The problem: Younger audiences are not going to ‘traditional’ classical concerts.

The reasoning from the concert management: They want to see something more akin to a non-classical gig where they can interact with musicians in ‘real-time.’

The answer from the concert management: turn the classical concert into a gig. We know how to do this because most pro musicians don’t see music as a segregated genres but as a continuum so for many, whether it is Femi Kuta, The Manchester Collective or the Berlin Phil doesn’t actually (musically) matter and in fact just like a good diet, one should have a bit of everything.

But where this all falls down is when you get to the Great Paying Public who are obsessed with labels, genres, types, etc. and a total mis-understanding of the process of ‘musicking’ and how it applies to the different genres.

And the fact that our classical concerts are just TOO expensive starting from the ticket prices and the devious tricks the venues play to increase the price (‘convenience fees’ on an emailed ticket which by definition only exists so they don’t have to spend money printing and posting it!), horrendously-priced food and drink (glass of very mediocre red at the RAH is now heading towards £15), virtually non-existent public transport (endless strikes, endless cancellations and very expensive) – this is pricing out the younger punters unless they live within easy striking-distance of a TfL station (and many of my 50-something compatriots seem to have just given up and retired to remote locations which may as well be on the Outer Hebrides).

Several things I’ve done these past few weeks have brought this in to sharp focus. First, I went to a fabulous concert at Bold Tendencies by Pavel Kolesnikov and Samson Tsoy – tickets around £15 each, food (excellent) at Peckham Levels about £25 for 2, drink cheap, views from the rooftop free and To Die For. Age-range 9-99 – all colours, shapes, types, dress, etc. and massively respectful to the music and artists. Brilliant. Second, Glyndebourne; Semele. Ticket (cheap seats) over £150. Food – brought our own but had to pay for the table. Venue, utterly gorgeous. Music, world-class. Audience; old, white, rich, entitled and actually a good number who just seemed to be there for the event rather than the music (including the people behind us who chatted ALL the way through). Would I go again? Yes. Does it need to change? Yes or else it will simply turn into another corporate junket.

Then late-night Prom – Iestyn Davies, English Concert, Bach… Utterly amazing, totally silent, respectful, engaged audience. And they had to be because the pianissimo at times was SO pppp that you just HAD to listen.

The takeaway for me is that at events where the audience is engaged and sufficiently educated and invested they will, by nature, be quiet, be respectful, be interested. I don’t think the problem is with the true audience per-se; it is that we’re not putting on the right things in the right way at the right price point to attract them much of the time and many promoters are lazily programming stuff that they know that the rich, older audience will just tip up to because that is the only way the venues can survive.