By Laurie Niles: In an article this week about research into the welfare of symphony musicians, a discussion followed about the greying of the symphony audience, and the related concern that the audience for classical music is dying. Then V.com member Mary Ellen Goree pointed out that this argument - that the audience has been "aging out" - has been going on for decades - but surely those grey heads in the audience 30 years ago are not all the same ones we see at concerts today.![greying audience]()
This brought up a question for me: Is it possible that an older audience is simply an excellent demographic - and even a renewable one - for classical music and symphonic concerts?
Much attention is paid to cultivating a younger audience of symphony-goers, and this is still a good idea. But perhaps we are missing something. Is there perhaps a sizeable group of people who discover classical music a little later in life? Is there something about being a bit older that makes the experience of a symphony concert start to feel more appealing than other kinds of concerts - for example, ones that might be amplified, crowded and/or chaotic?
And if that is the case, should we be doing more to convert older people who are ripe for "conversion" to the classical experience?
I know that a number of the adult students that I've had simply came to it all a little bit later, but once they do, they are all in. They love classical music, and they love going to the symphony.
I'd like to explore everyone's thoughts on this matter. Can we accept the older contingent in our audience as a gift? Can we actually lean into it and find ways of bringing even more of the over-50 crowd to classical and symphonic concerts? Are there some consistent ways of tapping into this crowd? Or, conversely, is there still cause for alarm, if the audience tips too much in favor of an older crowd?
Please participate in the vote, and then share your thoughts in the comments.
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