Discussion Topic: Audience

  1. Video: Music Directors Discuss Challenges and Opportunities

    With so many changes afoot in the American orchestral world, what do music directors see as particular challenges and opportunities? (more…)

    Topic: Audience, Community, Creativity | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
    November 6, 2012 by Beth Hondl | Comments (0)

  2. Video: Why Hear It Live?

    In this day and age, what is the importance of the live music experience? (more…)

    Topic: Audience, Creativity | Tags: , , , , , ,
    October 17, 2012 by Beth Hondl | Comments (0)

  3. Video: The Changing Landscape

    How has the relationship between the orchestra and its community changed over the past century? (more…)

    Topic: Audience, Community, Creativity | Tags: , , , , , , ,
    October 16, 2012 by Beth Hondl | Comments (0)

  4. Video: Technology and Engaged Audiences

    How can orchestras use technology to engage with audiences? (more…)

    Topic: Audience, Creativity | Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
    October 15, 2012 by Beth Hondl | Comments (0)

  5. Podcast: Chapter Ten – Looking Ahead, in Philadelphia and Beyond

    When The Philadelphia Orchestra emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July 2012, the ensemble became a canary fluttering back out of a deep dark mine. Philadelphia’s path forward will be closely watched, and not only because music lovers at home and around the world have such a stake in this beloved institution. In both its difficulties and its stategies for confronting and transcending them, The Philadelphia Orchestra strikes a resonant chord with other American orchestras, large and small.

    This podcast was developed from our June 2012 behind-the-scenes discussion.

    Chapter Ten – Looking Ahead, in Philadelphia and Beyond

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    Topic: Audience, Community, Creativity | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
    September 18, 2012 by Beth Hondl | Comments (0)

  6. Video: Franz Welser-Möst – Music Director of The Cleveland Orchestra – on Audiences

    Franz Welser-Möst, Music Director of The Cleveland Orchestra, discusses the relationship between an orchestra and the audience.

    Topic: Audience | Tags: , ,
    September 4, 2012 by Beth Hondl | Comments (0)

  7. From Cartoons to Social Media – How Do You Make Classical Music Accessible?

    For years “cartoons put art music in ordinary people’s lives in everyday ways.” The hijinks of Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouse, and Porky Pig set to classical music’s greatest hits certainly served as an entry point for one generation of music lovers. But what are the entry points of today? This post by Paulla Ebron won an honorable mention in the American Orchestra Forum blog contest.

    I have to admit that one of my first exposures to classical music was while watching old Looney Tunes cartoons. Colorful and irreverent, these animated snippets drew the attention of many young listeners whose living rooms became little concert hall. As viewers, we sat captivated by the characters, Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouse, and Porky Pig either conducting or turning their comic appearance to perform something like. “The Hare of Seville.”

    Cartoons put art music in ordinary people’s lives in everyday ways. They did so by naturalizing the music and making art music seem accessible. Admittedly, the rowdy crowds depicted in these cartoons are a bit unorthodox by conventional standards.



    Formalists’ stomachs will turn at the thought of a popular genre meeting the staid conventions associated with high art. These same people would likely be upset (more…)

    Topic: Audience | Tags:
    July 30, 2012 by Beth Hondl | Comments (1)

  8. Podcast: Chapter Nine – Considering Audiences, Part 2

    Confronted with fundamental and ongoing changes in their audiences, orchestras are thinking about what they do and how they do it as never before. In this chapter we explore some of the ideas, innovations, optimism and uneasiness of the American orchestra, as it finds it way toward the audiences of the future.

    This podcast was developed from our May 2012 live forum event and backstage interviews.

    Chapter Nine – Considering Audiences, Part 2

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    Topic: Audience | Tags: , , , , , , , ,
    July 26, 2012 by Beth Hondl | Comments (0)

  9. Podcast: Chapter Eight – Considering Audiences, Part 1

    For decades nobody thought very much about them. The audience was who showed up to fill the concert hall, in a largely predictable and reliable way. An orchestra scheduled and performed its subscription concerts, and the patrons came to hear them–a straightforward cause-and-effect relationship. Like many relationships in our times, this one has changed, grown more volatile, and become anything but straightforward. No one, it’s safe to say, is taking the audience for granted now.

    This podcast was developed from our May 2012 live forum event and a behind-the-scenes conversation with The Cleveland Orchestra in April 2012.

    Chapter Eight – Considering Audiences, Part 1

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    (more…)

    Topic: Audience | Tags: , , , , , , ,
    July 24, 2012 by Beth Hondl | Comments (0)

  10. Attracting Younger Audiences – A College Student’s Perspective

    Today’s biggest challenge for orchestras? Getting enthusiastic young people into the concert hall. This blog post by Bernard Lin won an honorable mention in our recent American Orchestra Forum blog contest. He is student at Rutgers University in New Jersey.

    Young audiences undoubtedly generate the most enthusiasm in music of all genres. Their willingness to buy merchandise, attend concerts, and constantly blast music indicate their ability to follow their favorite artists with utmost intensity. Half a century ago, a young Leonard Bernstein captured the hearts of children across America as he led the New York Philharmonic in Young People’s Concerts, teaching them the basics of music, introducing them to titans such as Mahler and Tchaikovsky, even opening a door to jazz. In the 21st century there seems to be an unfilled void, a gap that (more…)

    Topic: Audience | Tags:
    July 20, 2012 by Beth Hondl | Comments (1)

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