I was chatting with an orchestra about ways they could attract new audiences and become more accessible. The orchestra’s concert dress was very traditional, full white tie and tails for the men, so I suggested that like other orchestras they should switch to something just as smart but less elitist and outdated.

“Oh, we actually thought about doing that, so we did a survey of our audience to ask them what we should do. They told us they like the tails, so we didn’t change”.

As 2021/2022 seasons come to an end, we reach a moment of realisation. Classical music audiences are vanishing… and they’re not coming back.

It’s that time of year again. Orchestras, opera houses, venues, and concert seasons are launching their seasons for next year. This is probably the closest we’ve been to “normal” season launches since the pandemic. And yet despite what should be the most exciting and interesting thing these organisations announce all year, I’m struck with just how boring, formulaic, an unoriginal they all are.

The digital age, social media, and smart phones have changed so much of the world we live in and how we interact with it. This creates a particular challenge for all of us in the arts when people now want to interact and engage with art in a totally different way to what we’re used to and the format we’ve created.