The Toronto Symphony Orchestra performs Drake’s “Know Yourself.”
In Wednesday’s (1/1) CBS.ca (Canada), Jackson Weaver writes, “It’s the headline violinists, bassoonists and bangers of big expensive drums look for each year: classical music is back, and young people like it again…. According to a 2022 study from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO), people under 35 are actually more likely to listen to classical music than their parents. In a follow-up report from early 2024, they reported interest in attending orchestral concerts peaked the previous year. They also found that orchestral music itself had a bigger increase in popularity than any other. According to their report, more than half of classical audiences are newcomers to the space, with less than a third being longtime fans. But as an art form that goes back centuries instead of decades, it has more hurdles for attracting new fans than other resurgent trends…. Instead of trying to force the old-world allure of classical into a modern era, it’s done the opposite: using streaming, social media and a general dressing down of the dressy atmosphere of symphonies, classical musicians, educators and programmers are focusing on how new classical music can feel, and how modern it can become.”
