Whenever you hear the phrase “Australian Classical Music”, you get a variety of responses. “For the elites”, “old people listen to classical”. “Classical? Boring.” “Music Appreciation Classes”, “Keating liked that stuff, didn’t he?” Perhaps you hear names like Richard Gill, the Director of Education at the Sydney Symphony. He tells us that music education is in a parlous state, which needs “proper” teachers teaching the “proper” music. Or, more likely in some circles, Mrs. Carey — as in a music teacher at the Methodist Ladies’ College in Burwood, NSW. She of the high profile advertisement for MLC School, Mrs. Carey’s Concert. More elitism to be associated with classical music. Classical, as we define music performed by orchestras and groups of a particular lot of instruments, is seen as something to “appreciate”, not enjoy.

The contention of a recent paper by former Canberra Music Festival Director Nicole Canham is that such pigeonholing of classical music poses a long term danger to many of the performers and organisations associated with its performance - because the long term, steady audience for such performances is in gradual decline as the audiences get older and are not replaced by younger folk. The generations for which “classical” music was an integral part of their education are those in the Baby Boomer category, not Generation X. Canham’s Democracy v Creativity in Australian Classical Music (Currency House, 2011) poses many questions to the classical music performing community. Her view can be summarised in her statement “we seem to have become confused about when to use the eye and ear of the specialist and when to ignore the specialist in order to tune in to contemporary culture” and calls on the classical music community to “rejoin the rest of humanity and see whether we can share their intellectual and emotional headspace”. The essay outlines a variety of approaches that have been taken towards the promotion of music, include the Creative Nation policy of the Keating Government – characterised as “in many ways a Pollyanna-ish view of the way things might be in an ideal world” — as in, if the cultural sector was “more excellent as a sector… somehow everyone would come along and discover their identity”. This is essentially the problem with where classical music currently sits. The organisations continue on their pathways to “excellence” and just assume people will come along to bathe in that excellence. There are a number of barriers between the classical music institutions and potential new audiences.

1. The Venues and Atmosphere

The venues are often a barrier to new audiences — they seem to convey a quiet, reverential air — especially Sydney’s Opera House. Classical music wasn’t necessarily designed to be such a closed event. The Proms in London, for example, is relaxed, informal and friendly. The Sydney ABC Symphony Orchestra had a Prom series which ran from 1965 to 1973. It turned the Sydney Town Hall into a relaxed hippie event, replete with food consumption, cushions and hammocks. It was a series that attracted the hipsters of its day, who queued around the block for the $7 series tickets — a far cry from the champagne and gourmet sandwiches of the Opera House. Interestingly, I went to a Paul Kelly concert in the City Recital Hall – usually the preserve of the Australian Chamber Orchestra and the Brandenburg Orchestra. They allowed drinks to be brought into the venue. I was astonished. Astonished! It showed that it can be done with all concerts, if only the classical music organizations took a more relaxed attitude.

2. The Best Musicians are from Overseas, not Australia

Even since WW2, the ABC, which ran the capital city symphony orchestras back then, preferred to look to Europe for its musical directors. It’s a cultural cringe that exists to this day because European directors are perceived as part of the pursuit of “excellence”, as defined by critics and audiences who largely know what the music “should” sound like. This goes some way to explain why the orchestras either shy away from taking on Australian chief conductors or Australian soloists. They are often considered by audiences and critics as not being as “excellent” as those from Europe and the US. International musicians, reasonably enough, ask for higher fees than local talents and that drives up ticket prices – and also assists in encouraging the view that “classical” music is somehow a rarefied event. Even the Australian Chamber Orchestra, with its Australian director, indulge in this activity. Not that I am suggesting that we don’t hire musicians from overseas — but there is something to be said about for giving excellent Australian musicians — such as Antony Walker and Simon Tedeschi – a chance to perform with the major orchestras.

3. Prices

“Classical” music is a very expensive event for most people who feel a little intimidated by the closed shop atmosphere and plush concert halls. $60 sees you up near the back of the hall — it costs even more for the Australian Chamber Orchestra or Brandenburg Orchestra. They do have cheaper tickets for those under 25 or 30, but the organisations had better hope that the people in their 20s who might go will love it enough to stay. The concert halls are partially to blame for this, as are the orchestras’ desire for “excellent” imported artists. Of course, it’s cheaper for me. I am a subscriber — someone who is already a rusted on audience member, and I get a huge discount for such loyalty over 6 concerts. Too much of this, however, can add to the “closed shop” feel for new audiences wanting to share the experience.

4. Music

There is a view amongst many in the “classical” music world that audiences are somehow scared of 20th Century music, especially that written after WW2. Hence, audiences are hard pressed to find such music outside a token performance at the start of a concert featuring another Brahms symphony. It wasn’t always the case — the Proms in Sydney featured slabs of new Australian works played to the audiences on their hammocks – Peter Sculthorpe wrote music that combined the orchestra with folk rock group Tully, Nigel Butterley wrote music that played while a painter did an artwork at the same time. Many music critics of the time complained and didn’t understand — but its audience didn’t care. And nor should they. Today, however, orchestras seem to be possessed by the fear of alienating the subscribers by playing something other than music composed before 1939.

Ultimately, classical music can indeed occupy people’s intellectual and emotional headspace. However, while the major classical music institutions are stuck in their pursuit of the “proper” pursuit of “excellence” in a narrow range of music in its plush and expensive concert halls, it will continue to appeal only to rapidly aging crowd.

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Preston Towers is a former many things — one is a history student who did a thesis about classical music performance after WW2 after noticing there weren’t many chicks his age at concerts. He also played piano, waved a stick at musicians and is now a Twitter D Lister — @prestontowers. He blogs on all sorts of stuff that blasts out of his brain on prestoninstitute.wordpress.com

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