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The constant struggle: how to find an audience for classical music, especially for orchestras. The typical symphony-goer is getting ever older (if not dead). How can symphonies attract a younger crowd?

The usual response: more Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, … and pops concerts.

The mainstream approach seems to be avoid new music at all costs (wouldn’t want to offend anyone), or at least keep it very conservative. Kurt Masur, while music director of the New York Philharmonic, pretty much said what many think when he said that he had such care and concern for his audience that he would never perform something that wasn’t of the highest quality. (I’m paraphrasing) The interpretation: audiences hate new music, and they have a right to because it isn’t as good as old music.

At the same time Masur was hunkering down in NY, Essa-Pekka Salonen and Michael Tilson Thomas were both showing that new music could sell tickets. Tilson Thomas in San Francisco reported increased subscription ticket sales (the bread and butter of any orchestra). Salonen and Los Angeles reported overall increased ticket sales. Both program a significant amount of new music. Recently, Robert Spano and the Atlanta Symphony have been experience something of a revival with a healthy dose of contemporary music.

So what gives?

Two posts from other blogs give a pretty good idea. Greg Sandow wrote about a program in Australia that successfully increased audience attendance among younger people. The conclusions:

The younger audience itself must plan the program; you have to play more new music; you have to lower ticket prices; you won’t make any money doing all of this, so you have to see the program as a long-term investment.

The report noted that younger people preferred music by composers their age, and not necessarily pop music.

Alex Ross writes about how not do it: inviting Billy Joel to headline a pops concert. Management was baffled that attendance was so poor. But what did they think the connection would be?