - firstly because she couldn't believe anyone would voluntarily do such a thing, and secondly because the concert was sold out!
As a result, I have been taking both my daughters to concerts for the last few years - they enjoy them but wouldn't probably go under their own steam; but what I wanted to do was instill in them the thought that classical music concerts are normal events for anyone, not some special occasion (though for me they are special!).
I don't know about in other countries, but I have a feeling that some of the problem in the UK stems from the media's portrayal of classical music - I recently came across a pre-school program that described opera as "boring"! There is also the perpetual portrayal of opera singers as fat, Viking helmet clad divas making some warbling din.
Tue, Jan 25 2011, 2:53PM
#5
RE: Where are the young audiences?
The following link may be of interest on this topic.
Wed, Jan 26 2011, 12:38AM
#6
RE: Where are the young audiences?
Trust me, I feel your pain.
As a 15 year old, I am one of the only people I know my age that consistently listens and tries to learn about classical music. Like the post above, I think it is a social problem rather than frugality. I have seen people in their 20s go to more avant garde concerts and showings, but my local symphony orchestra's audience is lacking in youth, especially teenagers.
I've started a blog, Neo Antennae, that I've mentioned to my friends and posted on my Facebook in hopes of attracting more young people to this great genre. It's a small step, but anything I can do to help I think is worth it.
Wed, Jun 29 2011, 2:28PM
#7
RE: Where are the young audiences?
Maybe you're right, such problem really exists, but I wouldn't be so disappointed in youth. I have a lot of friends, who attend classical music concerts and I go with them. Maybe the majority of young people are consumed with mainstream, but sill there are those who aren't...
Thu, Aug 18 2011, 9:32PM
#8
RE: Where are the young audiences?
Since I was 17 years old, I have been attending concerts in Hong Kong regularly. From other local music lovers who can afford to travel abroad to attend concerts, I have heard comments that there're more youngsters back in Hong Kong. So I'm not surprise when reading your observations.
In fact, in Hong Kong, there're programmes giving away tickets to schools for free, and I was once surprised to see 13-year-olds turning up in concerts like a Bruckner 8 concert or a concert featuring Zemlinsky's Lyric Symphony. Well, not that I don't appreciate the efforts of promoting classical music- it's just that sometimes some of these youngsters are not that behaving well in the concert hall. This does spoil a concert experience.
As a student myself, I feel lucky that I can enjoy 50% reduction in my concert tickets in Hong Kong. As for the places you mentioned, like Vienna or Luzern, I doubt whether there are student tickets coming with as huge reduction. Even if they sell student tickets, for instance, for the Gewandhausorchester in Leipzig, it is only available in the evening box office when there are tickets remaining. In this case, if the concert is a sold-out one, there should not be relatively cheaper student tickets left. The relative costly ticket prices may explain the absence of young audience in Europe. Maybe they're not so into classical music as to be willing to pay for the tickets.
It may also be possible that you attend the concerts where coincidentially there were no young audience. Some friends of mine, in their twenties, travel to Vienna to attend the concerts and opera there. For me, I'm also planning to attend concerts in Vienna and Leipzig this autumn.
Wed, Sep 14 2011, 10:54PM
#9
RE: Where are the young audiences?
I think the problem lies on both, lack of educatin thus interest and high cost of tickets. Youth would rather go to their kind of music and pay high priced tickets than go to a concert where their interest are not that high.
Wed, Sep 21 2011, 4:28PM
#10
RE: Where are the young audiences?
I think in the UK concert tickets are quite cheap (compared to for instance Germany). It really depends on what is being played. 20th/21st century music attracts a younger audience.
Thu, Sep 22 2011, 10:54AM
#11
RE: Where are the young audiences?
Ok - I am ancient but I remember the same question being asked 40, 30, 20 and 10 years ago - we still have audiences. So perhaps the question should be "how do we attract audiences at a younger age?"
Sat, Oct 8 2011, 12:28PM
#12
RE: Where are the young audiences?
We were, of course, once known as 'The land without music'. We have a large 'working class' population and as Delius once remarked 'are not interested in anything unless it has a ball'. I know a lot of people who consider 'classical music' as, just tunes, and that 'serious music' is in fact pop music. We have, in the 20th century moved to a situation where a large part of the consumer audience is working class. Have they really ever been interested in 'classical music'. Pop music is where the large record companies made and make their profits. We are in a minority club, but one in which we should not be trying to lower values to engage the masses. It is there if you want it and only means anything if you need it.
I think a few post 1945 composers needed to take their heads out of their middle class liberal intellectual hippy experimental 'backsides' as well.
Sat, Oct 8 2011, 3:24PM
#13
RE: Where are the young audiences?
We were, of course, once known as 'The land without music'. We have a large 'working class' population and as Delius once remarked 'are not interested in anything unless it has a ball'. I know a lot of people who consider 'classical music' as, just tunes, and that 'serious music' is in fact pop music. We have, in the 20th century moved to a situation where a large part of the consumer audience is working class. Have they really ever been interested in 'classical music'. Pop music is where the large record companies made and make their profits. We are in a minority club, but one in which we should not be trying to lower values to engage the masses. It is there if you want it and only means anything if you need it. I think a few post 1945 composers needed to take their heads out of their middle class liberal intellectual hippy experimental 'backsides' as well.
We were never a 'land without music' as even a cursory examination of our history can ably demonstrate.
A libel as is your elitist denigration of the working class and made worse by a quote from a composer who was hardly ever in the country.
There was a time when the profits from sales of Rolling Stones' and Beatles' singles and albums went to financing the record companies classical catalogue.
Would we have had the Solti Ring without such sales? I doubt it.
I suggest you come into the 21st century before it's too late, it is about to enter its second decade and you appear to have missed much already.
Sat, Oct 8 2011, 3:50PM
#14
RE: Where are the young audiences?
What have I missed, do tell me.
Sat, Oct 8 2011, 5:31PM
#15
RE: Where are the young audiences?
v
I think a few post 1945 composers needed to take their heads out of their middle class liberal intellectual hippy experimental 'backsides' as well.
I think a few post 1945 composers needed to take their heads out of their middle class liberal intellectual hippy experimental 'backsides' as well.
Now there's an image to contemplate: a middle class liberal intellectual hippy experimental backside. Mine's pretty boring by comparison.
Did you really mean "middle class liberal intellectual hippy experimental composers" Dr. B? I don't think even my former working class comprehensive pupils would have made that error. Well perhaps they would sometimes, but then their heads were probably full of pop music.
Vic.
As a side note it's worth looking at the participants of the recent Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition.
http://konkurs.chopin.pl/en/edition/xvi/participants/info
Bravo to all!
Would you agree that the disappearance of young people from classical music, at least in some countries, is caused by poor education? (e.g. Beethoven = dog)
Perhaps this is not just that?