A person with a microphone and a video camera standing a few yards away from a Toronto concert hall posed the question, "Why it is so difficult for everyday people to just go in and enjoy a classical concert?" to two young women.
Here is my edited transcription of what the first person said:
“I know for me when you think about classical music you tend to think about a white demographic. I feel that people won't see it's catered to them in a specific way. But I feel like it's not very welcoming in that space, like people just think, it's not for me, it's not catered to me, or maybe it's not sounds specifically that they're looking for. But it is something you don't really think about right away, like that's a space that I can go in and just like be seen, and then enjoy with my friends.”
The second person agreed with her friend, and added that there wasn't a feeling of access, and that classical music was only for a certain group of people. She said that it lacked visibility, and that it should be advertised so that it could be "really out there."
While the institutions and organizations that prepare and present concerts have evolved a great deal to become more inclusive, and have gone out of their way to use social media to reach people during the past couple of decades, I fear that the attitude of young adults not exposed to classical music in childhood (for whatever reason) might be stuck in the past.
I have written many blogposts about the audience for classical music over the years on this blog (you can read them through this link). Some posts might be relevant in the context of this post, and some might not be that relevant.
Let’s hope that we continue to remember the strides we have made, and can continue to let young people know that their engagement is really welcome.
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