To buy the 70-Something book, “Life, Love and Limits in the Bonus Years,” on Amazon, click here.

Receive 80-something posts by email!
Name:
Your email address:*
Please enter all required fields

Where Was the Audience?

Our older son often referred to Peter and me as his “classical-music-loving- parents.” And with good reason.  All our household listening devices were pre-set to Boston’s one classical music station.

The New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall was one of out favorite in-person performance venues.  Last Sunday I attended a concert by Boston’s Civic Symphony there. The 1000-seat hall was sparsely filled—it seemed that there were more orchestra members on the stage than concert attendees.

The usual suspect (a Boston Red Sox game) was out of town.  There was a performance at Symphony Hall just around the corner, but there are enough potential concert-goers to fill both halls.

Where were they?

Posted in

3 responses to “Where Was the Audience?”

  1. Linda Avatar
    Linda

    I think today’s symphonies struggle for a variety of reasons. I imagine among them is not only aging of the patrons, but also aging of the donors. It makes me wonder about the things my parents’ and grandparents’ lost, but I was oblivious to, wrapped up in my own generational culture.

    Reply
  2. Judith Oder Avatar
    Judith Oder

    Very thought-provoking question. Multifactorial answers. Lack of music appreciation classes in the grade schools or high school. Everyone carrying around mini-computers in their cell phones and CD players in their cars. The music comes to us. We don’t go to the music. Saturday night attended Pops concert in Melrose (MA) auditorium. Melrose Symphony is the oldest volunteer orchestra in America, 100 plus, led by the ebullient Maestro Udagawa. Very well attended. And a parallel of course to the lack of symphony audience, is diminished attendance at places of worship. Cost is always a factor but the amounts people pay for pop culture superstars is staggering.

    Judith

    Reply
  3. Anita Jenkins Avatar
    Anita Jenkins

    In Edmonton Alberta Canada, the superb Garneau String Quartet sold out (for the second time) a concert in our city’s fantastic Winspear concert hall on Monday May 4. We are northern city, far from everything, but for some reason there is an extremely strong arts culture: classical music, theatre, arts festivals, literary events… Look it up.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to LindaCancel reply

Discover more from The 80-Something Blog

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading