The Audience

a journey into audience participation
AUDIENCE

You love classical music, and you go to concerts regularly. You like to listen to classical music at home. As an experienced concert visitor, you often buy your tickets long before the concert. Sometimes you visit concerts by other orchestras. Maybe you prepare for the concert by watching a digital introduction, or by listening to the works that will be performed. During regular concerts you know what to expect and what is expected from you.

Nowadays orchestras also organise experimental or participatory concerts that are different than regular concerts. In these situations, you do not know what to expect. What happens when the rituals of going to a symphonic concert are no longer in place? And how can you contribute to concerts in a different way?

Choose a theme to continue your journey!

Choose a particular theme to continue your journey:

Participating in the Ritual of the Concert

Attending a classical music concert can be seen as a ritual in which all participants behave according to certain rules and expectations. How do you participate in this ritual as an audience member? And what happens when these routines are broken, for example during an experimental or participatory concert outside of the concert-hall? What other roles do you have as an audience member?

Explore theme 1

Discussing the Quality of a Concert

How can we speak about what makes a concert ‘good’? Many audience members feel insecure when discussing the quality of classical music concerts. While we easily seem to evaluate other art forms, such as film, we often find ourselves hesitant to give our opinion after a concert, as if we do not consider ourselves to be “experts”. But classical music can matter in many different ways. Evaluating the performance or the composition as a musicological expert is but one. How can you share experiences about classical music concerts in different ways?

Explore theme 2

Explore a different character

What does audience participation mean from another perspective? Select a character to continue your journey into audience participation!